Racing Queensland will look to reschedule Rockhampton’s $1 million Archer meeting after the track was declared inconsistent and unsafe for racing when stewards arrived on track on Sunday.
Queensland’s chief steward, Josh Adams, arrived in Rockhampton on Sunday and, during his routine track inspection, identified three areas of concern in the straight.
“The track was rated a Good-4, but there were spots at the 80m, 150m, and 200m marks, which were a Heavy-8,” Adams said. “We were fortunate to have jockeys on the plane with us and [Sydney’s] Tommy Berry, Taylor Marshall and Tahlia Fenlon, who is very familiar with the track, agreed it was unsafe to be going from a good surface to heavy spots in the straight.”
“There had been no indications of any problems with the track before we arrived, and we will be reviewing CCTV footage during an investigation into how this has happened.”
“It is an important day for the club and the community up here, and Racing Queensland is working to find another date for the meeting.”
The $1 million slots race had attracted horses from major stables around the country, with Berry joined by Nash Rawiller, Craig Williams and Daniel Stackhouse to ride for the big prize.
