During an exhibition gallop between races four and five, one horse blundered about 50 metres from the finishing line, throwing jockey Steven Parnham off.
It meant the remaining four races of the day, including the $150,000 Group 3 Northerly Stakes and the $100,000 Listed Crown Perth Belgravia Stakes, had to be postponed.
Punters took to social media to air their frustration.
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READ NOWBrendan Thompson said to Perth Racing “you should be so ashamed and embarrassed”, while Eric Durnthaler said it was a very disappointing effort from the event organisers.
Many racegoers wanted an explanation about why the track was not ready but the official Racing Wagering WA (RWWA) Steward’s Report said there was no apparent reason for the horse to slip during the exhibition gallop. Perth Racing will hold |normal routine works on the track and appoint an independent racecourse track curator to to ensure the track is safe for future racing.
Before the scheduled meeting on Saturday, Perth Racing performed track inspections two weeks and one week earlier by members of the Trainer and Jockey Associations, along with RWWA Stewards and Perth Racing officials.
The track was also inspected on October 14 with the Trainer and Jockey Associations.
The race meeting scheduled for October 21 will go ahead and the Group 3 $150,000 Northerly Stakes and the $100,000 Listed race Crown Perth Belgravia Stakes will be held on the day.