Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here
Haydock’s two-day fixture scheduled for later this week has been cancelled after the track failed Tuesday’s 1pm inspection on the suitability of the inner course for racing.
Officials had been assessing whether the inner track could stage Friday and Saturday’s meetings after a significant drainage issue led to the discovery of a hole on the outer course, forcing three races to be abandoned at Saturday’s fixture.
The problem came to light after Friendly Soul took a misstep in the Hedge of Oak Stakes, with officials later identifying an issue with the surface. The remaining sprint races, including the Sandy Lane Stakes and the Temple Stakes, were switched to the inner track.
Officials inspect the hole at Haydock
Clerk of the course Dan Cooper said the decision to cancel this weekend’s fixtures was due to the condition of the inner track after it had staged three days of racing in recent days, rather than any further issues being discovered with the drainage problem on the outer course.
He said: “We had hoped to stage this weekend’s fixtures on the inner track. They were previously programmed to be on the outer track, which is where the hole appeared on Saturday.
“Ultimately, the decision came down to the fact that there’s been three days of racing on it already and the standards aren’t anywhere near what we would usually present as acceptable. With the BHA here today, both parties agreed that there’s more recovery to do.”
Cooper added that external drainage specialists and agronomists remained on site at Haydock, with investigations ongoing into the cause of the hole, as well as excavations, although no conclusion has yet been reached.
Five races from Saturday’s card had been due to be shown live on ITV, including the Listed Achilles Stakes and the Group 3 Lester Piggott Stakes.
Haydock and the BHA are now working on rescheduling the affected races, with an update expected later this afternoon.
Cooper said: “It’s complicated with what venue can take this at short notice, but it’s in the interests of British horseracing to continue those races.”
This story is being updated and more news will follow shortly. To get the latest updates download the Racing Post app and make sure notifications are turned on and follow the Racing Post on X (@RacingPost)
Read these next:
‘It seems to be a recurring theme at the moment and it needs to be rectified’ – Haydock hole causes three races to be scrapped
Comment: Racing cannot play Russian roulette when it comes to safety – that’s why the Haydock hole must be a catalyst for new measures
Haydock hole was huge embarrassment – but it at least underlined importance of this once-hated scheme
Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.
