The Australian Hurdle and Australian Steeplechase have been rescheduled as the last races of the jumps season after Saturday’s Sandown wash-out.
Melbourne will have two 10-race city meetings next week to accommodate as many races as possible from the Sandown meeting which was called off after 56mm of overnight rain.
The Australian Hurdle and Australian Steeplechase will be run on August 28 at Sandown and will be the climax to the 2013 jumps season.
Racing Victoria’s Paul Bloodworth said there were no suitable options for the Australian Hurdle and Steeplechase next week.
“We considered a range of options for the conduct of these races and determined that the most suitable one, given the existing program, was to transfer them to the end of the season where they would remain a focal point,” Bloodworth said.
Two races from Saturday’s Sandown card – the 1600m event for three-year-olds and the 2100m open handicap – have been added to Wednesday’s Moonee Valley meeting with acceptances and barriers to remain as they were.
The $100,000 Sportingbet Handicap (1200m) and $100,000 Le Pine Funerals Plate (1400m) for mares will be added the next Saturday’s Flemington program with nominations to be taken on Monday.
An additional provincial meeting has been scheduled for Tatura on Thursday to make up for the Kilmore meeting that was also abandoned on Saturday.
