Severe winds brought an early end to Wednesday’s Geelong Cup meeting, forcing officials to postpone the remaining six races, including the prestigious Geelong Cup (2400m), to Thursday.
The meeting was halted after just three races when wind gusts approaching 80km/h created unsafe conditions for jockeys and horses. After initially declaring an indefinite delay, Racing Victoria stewards made the decision to abandon the remainder of the program shortly after 3pm.
Racing Victoria’s Head of Racing, Paul Bloodworth, confirmed that the rescheduled races would be conducted on Thursday in the same order and timeslot as originally planned.
“The weather forecast for Thursday is far more favourable with lighter winds and no rain,” Bloodworth told Racing.com. “The first race will be at 2.25pm and the last at 5.30pm. There will be minor adjustments at Mornington to accommodate jockey changes, but it’s the best possible solution under the circumstances.”
Bloodworth said it was vital that the Geelong Cup was run this week given its “win and you’re in” qualification status for the Melbourne Cup (3200m) on November 4, while the Geelong Classic (2200m) provides a key lead-up for three-year-olds targeting the Victoria Derby.
“It’s disappointing for everyone involved, but safety has to come first,” Bloodworth said. “We’re making the best of a difficult situation and ensuring these key spring races can still go ahead.”
Racing Victoria steward Cory Waller confirmed that wind gusts of up to 76km/h had been recorded at the weather station in the middle of the Geelong track.
“The winds were forecast to continue until at least 5pm and might not have subsided even then,” Waller said. “Given that level of uncertainty, there was simply too much risk to proceed.”
Before the abandonment, Gilded Water, owned by His Majesty The King and trained by Ciaron Maher, was the short-priced favourite for the Geelong Cup, which offers automatic entry into the Melbourne Cup. The gelding is expected to retain favouritism when racing resumes on Thursday.