The Group One Sydney Cup has been rescheduled with supplementary entries to be taken in addition to those runners from the original no-race up to a field of 14.
Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club announced on Monday the race would be the centrepiece of the meeting on April 22 which has been moved from Warwick Farm to Randwick.
Saturday’s Sydney Cup was called off mid-race when Almoonqith fatally broke down and Who Shot Thebarman lost his rider but several of the jockeys missed the signals and kept their horses going for the full 3200 metres.
Racing NSW said the decision to re-run the $2 million race had been made after consultation with the Australian Turf Club and trainers and connections of the affected horses.
Entries for the Cup will comprise firstly any runners from Saturday’s no-race who are again among the acceptors and then supplementary runners up to a field limit of 14.
ATC chief executive Darren Pearce said the club and Racing NSW had worked diligently with participants over the past 48 hours to ensure the race would not be lost.
“We wanted to give all entrants a chance to compete for the $2 million and we believe 22 April strikes a balance between varying views of owners and trainers, whilst achieving a competitive field size for punters and racegoers,” Pearce said.
Weights for the race will be the same as those that applied to the original final acceptors.
Any supplementary entries will be weighted by the Racing NSW handicapping panel with a limit of 51.5kg.
The supplementary entries will close at midday on April 17 with acceptances due by 9am April 19.
“We believe running the Sydney Cup two weeks after the no-race is the fairest outcome for all participants with those included in the no-race to receive compensatory payments,” Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys said.
A $15,000 payment will be made to connections of horses that faced the starter on Saturday and do not start in the re-run race while a $4,000 payment will be made in relation to horses that faced the starter in the no-race and line up on Saturday week.
Corey Brown, who “won” the no-race on Godolphin’s Polarisation, has had the dates of a suspension from the Queen Elizabeth Stakes altered, allowing him to ride in the rescheduled Cup.
SYDNEY, April 10 AAP