Heavy rain has washed away any chance of the Waikouaiti harness racing meeting scheduled for today being run.
The Waikouaiti racecourse, where the first day of the Waikouaiti Trotting Club's annual two-day meeting was to have been run today, was partly submerged after heavy rain hit the area yesterday.
Racing Integrity Unit (RIU) and Waikouaiti Trotting Club officials met early yesterday afternoon.
Calling off today's 12-race card was a ''no-brainer'', stipendiary steward Mark Davidson said.
Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) racing manager Darrin Williams confirmed yesterday that the two race days would be rescheduled.
The programme planned for today will now be held on Saturday and the races originally set down for Saturday will now be run on Monday.
Transferring the meeting to Oamaru or Forbury Park was an option considered by HRNZ but information relayed to it by local officials suggested the Waikouaiti track was likely to drain quickly and be ready for racing on Saturday, Williams said.
The Waikouaiti racecourse has only three race meetings each year - the other is the thoroughbred meeting held on New Year's Day.
This year, that meeting was called off after just one race after the track was deemed unsafe for racing.
The postponement of tomorrow's trotting meeting was unrelated to the issue that caused that abandonment, Williams said.
