Darrin Williams - Covid Update 12th August - 3.30pm

Harness Racing New Zealand has confirmed that its scheduled meeting at Cambridge tomorrow night has been postponed.  

Racing and Marketing Manager Darrin Williams says HRNZ was left with little option but to transfer the meeting, with the hope it can be re-run as a day meeting on Saturday. 

“The fields would have been decimated by scratchings because Under Alert Level Three no Auckland-based horses, drivers or trainers would be permitted to head to the Waikato,” he said.  

While the preference is for Saturday’s meeting  to run with the present fields this would not be possible if the two regions remain at different Alert Levels.

“If they are both Level Two for instance  then horses can freely cross the border if you like. If they are not, we can’t.” 

If Auckland is still in Level Three on Saturday and the rest of the country is in Level Two then it’s proposed a separate meeting could be held, with fields only featuring horses from the Waikato area. 

HRNZ is currently working with the club on all possibilities.   

Meanwhile the three South Island-based meeting scheduled for this week -  Invercargill tomorrow, Addington Friday and Oamaru Saturday -  will go ahead, though they will be run on Level Two protocols. That means owners and essential personnel will be allowed on course, though the public will be excluded.