MEDIA RELEASE
Date posted:
Adelaide River Cup unable to proceeed
THE annual Adelaide River Cup racemeeting, scheduled for 4 June this year, will be unable to proceed due to significant damage to the grass track surface caused by feral pigs.
Thoroughbred Racing NT Chairman of Stewards David Hensler inspected the track in late April and described the damage caused by the pigs as “catastrophic.” Large sections of track were affected, with the turf and roots completely dug out.
There was no option other than to abandon the meeting from its traditional home for 2022.
This will be the second time in the last three years that Adelaide River has been unable to race, following on from a Covid-19 halt in 2020.
However, in positive news for the NT racing industry, the meeting will proceed at Fannie Bay Racecourse, with the same programme, on 4 June.
The majority of horses that would normally race at Adelaide River are trained in Darwin, so the retention of the raceday, so as not to inconvenience horses and participants preparing for the upcoming Darwin Cup Carnival, is crucial.
Thoroughbred Racing NT and Adelaide River Show Society members will meet next week in an attempt to find a solution to the problems so that racing can return to Adelaide River in the near future.