Rain makes it four and out for Nottingham

OFFICIALS at Nottingham gave yesterday's meeting every chance but the fixture was eventually claimed by the weather following a fourth inspection.

A deputation of stewards and jockeys looked at the track after the third race and deemed it safe to continue, but the intensity of the rain suddenly increased and the plug was pulled at 4.05pm.

Clerk of the course Nick Patton, who had initially inspected on Thursday and again yesterday morning, said: “We have been heavy and waterlogged now for the past week and it has continued to rain heavily. We have had 10 millimetres just this afternoon.

“The jockeys were happy with the track earlier and so were the trainers, but Jamie Spencer felt his horse go down on the bend and water is starting to stand all the way up the straight.

“It is gutting as everyone has worked hard to get the meeting on.”

Spencer added: “If we had got this rain at 6am this morning we wouldn’t have been racing at all, and common sense had to prevail after a while.

“The problem here isn’t that the ground is so bad, it is just not consistent. There are patches where there is no bottom to it and it only takes one horse to go into it and fall and someone gets injured; it’s not worth the risk.”

Spencer did manage to make the winner’s enclosure though, when ploughing the mud to claim the European Breeders’ Fund Maiden Stakes on the Neville Callaghan-trained Exhibition.

The 4-7 favourite had made an encouraging start to his racing career at Newmarket last week, and duly built on that in accounting for Rub Of The Relic by two lengths.

Callaghan’s son and assistant Simon said: “The conditions were not ideal for any horse but he did it well and travelled like a good horse. He probably idled in front but we are happy with the run.

“We will keep him low-key at the moment and maybe look to a novice or conditions’ race for him. He has plenty of scope but we won’t rush him.”

Spencer just missed out on another winner when failing by a head to reel in Giddywell (13-2) in the TurfTV Betting Shop Service Selling Stakes, with the pair pulling 11 lengths clear.

Only four runners went to post for the feature Golder Associates Handicap and the odds-on favourite Mutajarred obliged in some style.

William Haggas’ three-year-old has shown a liking for soft ground and eased home in the hands of Richard Hills as the 4-9 favourite.