Cranbourne Turf Club accepts blame for Friday night wet track debacle

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Cranbourne Turf Club chief executive Neil Bainbridge has admitted the club was solely responsible for the debacle that led to Friday night’s meeting being canceled minutes before its scheduled start.

The Cranbourne reunion was to be a major fundraiser for cancer-stricken racing identity Deane Lester, costing the effort thousands of dollars.

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Jockey Ethan Brown alerted stewards to a significant wet spot in a dangerous position on the straight during a routine track ride.

“The track was a good 4 everywhere else, but when I put my foot in that area it was soaked,” Brown said.

“I came back and told the stewards that I had found a wet area and that they had to check as a precaution.

“It turned out to be a much bigger patch than I thought.

“I’m surprised it was missed.”

Tonight’s meeting at Cranbourne has been canceled due to track conditions. pic.twitter.com/A9laf1xpJ9

Racing.com (@Racing) January 27, 2023

Cranbourne track staff had failed to alert the Racing Victoria stewards that a section of the track was wet when the rest of the course was deemed good.

The marshals circled the affected area during their inspection of the track before the meeting.

Bainbridge acknowledged that the CTC was responsible for the problem during a radio interview on Saturday morning.

“It’s our problem. Nobody else,” Bainbridge told RSN927.

Bainbridge said initial investigations suggested the affected area had not drained along with the rest of the track after routine watering early on Friday.

Chief Steward Robert Cram said it was normal for stewards to only inspect sections of track before each race meeting.

Unfortunately for @CranTurfClub, these issues need to be identified long before the races start. Waste of time, effort, staff wages, club dollars, etc. It may be time to consider employing experienced walkers to walk hours of circuit before the meeting starts. To ensure safety.

Ben Melham (@BMelham) January 27, 2023

However, he said stewards should have been made aware of the issue sooner than they were.

“It was less than ideal,” Cram said.

“This information should have been released much sooner than it was.

“It was brought to the attention of the stewards late.

“The marshals had completed their normal inspection of the track and looked at several places, but not this one.

“They are not looking everywhere and this section of the track was not looked at at the start.

“The club manages the track and it is their mission to ensure that it is presented safely.”

I would just like to thank everyone for the generosity of the last two weeks. It was amazing. Thanks to the @CranTurfClub for your efforts tonight (things happen). But I feel for the owners, jockeys + connections tonight who battled the heat and traffic to no avail. Deana.

Deane Lester (@defier1) January 27, 2023

Cram said the matter is now being investigated by Racing Victoria’s infrastructure and operations departments.

Jockey Michael Dee drove three hours to Cranbourne after taking part in the Kilmore meeting earlier today.

“I’m just thankful it’s close to my home, which made things a little easier,” Dee said.

But many other participants were not so lucky, returning home after an avoidable trip.

Racing Victoria will reimburse owners and trainers for some of the costs associated with their unnecessary trips to Cranbourne.

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