Racing NSW has advised this weekend’s Rosehill race meeting is likely to be moved back 24 hours to Sunday—and leading trainer Gai Waterhouse isn’t impressed.
News of the potential postponement was announced on Monday with forecasts suggesting temperatures at Parramatta could reach a scorching 41 degrees on Saturday.
While certainly hot, it’s not that unusual a summer occurrence in western Sydney nowadays, something Australian racing’s First Lady was quick to call out.
“Boy oh boy what has gone wrong?“ Waterhouse posted on X.
“Are we & our equine leaders so weak that we/they can’t cope in the heat?
“Hello, we live in a ‘sunburnt country’.”
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Waterhouse, 71, went on to suggest the racing should simply be brought forward to a mid-morning start to avoid the heat of the day, with her comments drawing mixed reactions from race fans.
“Honestly Gai, this is pretty weak from someone of your experience. It’s predicted to be 35°C by 10am. Here’s a suggestion, let’s watch you go for a 2km run at 11am (middle of the meet times) and see how you pull up,” suggested one.
“Reckon 41°C is getting a bit warm for the horses Gai...I think we are getting very soft as a society, but probably not in this instance,” commented another.
‘Oddly, no one cares about cricketers’
There was also plenty of support including, perhaps unsurprisingly, from her husband.
“Oddly, no one cares about cricketers, playing for 5 days in the same heat,” commented Rob Waterhouse.
“Racehorses are a desert breed, cope well with extremes. Races last for a minute or 2 only. Anthropomorphism at its worst. Misguided.”
“Worlds gone mad that’s for sure. Don’t know who has taken control but they are not true blue Aussie or grew up in this place,” commented another supporter.
“The climate zealots have now infected the racing industry,” lamented another.