Full steam ahead to Adelaide River Cup meeting
Date posted:
MEDIA RELEASE
THIS year’s Adelaide River Cup racemeeting, scheduled for Saturday 1 June, is primed to go ahead following the disappointment of last year’s abandonment.
Twelve months ago, due to some inconsistent areas in the track surface, only two races were contested before the remainder of the meeting was abandoned. TRNT Stewards agreed with the riders’ assessment of the track condition and deemed that the inconsistencies posed a safety concern, hence the abandonment.
Following the abandonment, a strategy was put in place to rectify the track issues so that there would be no repeat of the disappointing events of 2018.
Firstly, the track was mowed regularly so a manageable length was maintained during the wet season months, leading to the surface and sub-surface remaining fairly dry.
Secondly, the track was verti-drained on a couple of occasions, fertiliser was applied and the entire track was top-dressed with a generous covering of topsoil to assist with improving the soil quality and to encourage better grass growth.
These initiatives have had a positive effect on the track, helped as well by the relatively dry wet-season that the Top End has experienced.
TRNT Stewards, in conjunction with leading trainer-jockey Carl Spry, the NT Jockeys’ Association President, organised for two horses to work over the track this morning (Tuesday), and Spry and fellow experienced jockey Wayne Davis gave a glowing report of the track.
“The track is fantastic – it has an excellent sole of grass, is even and consistent and I would say it’s between a Good 4 and a Dead 5,” said Spry after working on the track.
Davis echoed those sentiments. “It’s as good as I’ve ever seen it – there’s a little bit of give but they hardly marked it. It will race really well on Saturday week.”
The Adelaide River Show Society Committee is to be commended for the condition of the track, and the work that has gone into ensuring that the meeting will go ahead this year as scheduled. (ENDS)
