Ballarat races abandoned after jockeys vote 14-3 over track safety concerns

Friday’s race meeting at Ballarat was abandoned after just two races following concerns from jockeys about horses slipping on the racing surface.

Seven races were left unrun after riders voted overwhelmingly to abandon the meeting, with Racing Victoria stewards officially calling off the remainder of the program at 2.50pm.

Concerns were first raised following Race 2, when jockeys reported that a horse was believed to have slipped near the 1000-metre mark.

Stewards subsequently delayed racing indefinitely while they and the riders inspected several sections of the track between the 1000 metres and 400 metres.

In an attempt to address the concerns, stewards ordered the track to be aerovated between the 1000 metres and 380 metres.

A further inspection was then conducted alongside the jockeys, but the remedial work failed to convince the riders that conditions were safe enough to continue.

The 17 jockeys engaged in Races 3 and 4 were asked to vote on whether racing should proceed, with 14 voting in favour of abandonment and just three supporting a continuation.

Under Racing Victoria’s track safety procedures, a minimum of eight votes from the 17 riders declaring the surface unsafe was required for the meeting to be abandoned.

The 14-3 result comfortably exceeded that threshold, leaving stewards with no option but to call off the remaining races.

Racing Victoria confirmed that a senior jockey had completed a routine gallop on the Ballarat track earlier on Friday morning and reported that the surface was suitable for racing.

However, concerns emerged once the meeting was underway, prompting the inspections and eventual abandonment.

Racing Victoria’s Tracks and Facilities team will now conduct a further assessment of the surface ahead of Ballarat’s next scheduled race meeting on November 2.