‘It wasn’t sufficient for us to carry on’ – Goodwood’s final two races abandoned due to unsafe track
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The final two races of Goodwood’s meeting were abandoned after three horses slipped on the pull-up area following the 1m2f handicap due to a heavy shower that hit the track.
A lengthy investigation took place following the sixth race on the card, and officials deemed the track unsafe, which resulted in the last two contests being called off.
Speaking to Racing TV, clerk of the course Ed Arkell said: “Everybody’s been happy with the ground over the last two days. It’s been nice, quick, ground, and we’ve had a very heavy shower on it, and it’s not had a chance to get in. Horses pulling up past the winning line are slipping.
“Despite the work we tried to carry out, it wasn’t sufficient for us to carry on. We had a lot of rain and it takes time for it to get into the ground.”
On the track, Blue Bolt made a successful return to action in the Listed Conqueror Fillies’ Stakes and jockey Colin Keane is hopeful of bigger days to come.
Owned by Juddmonte and trained by Andrew Balding, who enjoyed an across-the-card treble with a double at Newmarket, the four-year-old filly chased down Kon Tiki in the final stages of the Fitzdares-sponsored contest to make it a fourth win from seven starts.
Speaking to Racing TV, Keane said: “She was coming here ready to start, and whatever she did after that was going to be a bonus, but it’s nice to get the first box ticked.”
Blue Bolt followed up a hat-trick last term with a second in the Atalanta Stakes at Sandown before filling the same place in the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes, and Keane is confident of more success this season.
He said: “She’s definitely strengthened. Last year, she was a bit in your hands, but she was very relaxed today from the minute I got on her to the minute I got off, which is great to see. On her last run at Newmarket, you have to think she can hopefully contend at the top table somewhere this year.
“I felt we had the measure of Kon Tiki. She got a little bit unbalanced halfway up the straight, but when she got to the line, she got through it well.”
Soul scores
The Karl Burke-trained Soul Love continued her progress with a second win of the season in the Listed Fitzdares Chelmer Fillies’ Stakes. The Starman filly has now won three of her four outings, having struck at Southwell on her debut in November.
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