George Simon rocking the boat on abandonments!

[Chief Stipe]

George Simon: We just want consistency

trackside.co.nz

 

The abandonment of the Matamata meeting on January 22nd after just three races, caused some controversy.

Phelan The Power had won the first, In Haste, pictured above, had picked up her maiden victory in the second and then things all changed.

Tempest Moon, ridden by leading apprentice Lily Sutherland, slipped free of interference with 250m to run.

When I say it slipped it's probably understating the obvious.

Calling the race, I was concentrating on the first few with Tempest Moon several lengths off the leaders and not really looking like a contender.

However, the magnitude of the slip was enough to catch my attention.

Immediately following the race, the dreaded track inspection took place.

The usual delegation of jockeys, club officials and stewards were soon out inspecting the area where the slip occurred.

In the meantime, I had watched several replays of the incident and was pretty sure we'd be going home.

The upshot of course was the meeting was duly abandoned.

As an expert Grandstand jockey, I wasn't surprised at that decision.

Then the fun and games started.

And it got rather interesting.

The on-course Bush Telegraph soon had all sorts of rumours swirling around Matamata racecourse.

I was reliably informed that the jockeys were willing to continue to ride, with the proviso that they would reassess their continued participation after each race.

However, the Stewards vetoed that plan, in the interest of safety for horse and rider and pulled stumps on the day.

The race day stewards report stated that the stewards were not convinced the riders would be riding competitively enough to fulfill their obligations to their owners and the betting racing public.

Personally, I can see the argument for and against.

Currently the Health and Safety Act ensures everyone errs on the side of caution.

The ramifications of contravening those laws are obviously far reaching.

My question though is all about consistency.

I know that Matamata meeting was a low-key mid-week affair.

But what if it was the TAB Karaka Millions night at Ellerslie?

Complete with mega prize money, World Pool betting and huge International and local audience.

Would the same outcome as Matamata prevail?

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Picture at the top of the page: In Haste powering away with her maiden victory in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1200m) at Matamata on January 22, the second of only three races that day. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images).

[Freda]

We know the answer to that.