Qualifying Heats
In consultation with the RIU, the Canterbury Branch of the Association wishes to advise that, henceforth horses entered in qualifying heats with less than four nominations will automatically be transferred to a maiden heat of the same conditions, i.e. mobile or stand.
While the criteria of qualifying a horse to race is based around a set time and acceptable manners, it is also important to observe how a horse will behave amongst others in a race situation. At present, in theory, a horse can go straight from a one, two, or three horse qualifying event, into a maiden race of up to fifteen horses, hardly an ideal scenario for anyone.
While there are apparently some trainers reluctant to accept this, the move is being made for the benefit of the Industry as a whole. In addition, one would imagine that any unqualified horse would appreciate the opportunity to trail other horses and benefit from the education, after all that is what trials are for.
Pete Cook