Developing surface water and concerns over visibility forced stewards to call off the final race at Gosford on Wednesday.
Stewards inspected the track after races four, five and six and it was following the running of the second last race the decision was made not to proceed in the interests of jockey safety.
“With continuing rain and the track being downgraded earlier in the day to a heavy 10, the conditions becoming darker….we are not comfortable that even with eight runners in the last race it could be run safely,” deputy chief steward Greg Rudolph said.
“I think we did pretty well to get as far as we did.”
The Gosford meeting was an Australian Turf Club fixture run at the provincial track due to the redevelopment of Randwick.
The meeting started off on a slow (6) and race-fit two-year-old Agueda upstaged a couple of blue-blooded first starters to take out the Royal Randwick at Gosford Maiden Handicap (1000m).
The Anthony Cummings-trained filly took advantage of her race experience and it proved decisive as she controlled terms from the front to score by 1-1/4-lengths.
Chasing her in second was the Gai Waterhouse-trained The Broken Shore who is a half-sister to champion sire Redoute’s Choice.
You Got The Love, by More Than Ready out of Group One winner Lovely Jubly, was fourth.
Agueda had finished second to the impressive Waterhouse-trained Raceway at her most recent start at Warwick Farm and ran right up to that form with Peter Robl aboard.
“She jumped, found the fence and was just too good for them around Gosford,” Robl said.
“Speedy little fillies like her are suited on a track like this with a short straight and she did it well today.
“She was only beaten four lengths by Raceway last start and he’s the favourite for the Blue Diamond.”
Cummings’ son Edward said the stable went into Wednesday’s event with a degree of confidence based on the filly’s performance behind Raceway.
“It was a very good effort last start behind a smart horse of Gai’s and she was able to get within a few lengths of it and put two lengths between herself and the rest of the field that day,” Cummings said.
“So we came here today with a good deal of confidence and she did the job.”
Cummings said his father would assess how the filly pulled up before deciding whether she continued to press on towards the autumn carnival.
AAP TURF
