Haydock and Beverley the latest to fall to rain

Friday 6 July 2012

Tonight's race meeting at Haydock has become the latest fixture to fall to the heavy rain that has engulfed Britain.

Following over 27mm of rain since 8am this morning Haydock Park have admitted defeat in staging this evening’s race meeting and concert by Madness.

Due to health and safety concerns with additional rain forecast throughout the afternoon, the racecourse is left with no alternative other than to abandon the fixture.

“It is incredibly disappointing for everyone concerned and I would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to visitors intending to attend this evening," Dickon White, Managing Director of the racecourse, added.

All ticket holders will automatically receive a full refund.

The racecourse is yet to make a decision about racing tomorrow for the Old Newton Cup meeting.

Beverley have admitted defeat in the battle to stage this evening's meeting.

Like much of the country, the East Yorkshire venue has been hit by heavy rain with clerk of the course Sally Iggulden initially calling a 2pm inspection.

While the track was declared raceable at that stage, further heavy rain arrived on the Westwood meaning tonight's meeting has been called off.

The track are also due to race on Saturday but that card is subject to a 7am inspection.

Iggulden said: "We have abandoned tonight's card and we will inspect at 7am for tomorrow, although we are more hopeful for then as we are forecast a dry night.

"We are waterlogged in a few areas and we don't think they will recover in time for racing tonight.

"The forecast we had said rain until 1pm and then the next band was supposed to miss us, but it is very slow moving and we have had more rain than expected."

Tomorrow's evening meeting at Nottingham has been abandoned due to a waterlogged track.

Clerk of the course Robert Bellamy called a 1pm inspection after heavy rain at the venue this morning and made a swift decision to call off the meeting.

He said: "We have had 35 millimetres of rain since 5am on ground that was already soft.

"It's still raining now and the forecast does not look much better.

"There are areas of waterlogging which will not disappear in time for racing tomorrow."

Tomorrow's meeting at Carlisle has been abandoned due to a waterlogged track.

Officials held a 1pm inspection at the Cumbrian venue and heavy rain has now claimed their six-race evening card.

General manager Richard Clements said: "We have only had three or four millimetres so far today but that is on top of everything else we have had in the last few weeks. "We're not raceable today and we would need a couple of dry days to improve, which isn't forecast to happen."

Sandown continue to escape the worst of the weather with ground conditions remaining on the fast side of good ahead of their Coral-Eclipse meeting.

While most of the country is experiencing torrential downpours, very little rain in comparison has hit the Esher venue, with only 11 millimetres falling between Monday and Friday morning.

"People are finding it increasingly hard to believe with what has been happening elsewhere but we remain on the faster side of good," clerk of the course Andrew Cooper told At The Races.

"Having walked everywhere again this morning I would describe it as good, good to firm in places. It's on the fast side of good ground on both the round and sprint courses.

"We missed the big swathe of rain overnight and just had the odd spit and spot.

"But it has started drizzling a little bit more which is slightly unexpected.

"At present it is 60% good on the Eclipse course and 40% good to firm with a bit of drizzle in the air.

"The potential of showers is that one or two could be heavy but equally there is a significant chance we could see very little again in the next 24 hours, just as we have during the course of the week.

"We've had two spells of rain so far this week. On Monday night we had about four millimetres and on Tuesday night we had about seven."

This afternoon's Flat fixture at Warwick has been abandoned due to a waterlogged track.

The going was already described as heavy by clerk of the course Sulekha Varma and her team, and persistent rain since 4am was the final nail in the coffin.

Varma tweeted: "WARWICK ABANDONED - Heavy rain since 4am and forecast to continue."