A late decision to postpone Wednesday's metropolitan race meeting at Ipswich has frustrated racing participants, as the eight-race program was called off just 32 minutes before the scheduled running of race one.
Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC) stewards made the announcement at 12pm AEST on Wednesday afternoon, saying that a section of the track between the 1550m and 1400m had been identified as “unsuitable to race on”.
Popular jockey Ryan Wiggins said he would have “blown up deluxe” if he was involved in the meeting given the late decision, while Gold Coast-based trainer Trent Edmonds said situations like these happen “far too often”.
“So why does it take till 12pm to notice a section of the track is unsuitable for races?” Wiggins tweeted.
“Someone who gets paid to walk Brisbane's tracks and give a rating morning of races is ‘heavy' taking the piss.”
Edmonds posted: “Happens far too often and who gets held accountable? There has to be a better way.”
A new date has not yet been set for the meeting, and with rain forecast for South East Queensland over the coming days, it seems unlikely that the meeting will be contested before the weekend.
Metropolitan racing heads to Doomben Racecourse this Saturday for what looks to be a competitive nine-race program.