RACE is delighted to announce the successful completion of the final phase of the Club’s ‘Return to Racing’ plan for the Awapuni track, marked by a full day of trials held today on the newly completed track proper.

A total of 88 horses took to the track across 11 heats run over 1000m, 1200m, 1600m and 2000m distances. The trials were attended by senior jockeys including Jonathan Riddell, Leah Hemi, and Kate Hercock, who provided positive feedback on the track’s performance—especially in the face of challenging weather conditions.

Senior jockey Jonathan Riddell shared his enthusiasm:
“The track is great, it’s really quite exciting. With the rain we’ve had, it just went straight through it—the footing is great. In the future here, we could have one of the best tracks in the country.”

RACE General Manager of Racing, Brad Taylor, echoed the optimism:
“It is really pleasing to continue to get such positive feedback from the jockeys today. The track faced its toughest test to date with extreme weather conditions and the largest number of horses on it. With this positive response, it gives us great confidence as we head toward our first meeting on ANZAC Day.”

Jockey Leah Hemi, who participated in the jump outs last Monday, praised how the surface handled the heavy rain:

“Really excited with how the track held up with the rain. I was a little sceptical at first, but now I have no worries at all.”

First-time rider on the track, Kate Hercock, was equally impressed:

“The track is lovely—it’s very consistent all over.”

Despite receiving 13mm of rain in the hour leading up to the first heat, the track was rated a Soft5 at the start of the trials. As rain continued throughout the day, jockeys noted it felt closer to a Soft7 by the conclusion of proceedings.

With today’s successful trials, the track is now cleared for racing to resume. Awapuni Racecourse will host its first race day on Friday, 25 April, with the Listed ANZAC Mile as the feature event.

NZTR Chief Operating Officer, Darin Balcombe, acknowledged the successful trials and the positive feedback from riders:

"Completing the final phase of the ‘Return to Racing’ plan at Awapuni is a great achievement. The track performed well despite challenging weather, and the feedback from riders has been very encouraging. We’re now looking forward to getting back to racing at Awapuni on ANZAC Day,” he said.