Rain hits jumps action

Heavy rain has decimated the fixture list with several tracks already washed out and some of the weekend action also under threat.

Today’s meeting at Folkestone fell to a combination of waterlogging and strong winds while tomorrow’s action at Newbury and Thursday’s Taunton card have already been lost.

And Ludlow, which hopes to stage Thursday’s only other jump programme in Britain, is in doubt with an inspection called for 8am tomorrow.

“We’ve had three inches of rain since the last meeting,” said clerk of the course Bob Davies.

“It’s specific areas where we have the problem. From the last fence leading into the back straight and near the water jump at the far bend. The rest of the course is fine.

“Everywhere else is basically all right but we can’t avoid it, that is the trouble.

“It’s not raining now but the forecast says there is more to come so it has to improve overnight, but we could not have raced today.”

The situation is little better in the immediate future with Chepstow officials forced to call an inspection at 3pm on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s meeting.

“Since last Friday we have had an horrendous amount of rain,” said clerk of the course Tim Long.

“We had 42 millimetres that day which rendered us unraceable. Over the weekend we had about another 12mm and in the last 24 hours we have had 30mm so we’re not raceable.

“We are told that tomorrow should not be too bad a day. If we are raceable by tomorrow afternoon we might have half a chance.

“Following on from that, the forecast for Thursday and Friday is wet.

“If by tomorrow afternoon we are still not raceable and that forecast still stands, we will probably know our fate.”

Even Saturday’s prestigious fixture at Ascot, featuring the Victor Chandler Chase, is threatened as the course is waterlogged in places.

“We are heavy, waterlogged in places. The prospects depend on what rain we get in the next 72 hours,” said clerk of the course Chris Stickels.

“We are forecast five to six millimetres each day. I would say that we get that, we would just about be all right.

“We’ve had 30mm in the last 48 hours and there’s time for it to drain away.

“I haven’t decided yet when to have an inspection. I shall be considering that tomorrow.”

The one bright spot on the horizon is Newcastle where racing is expected to go ahead tomorrow without a hitch.

The going is described as soft and no problems are anticipated.

“We should be fine if everything is correct,” said clerk of the course James Armstrong.

“We have been lucky. We were on the very northern tip of that front that came through this morning and we got 2mm of that.

“It stopped raining at about 8am and has been virtually dry ever since.”