Racing NSW is weighing up a calendar rejig in response to Canberra's COVID lockdown, which has indefinitely shut down Thoroughbred Park as a venue for staging meetings.
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It comes as the region dealt with another abandoned race meeting on Tuesday, although this time it was weather and not COVID which forced the Queanbeyan races to be called off after heavy rain over the weekend.
That meeting had been set to stage a Federal Handicap, the only race seemingly salvaged from last Friday's abandoned Canberra meeting and a key race for several of the region's Kosciuszko hopes, but excess surface water deemed the Queanbeyan track unsafe.
Queanbeyan's next scheduled meeting is October 12, but the track is being considered for two additional meetings over the next month should the ACT lockdown extend beyond September 17.
Thoroughbred Park's September 17 would likely move to the NSW track.
And while the Canberra Racing Club remains hopeful of staging its September 25 meeting on AFL grand final day, that also looks in grave danger as Canberra continues to churn out daily double-figure COVID numbers.
One contingency plan being considered is to abandon that meeting altogether, but stage a supplementary event the following week at Queanbeyan.
ACT Health restrictions have made it all but impossible for Canberra to host race meetings, with only six jockeys available to ride.
Jockeys who live outside of Canberra have been denied the health permits required which would let them enter the ACT.
Queanbeyan doesn't face the same problem, with Canberra jockeys allowed to ride at the NSW track as part of the bubble between the two cities which allows border crossover for essential workers. The NSW city is also allowed to admit regional jockeys who live further afield.
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Meanwhile, former Canberra Racing Club board member Daniel Gaul has been disqualified for three months following his attendance at a Gungahlin gathering last month.
Racing NSW handed down Gaul's punishment this week, after six industry participants, including two licensed jockeys, received the same sanction on Friday for attending the illegal gathering.
Gaul tendered his immediate resignation from the Canberra Racing Club committee last Monday.
Disqualified persons are not able to enter a race track or training premises while they are suspended.
The stewards found Gaul and the six licensed participants who attended the gathering in Gungahlin had:
"Increased the risk of endangering the health and safety of ACT and NSW Thoroughbred Racing Industry participants that they came into contact with on that day, and in the days subsequent in respect to the possibility of spreading COVID-19" and that the gathering had "the potential of compromising the continuance of thoroughbred racing in the ACT and NSW."
The suspensions come after leading Australian jockey Jamie Kah was one of four hoops banned from race riding for three months following a COVID breach.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
