Worcester call precautionary check

Worcester’s National Hunt fixture on Wednesday is subject to the course passing a precautionary inspection at 8am on Tuesday.

Clerk of the course Fergus Cameron is concerned the drainage system may have to be turned off if the River Severn rises significantly following heavy rain.

“We had 27 millimetres of rain overnight here at Worcester and the track is currently waterlogged in places in the home straight,” Cameron said.

“We’ve got further rain forecast today and, added to the general volume of rain, we are expecting the River Severn to rise again, although it has got a fair way to go at this stage.

“If all those things fall into place we thought it best to create awareness, which is why we have taken the decision to hold a precautionary inspection at 8am tomorrow.

“Our main concern is if the river rises we may have to close our drainage system off.

“But we have a dry day forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday so it’s really all about timing I think.”