After days of heavy rain decision made to postpone Golden Slipper meeting

Sydney’s showpiece Golden Slipper meeting has been postponed after heavy rain overnight has left Rosehill Gardens unsafe for racing.

Racing NSW stewards and Australian Turf Club officials conducted a track inspection at 6am and determined the race meeting could not proceed.

Marc Van Gestel, Racing NSW’s chief steward, said there was surface water on some sections of the Rosehill course proper and with the forecast of more rain today, felt there was no alternative but to postpone the meeting.

Racing NSW is considering various contingency plans and is expected to make an announcement this morning.

The options are moving Slipper Day to midweek, or transferring the five Group 1 races including the Golden Slipper to the Tancred Stakes meeting next Saturday.

Another possibility is pushing Sydney’s entire autumn carnival back a week and having the Golden Sipper meeting next Saturday.

A day earlier Racing NSW chief steward Marc Van Gestel remained optimistic Sydney’s showpiece Golden Slipper meeting would proceed at Rosehill Gardens today — but the weather bureau’s forecast for heavy rain was causing great concern.

Van Gestel walked the Rosehill track on yesterday with Australian Turf Club’s Nevesh Ramdhani and Stuart Patterson and admitted he was pleasantly surprised how well the track has coped with this week’s persistent downpours.

Originally published asGolden Slipper meeting postponed

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