RENOWNED Bathurst trainer Steve Turnbull has backed the decision to call off yesterday's Bathurst Harness Racing Club meeting at the new Bathurst Paceway due to concerns over the state of the track.
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A decision was made around midday to cancel the eight-race program due to softness in a handful of track areas, notably in the home straight and in particular the sprint lane.
The venue has staged a couple of trial meetings, its first official meeting last Wednesday, and the official grand opening on Sunday, and throughout all of them there had been a few mentions of the soft areas.
During Sunday's meeting there were frequent maintenance measures between races, enough to ensure that there were no incidents.
"I think it was probably safe enough but on Monday when we trialled there were still a couple of soft spots that hadn't been improved from Sunday," Turnbull, who had 11 horses entered for yesterday's card, said.
"I don't think I've ever really raced on a track where it has been too affected by that sort of thing, but I know that they usually call off meetings where it looks like being an issue.
"It's not just about getting the track up to scratch. You've got to consider the fall-out if something goes wrong.
"There were horses changing stride towards the end of races on Sunday, and if that horse pulls up, or gallops or gets hurt and people have their money on it, it really isn't a good look for the game. It isn't just about the track.
"One thing that was noticeable on Sunday is that it did get progressively worse as the day went on. They worked all day to try and fix it between races, but it didn't come up all that well."
The immediate measure put in place by Harness Racing NSW was to schedule additional races for this Saturday's meeting at Parkes, but for Turnbull that isn't an option.
He is heading to Sydney for the HRNSW awards night.
He says it isn't just a blow to his stable but also the smaller ones who may only have one or two horses, who do almost all their racing at Bathurst.
"It is a pain in the butt, but there's not a lot we can do about it," he said.
"We've got 11 horses here ready to go that are all shampooed and looking a million dollars ... They'll look pretty nice for trackwork today, that's for sure.
"What will be disappointing is if they work outstandingly and you start to think they would have run well if they had have raced.
"It is a pain both for the professionals and the hobby trainers, though, for sure.
"It could be worse, though. I've driven to meetings at Harold Park, Dubbo, Menangle, all over the place, where you arrive and suddenly it is called off for heavy rain.
"At least this decision was made early and everyone can change their plans."
