HORSERACING
By LIAM DURKIN
THERE’S some laws in this house.
Wet and puddly conditions led to racing being abandoned at Moe Racing Club last Friday.
The club got half of the scheduled eight races in, before organisers had little choice but to call things off.
While the club’s StrathAyr track has famously withstood every possible weather event imaginable, poor visibility meant it was far too risky for jockeys.
A huge downpour just before 2pm acted as a precursor to the abandonment.
Watching from behind glass, it came as little surprise when the meeting was eventually called, as horses were kicking back a noticeable amount of turf with every stride.
That said, there was still time for some local winners.
Trafalgar jockey Jason Maskiell rode the winner in the Race 1 S&S Equipment Rental & Sales Maiden Plate over 2447 metres.
He steered four-year-old gelding Parrot Club to victory for Michael Ryan, winning narrowly on the inside from Mungerannie.
Parrot Club put in a consistent run across the long distance, and was second at the 800 metre mark and led with 400m to go.
The win belied pre-race expectations. Parrot Club ran last in two of its previous three starts, and had a starting price of $24.70.
Sale trainer Kerry Farrugia came second in the Race 2 Total Tools Maiden Plate (1217m).
Her three-year-old gelding Admire Mercury overcame a poor start to get a spot on the podium, just under a length behind winner Eton Affair for Tim Fitzsimmons.
Maskiell came second in the Race 3 Ladbrokes Hosted Maiden Plate (1217m) on board Diamond Mila for Sale’s Damien Walkley.
The four-year-old gelding settled down but was off the pace as the field headed for home to fall short by three-quarters-of-a-length to Clarapatra for Adrian McGregor.
The Race 4 Total Tools Maiden Plate (1628m) was held in a torrent of rain.
Overpriced for Dean Binaisse won by two lengths from Ngongotaha, ridden by Maskiell, who looked frozen stiff when he returned to the changerooms.
Moe Racing Club’s next meeting will be Tuesday, July 21.
