Hall of Fame horse trainer John Hawkes "has urged the Australian Turf Club to program extra races for Rosehill on Saturday as the big wet continues to cause havoc" with New South Wales race meetings, according to Ray Thomas of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. Warwick Farm was rated a heavy 9 late Monday and Racing New South Wales Chief Steward Ray Murrihy admitted that "the track could not take much more rain before it was deemed unsafe for racing." Canterbury's reputation as Sydney's best wet-weather track "remains unchallenged." It was rated a heavy 9 late Monday "and safe for racing despite more than 100ml of rain in the past two days." But with the uncertainty over race fixtures going ahead this week, trainers have stacked Saturday's Rosehill Gardens meeting with 182 nominations -- "which must be a record for Sydney during winter." Hawkes: "They will be big fields for Saturday, which is what the club is looking for." The Natski Handicap has attracted 32 entries, "while the Benchmark 85 Handicap has 34 nominations." Racing NSW CEO Peter V'landys said that "he would consult with ATC officials at acceptance time" Wednesday about the likelihood of holding extra races. V'landys: "If the field sizes are big enough, then some races should be divided" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 6/25).
