Safety first as Gowran is abandoned

RACING at Gowran Park was abandoned after two races yesterday when the acting Stewards agreed with the jockeys' assertion that the track was unsafe.

The "configuration of the track, even after amendment" was unacceptable to the jockeys, who made known their feelings about the safety of the track after the opening race and, more vehemently, after two riders hit the deck during the second event.

Veteran rider Pat Shanahan who, with colleague Kevin Manning presented the jockeys' case to the Stewards, summed up their feelings: "The bends are unsafe due to a combination of the track alignment and the watering of the track."