William Haggas upset with racecourse management at Newcastle – Horseracing news
William Haggas has slammed the racecourse management at Newcastle following their decision to water the track before the John Smith's Northumberland Plate.
Although the going had been good over the past few days, the forecast suggests that there will be some showers before the start of the race. Therefore, it was not a clever decision to water the track, as it would become soft after the rain.
The controversial decision was taken by clerk of the course James Armstrong, who thought that the ground would become overly dry if there was no rain. As a result, he ordered 7mm water on the ground during the week.
Pointing out Armstrong, Haggas said, “I am absolutely livid with this fellow putting water on when everyone could see there was a chance of rain so I shall pull him out if it's soft. I have a runner in the first tonight. I have sent Sun Central there but
he won't run if it's soft.”
The leading trainer would have wanted the conditions to be dry, as his stallion prefers such a situation. His record in recent times has been phenomenal, so his fans will be hoping that he does not pull out of the competition at Newcastle.
Sun Central has participated in a couple of races this season, winning of them whereas secured the runner up spot in the other. He is not the favourite to succeed in the upcoming event, but there is a great chance for him to deliver a top class result.
On the other hand, leading trainer Richard Fahey also showed concerns regarding the ground conditions. He said, “At the 48-hour stage the going was good. Nobody could have predicted this. All week all we've been listening about is horses coming out because
of the firm ground. I am sure if we had made the decision at 10am this morning we would have a different race.”
Fahey will be represented by Address Unknown and Ingleby Spirit in the John Smith's Northumberland Plate. Both runners have the potential to fight for the top-three, but their performances have not been much consistent. However, they will definitely spice
up the competition, if the ground suits them.
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