Bad weather continues to interrupt Southland thoroughbred racing

"This is probably the worst [year] I've struck, just rain, continuous rain."

Riverton trainer Graham Eade says the bad weather in recent months has made it difficult to get horses ready for racing. Photo: AJAY BERRY (RACE IMAGES)

• Jamie Searle is a long-time Southland racing writer. For more of his work head to the Southland Thoroughbreds Facebook page.

"This is probably the worst [year] I've struck, just rain, continuous rain." 

Those were the comments of Riverton racehorse trainer Graham Eade on how Southland's long-running bad weather continues to interrupt training programmes, forces jumpouts to be cancelled and prevents thoroughbred race meetings from being held.

"I don't know how many times my paddocks have flooded," said Eade, who trains in partnership with Brooke Kincaid.

Eade and Kincaid took advantage of fine weather yesterday to allow their horses time outside after being often in loose boxes away from the rain and muddy paddocks.

The first five sets of jumpouts for the season have all been cancelled because of saturated tracks. The next is scheduled for Monday, October 14.

Southland's first race meeting this season, held by the Gore Racing Club on September 22, was moved to Oamaru because of a rain-drenched track at Gore.

Denby-Rose Tait rides the Riverton-trained Albatross to success at the Gore Racing Club's meeting at Oamaru on September 22. Photo: JAMIE SEARLE

Surface water on the track and a wet patch at the 1600-metre start forced the Southland Racing Club to abandon its meeting at Ascot Park last Sunday. A weather forecast, which included a few days of rain, ended hopes of transferring the race day to Thursday.

Invercargill trainer Jo Dalton is pleased some of her team got a race under their belt at the Gore RC meeting at Oamaru. 

She said cancellation of the Southland RC meeting was a blow to owners and trainers, but understandable under the circumstances.

Jockey Sam Wynne and trainer Jo Dalton at a Gore race meeting last season. Dalton raced some of her horses at the Gore Racing Club's meeting that was transferred to Oamaru on September 22 because of a rain-soaked track at Gore. Photo: JAMIE SEARLE

The bad weather, cancellations, interrupted training and race programmes was out of everyone's control, Dalton said.

“It's nobody's fault, there's nothing anyone can do. August, September and early October [the bad weather] has been unreal.

“We've just got to keep going forward.”

As well as being a trainer, Dalton is an owner and vice-president of the Southland Racing Owners and Trainers' Association which organises jumpouts in the province.

Southland's next thoroughbred race meeting is at Gore on October 23.