Racing Queensland Limited has acted swiftly to save the Group Two Victory Stakes and Group Three Gunsynd Classic following the abandonment of Saturday’s Eagle Farm meeting.
Both races will now be run at Eagle Farm on Wednesday with new nominations and acceptances closing on Monday.
However, the Victory Stakes will have a name change and prizemoney will be reduced to $100,000 from $175,000.
Top Queensland sprinter Buffering was set to clash with rising star Adebisi in the Victory Stakes which was abandoned following rain on Saturday.
Former international performer Scenic Blast was also due to make his Queensland debut in the Victory Stakes ahead of his winter campaign.
Trainer Rob Heathcote praised Racing Queensland’s quick initiative to transfer the two feature races.
“It’s very significant and fantastic news,” Heathcote said.
“The Victory Stakes is a feature race and a lead-up to the Group One BTC Cup.
“My horse (Buffering) is getting ready for the BTC Cup and had we lost the Victory Stakes he would have gone into the BTC Cup without having a run for close to six weeks.”
Adebisi’s trainer Desleigh Forster said the addition of the weight-for-age race on Wednesday would not harm her sprinter’s preparation for the BTC Cup at Doomben on May 12.
“It’s a good move. I would have had to barrier trial him had we lost the race,” Forster said.
“He can now race on Wednesday and it’s still ten days before the BTC Cup.”
RQL’s early decision enabled Heathcote to work Buffering and his two Gunsynd Classic runners, Trump and Vacallo, at Eagle Farm on Saturday morning.
Buffering, who won last year’s Victory Stakes, hasn’t raced since finishing third to Foxwedge in the Group One William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley on March 23.
The son of Mossman was previously runner-up to Hay List in the Group One Newmarket Handicap and third to Black Caviar in the Group One Lightning Stakes, both at Flemington.
RQL chief steward Wade Birch declared Eagle Farm unsafe for racing after inspecting the waterlogged surface early on Saturday morning.
“The track has received around 50 millimetres of rain since it started last night about seven o’clock,” Birch said.
“There was a lot of surface water around the track but there was a bad section covered with water at the 1100 metres.”
