Taranaki Cup shifted south

The Taranaki Cup will be run outside the province for what is believed to be the first time after the abandonment of the weekend’s premier meeting at the New Plymouth Raceway.

Just one race went ahead on Saturday after a horse slipped and dislodged its jockey with officials calling off the meeting following the inspection of the track as persistent and heavy rain fell.

The Group 3 Powerworx Taranaki Cup will now be run at Awapuni (Palmerston North) on Friday, while the Group 3 Platinum Homes 2-Year-Old Classic will be run at Te Rapa (Hamilton) on Saturday.

The remaining listed race on the card from Saturday, the 3-Year-old Oaks Prelude, has been rescheduled for the Taranaki Racing Club’s meeting on Friday, February 18.

Taranaki Racing Club chief executive Carey Hobbs believed it was the first time the Taranaki Cup had ever been run outside the province.

While the Oaks Prelude race will be run back at New Plymouth, Hobbs said the timing of upcoming cups races meant Taranaki’s version could not be staged later than it is.

The shift had also seen a rise in nominations for the $85,000 feature, with 23 horses nominated for the 14 starting positions.

Although there was early criti

‘‘With the amount of rain that we ended up getting, it was doubtful how much longer the meeting could have gone on for anyway.’’ Carey Hobbs, Taranaki Racing Club chief executive

cism of the New Plymouth track following the decision to call the meeting off, Hobbs said track staff had followed New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing guidelines with irrigation levels when rain was forecast.

‘‘With the amount of rain that we ended up getting, it was doubtful how much longer the meeting could have gone on for anyway,’’ Hobbs said.

Meanwhile, officials are also looking at rescheduling the Taranaki harness meeting that was abandoned at Ha¯wera on Sunday because of heavy rain. Hobbs said that meeting, which would feature the Ha¯wera Cup, could be held in February or March.