Meeting transferred from Kensington track

Monday 24 November 2014, 3:51pm

One meeting has been moved from Randwick's beleaguered Kensington track to Warwick Farm while it is hoped another can be run on the course proper.

The inside track once again chopped up on Saturday and the Australian Turf Club will begin remedial work immediately.

Friday's twilight racing has been transferred to Warwick Farm while a decision on whether the December 6 meeting can be held on the course proper will be made late this week.

Some of the distances have been changed to accommodate Friday's change of venue.

The NMW has been reduced from 2500m to 2400m; the mares benchmark 70 and the 3yo benchmark 67 have been reduced from 1800m to 1600m while the 3yo maiden increases from 1550m to 1600m.

The course proper at Randwick was out of commission on Saturday because it had been shaved back in preparation for the Villiers meeting on December 13.

The ATC will monitor its progress in the hope it can be used a week earlier.

Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy expressed his concerns before Saturday's meeting on the Kensington track which was designed to be an all weather surface to take the burden off Sydney's other tracks.

Murrihy says the grass top is unsatisfactory and chops out as soon as horses put pressure on it,

"It is disappointing and it is not of a standard required for Saturday racing," Murrihy said.

"There is kickback and the horses don't like that.

"The horses put their feet in and it comes apart.

"The grass is not holding together. The horses are just punching through it."

The pattern of racing on Saturday favoured front runners with those behind copping dirt and grass in their faces.

Track manager Lindsay Murphy said "de-thatching" would take place to try to rectify the problem.

– AAP

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