Races postponed on Geelong Cup Day as jockeys and horses struggle in wild winds

Races have been postponed at the Geelong Cup as wild winds roar through the track.

Following advice from emergency services, stewards made the difficult call to postpone races 4-9.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Racegoers unhappy with organisers as Cup gets called off.

Racing had been delayed after Race 3, with jockeys reporting concerns about keeping their horses on a straight course as they struggled in the 64 km/h gusts.

Meanwhile, patrons were asked to evacuate from the marquees as the wild wind hit (and reports of stronger winds on the way).

Racing Victoria steward Corie Waller eventually announced that the remainder of the races had been called off due to the dangerous conditions.

The remaining six races will now be held tomorrow (Thursday) with the first race to be run at 2.25pm AEDT and the last race scheduled for 5.30pm.

The Geelong Cup Day is a huge celebration for the city, which has a public holiday for the event. The Geelong Racing Club has confirmed that there will be free admission for tomorrow’s meeting.

“Unfortunately, it’s not great news,” Waller said when announcing that the races had been called off.

“So talking with the emergency services that are actually based on course and a weather station in the centre ... they’re saying that the current wind conditions are around 46-50 km/h, with gusts of up to 76 coming through, and that wind activity is likely to continue until at least 5pm.

“The problem is then, that after five o’clock they’re saying that it may die down, but they’re not 100 per cent sure whether it will or it won’t.

“There’s also a chance that the wind direction may alter to a degree and bring a bit of wind from the south, which is actually even stronger. So we just don’t have a lot of surety to say we can wait for two hours and then it will die down.

“There is a chance, and a pretty high chance, that it may continue past that, which wouldn’t give us enough time to run the races in a safe condition.”

The winner of the $500,000 Geelong Cup gets a start in the Melbourne Cup.

“The decision to postpone the meeting until the following day was made to allow the remaining Geelong Cup Day program to proceed safely with minimal disruption to the Spring Racing Carnival pattern of races given the importance of the Ladbrokes Geelong Cup (2400m) in offering a golden ticket into the Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) on November 4,” Racing Victoria said in statement.

“Scratchings will be reinstated for the remainder of the postponed Geelong Cup Day program.”

New race times for Geelong Cup Day

Race 1 - Geelong Caravanning Leisurefest BM66 Handicap - 2.25pm

Race 2 - Roderick Insurance Brokers 3YO Geelong Classic - 3.00pm

Race 3 - Lindsey Smith Spicer T’Breds BM70 Handicap - 3.35pm

Race 4 - Ladbrokes Geelong Cup - 4.10pm

Race 5 - Rex Gorell Volkswagen Dual Choice Plate - 4.50pm

Race 6 - The Sporting Globe Last Call BM78 Hcp (MCC Series Heat) - 5.30pm

To accommodate the Geelong meeting, race times will be adjusted for Thursday’s Mornington program as well.

Race 1 - 1:00pm

Race 2 -1:30pm

Race 3 - 2:05pm

Race 4 - 2:40pm

Race 5 - 3:15pm

Race 6 - 3:50pm

Race 7 - 4:30pm

Race 8 - 5:10pm

Channel 7’s weather expert Jane Bunn earlier warned that Geelong would be hit by “damaging winds” when the sun came out in the afternoon and the temperature warmed.

She said “destructive winds” were also set for Victoria’s southwest coast, including Portland and Warrnambool.