Tamworth Jockey Club's much-anticipated Country Showcase meeting on Friday has been transferred to Scone due to the track being too wet.
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The transfer has delivered a financial blow to the club, on what would have been its last meeting of the financial year and the first time owners were allowed on course post-lockdown.
The TJC's substandard drainage system was blamed for the meeting being transferred. It is not the first time the club has transferred a meeting because of the issue.
Work on upgrading the drainage system will commence in October.
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The Racing NSW track manager inspected the course on Tuesday afternoon. And after the track manager consulted with Racing NSW stewards, it was decided there were sections of the track that were unsafe for racing.
TJC general manager Mitch Shaw said the club "would have every chance to handle the rain we've had and the heavy dew" if the track had a decent drainage system.
"I believe we would have been racing," he said.
On Saturday, Racing NSW announced that racehorse owners would be allowed to attend country meetings from Friday. Owners are allowed to be on course 30 minutes before their race and must leave immediately after the race.
"We were looking forward to it," Shaw said. "It would have been really good having the owners back on course. They give a lot to the racing industry.
"I was really looking forward to Friday; it was a really strong meeting. We had 212 nominations, so it was gonna be full fields all round."
Shaw said the club would receive no financial benefit from Scone now hosting the eight-race TAB meeting highlighted by the $36,000 Country Only Showcase Maiden Plate (1000m).
He said: "It is disappointing that we've had to transfer the meeting. But it's better than having to get to the day and having to abandon it, and no trainers and owners get the benefit of racing.
"We made the call now so people can make alternative arrangements to go to Scone ... It's unfortunate that we don't have the adequate drainage on our track."
Shaw said that until the drainage system was overhauled, the club would remain "at the mercy of wet weather".
"It's [the overhaul] all due to start in the first week of October, so we're looking forward to that," he said. "It should stop this [meetings being transferred] from happening into the future."
Shaw said the project would occur when the TJC undertook its regular track renovation, so it would not miss out on any meetings.
Tamworth's next meeting is on July 13.
