Australian Guineas meeting to start early

The Australian Guineas meeting at Flemington has been brought forward to begin in the morning because of a forecast temperature of 36 degrees.

Saturday’s nine-race program will begin at 10.55am (AEDT), 1-1/2 hours earlier than originally scheduled, with the final race to jump at 3.20pm in a bid to avoid the hottest part of the day.

Gaps between the races have also been reduced from 35 and 40 minutes to 30 and 35 minutes and horses will only be required on course two hours before their races instead of the usual three.

Racing Victoria will invoke its Procedure for Racing in Hot Weather Policy to ensure the health and wellbeing of horses and participants.

“Under the Policy, an additional vet is in attendance to assist in monitoring the condition of horses, large containers of ice water are made available at locations around the racecourse and horses are required in the mounting yard for reduced periods of time,” RV said.

“The Victoria Racing Club will also implement additional measures including misting fans in horse areas, rostering a dedicated staff member to assist in equine welfare measures in the horse stalls, and bottled water and icy-poles being readily available for all racing participants.”