ASCOT TRACK FOR SATURDAY????

Firstly let me say that I believe the team who work on preparing the track for races at Ascot week in week out do a marvelous job. Apart from the usual wear and tear there is the unseasonal weather which can play havoc. I am fairly confident in saying that no track anywhere around the country cop the racing week in and week out that Ascot and Belmont do. On top of that Ascot has been forced to carry extra meetings this season because of the stuff ups at Pinjarra. If you have read any of my previous post you will know that one of my pet hates is the CONTINUING Pinjarra saga. In saying that I am not here to talk about Pinjarra as such but the Pinjarra meeting held at Ascot yesterday.

Yesterday morning we received over 30mm of rain prior to the race meeting. The race meeting was run on the six metre pad which was probably the best pad considering the previous meetings had been run on the 3m, 3m, true, 15m and true positions. This Saturdays meeting is also due to be conducted on the 6m pad which was used yesterday. It is fair to say that tomorrow's meeting will be getting "second bite" at what should have been a great surface.

This naturally leads me to ask.... Why the bloody hell are our Saturday class horses including our up and coming young horses competing in the Sires Produce Stakes, running on what has to be an inferior surface after we have run a full race meeting on the same pad yesterday? Why couldn't yesterday's Pinjarra meeting have been held out on the 15m pad where the last one was held? Why should those horses get first use at the best pad!

Call this a whinge or call it an elitist attitude or call it what you like. Yes I do have a runner in the Sires Produce and even if I didn't I still can't get my head around why we are not saving the best pad for the best horses? Just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.