Newton Abbot take precautions

Tomorrow’s National Hunt meeting at Newton Abbot must survive an 8am precautionary inspection.

The ground is currently soft at the Devon track but heavy rain is forecast overnight and into the morning.

If the rain is heavier than forecast, the meeting may be in doubt so officials have called an inspection to be on the safe side.

Clerk of the course Jason Loosemore said: ``We're perfectly raceable at the moment but there is some rain coming in tonight and it's forecast to be quite an intense band of rain.

“The forecasters tell me it could last about an hour, so we’ll just have to see. I think if we got six millimetres we’d be absolutely fine, but I’d hate to see half an inch or more, so it’s sensible to have a look in the morning.

“It is purely precautionary.”