Oamaru confirmed for Waikouaiti Trotting Club

By Dave Di Somma - Harness News Desk

The Waikouaiti  Trotting Club is gearing up for what it says will be a “big day” when it hosts its one and only meeting for the season. 

The club’s meeting will be on the grass at the Oamaru Racecourse on February 28.  

“We’re expecting a big day, a big turnout, there will be busloads of locals, and we know of people coming from Temuka and the Waitaki Valley,”  says Waikouaiti Trotting Club vice president Gerald Cayford.  

The club has held its racedays at Oamaru since 2019, after problematic track conditions forced the postponement of their home meeting a year earlier. Historically the club had a meeting on the Sunday and then the following Tuesday. Now that’s been cut back to one.   

Cayford has no complaints about the reduction or the change in location. Oamaru is 70 kilometres north of Waikouaiti.    

“We’re more than happy to go to Oamaru,” he says, “under the two day scope our committee,  a lot of older members struggled… and the costs were through the roof.” 

“At Oamaru another factor is that we race on the grass and if the weather packs up we can always race on the grit.” 

The meeting will feature both Trotting and Pacing Cups. Among the very good horses to take out the 3200m Waikouaiti Cup in recent years was Franco Ledger, in 2012 and in 2014, when he won in 4.02.9  (off 50 metres).   

“Both will be worth $14,500 and all other races will be $9500.” 

Cayford is also encouraged by the renaissance being enjoyed at grass track meetings around the country with strong turnovers and crowds at venues such as Methven, Geraldine, the West Coast  and Motukarara. 

“We have put a lot of effort in, it’s going to be a big day”