Racing New South Wales Stewards will allow multiple Group 1 winner and barrier rogue Chautauqua to be tested at the barriers on two more occasions in an effort to get his barrier certificate and save being banished from the race track.

Chautauqua, above, has been given a reprieve and will be allowed to be tested at the barriers again. Photo by Steve Hart.

It looked like Chautauqua’s racing days were over when he failed to jump with the rest of the field for the seventh time in a specially convened barrier trial in between races at the Rosehill race meeting last Saturday.

After dawdling out of the barriers a good six to ten lengths behind the field and taking several strides for Tommy Berry to get him into rhythm, Chautauqua did catch up to the rest of the field and stretched out nicely in the straight to finish second to the Chris Waller trained Zousain at the end of the 1000m trial.

Racing NSW Stewards’ preliminary response was not to accept any nominations for the Team Hawkes trained Chautauqua but after hearing further submissions form several of the owner group and the Grey Flash’s behaviourist, the Stewards have set out another list of conditions which appear below in the statement released by Racing New South Wales.

“The Stewards have determined to allow Chautauqua to barrier trial again in an endeavour to have the embargo removed, subject to the following conditions:

1. Chautauqua is not to barrier trial until after 22 September 2018, so as to allow sufficient time for a re-education process, having regard to the evidence of the behaviourist.
2. Chautauqua must barrier trial on two consecutive occasions to the satisfaction of the Stewards, before being permitted to race again.
3. Should Chautauqua not show improvement in commencing from the barriers as compared to its last barrier trial on 25 August 2018 and/or does not trial to the satisfaction of the Stewards again, the gelding’s nominations for all barrier trials and race meetings will be refused under AR50.

RACING NSW – STEWARDS REPORT

“In making this decision the Stewards have considered the following relevant factors:

1. Since being under the care of the behaviourist from 1 August 2018, the gelding has shown improvement.
2. The behaviourist has advised that with additional time to work with the gelding, he was confident that he would be able to have Chautauqua jump to the Stewards satisfaction in official trials.
3. In their notice of 21 August 2018, Racing NSW Stewards advised that should Chautauqua refuse to jump from the barriers, the nominations of the gelding would be refused. The Stewards did not consider that Chautauqua refused to jump in the barrier trial on Saturday 25 August 2018.

“Relevant Rule AR 50. All nominations and entries are subject to approval, and the Committee of any Club, or the Stewards, may decline to receive, or at any time after having received, reject any nomination or entry without giving any reason for so doing. If any nomination or entry be rejected under this Rule, the fees paid in respect thereof shall be refunded.”

Chautauqua is the winner of thirteen of his thirty-two race starts, which includes six at Group 1 level and has earned in excess of $8.8 million in prizemoney.

Chautauqua always had his backer’s hearts in their mouths with his come from behind flying finish which typically saw him come from last to gain victory in the last few strides.

The eight year’s flying finish saw him win three consecutive Group 1 $2.5m Darley T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and he also beat a classy field of international sprinters in Hong Kong with his trademark last to first finish in the 2016 Group 1 HK$10,000,000 The Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) at Sha Tin.