Jockey Club to probe gap in hurdle

A confidential report is to be submitted to the Jockey Club over an incident which saw a ’gap’ appear in a hurdle during Ascot’s feature race today.

A section of the fourth-last flight, which had been damaged on the first circuit of the Cantor Sport Long Walk Hurdle, had not been replaced by the time the runners came round again, allowing the field to simply run through the hole.

And at a subsequent inquiry, the racecourse stewards interviewed clerk of the course Nick Cheyne and head groundsman Gill Gifford.

Gifford explained that the attendants had been unable to replace the broken panel because of hurdle pegs having become stuck in the ground and due to the poor visibility, had been unable to check on the progress of the field and roll the obstacle off correctly in time.

The stewards informed Cheyne and Gifford that a report on the incident would be submitted to the stewards of the Jockey Club.