Victoria's extreme weather conditions claimed the last two races at Wednesday's Geelong meeting as well as Thursday's Ballarat fixture due to excessive heat.The eight-race program at Gawler in South Australia on Wednesday was also a victim of the heatwave.Stewards at Geelong, chaired by Alan Reardon, ruled it was too hot for jockeys to ride in such sweltering conditions and stopped the meeting after race six while Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) abandoned the Ballarat fixture due to the predicted

Victoria's extreme weather conditions claimed the last two races at Wednesday's Geelong meeting as well as Thursday's Ballarat fixture due to excessive heat.

The eight-race program at Gawler in South Australia on Wednesday was also a victim of the heatwave.

Stewards at Geelong, chaired by Alan Reardon, ruled it was too hot for jockeys to ride in such sweltering conditions and stopped the meeting after race six while Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) abandoned the Ballarat fixture due to the predicted high temperatures.

"In the interests of health, safety and wellbeing of all horses, jockeys and industry participants, we have taken the decision to abandon tomorrow's Ballarat meeting," RVL CEO Rob Hines said.

"We will monitor the weather patterns on a day-by-day basis throughout the remainder of the week and ensure we make the right decisions in the interests of all industry participants."

With the temperature soaring up around the 42 Celsius mark, stewards consulted with jockeys after each race at Geelong to ensure they were coping with riding in such extreme heat.

The first six events on the eight-race program were held without incident.

However after the sixth race, Victorian Jockeys' Association chief executive Des O'Keeffe said that the heat had taken its toll on riders.

"Several of the riders including apprentices Brenton Avdulla and Jack Hill have pulled up very ordinary after that last race and a number of the senior riders are not coping well," he said.

"The risk factor is just massive. You can't sit there watching a race wondering what if a horse or rider passes out. You just can't do it."

Stewards reported that when riders who competed in race six advised them that in their opinion the conditions were unsuitable for race riding, and in view of Hill having to be examined by the club doctor after the event, the meeting was abandoned due to the extreme conditions at 4.15pm (AEDT).

O'Keeffe called for the racing industry to come up with a cutoff mark for when it was deemed too hot for jockeys to ride in races and for horses to race.

He said a cutoff mark would take the blame away from jockeys when meetings are called off due to high temperatures.

"What the riders hate is being seen as the people who have called the races off," O'Keeffe said.

"It happens in wet weather when visibility is poor or the ground might be unsafe.

"It hasn't so much happened today. I think there is a real consensus that it isn't right and the fact that Brenton Avdulla and Jack Hill, who are really fit young people, haven't coped at all is a good indication that it's a good time to go home."

RVL reacted to the predicted temperatures of above 40 degrees over four days from Wednesday by bringing forward the times of races at Sandown on Friday and the important Lightning Stakes fixture at Flemington on Saturday so that meetings finish earlier in the afternoon.

The Lightning Stakes will be run at 2.46pm (AEDT) instead of the originally scheduled 4.05pm, with the opening race at 11.40am and the final event on the eight-race program at 4.05pm.

At Sandown the first race was brought forward from 1.35pm to 11.46am, with the last race on the seven-event card at 3.20pm, two hours before its original starting time.

Also on Wednesday, RVL released protocols for veterinary officials and stewards who will be closely monitoring horses competing at race meetings and trials in accordance with its hot weather policy.