The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) can confirm the transfer of Doncaster’s final Flat fixture of the season on Saturday 11 November to the All-Weather at Newcastle.
Following an inspection of the course on Friday afternoon by the BHA Inspectorate, the track has been deemed unraceable, with no significant chance of improvement ahead of the fixture. In order to provide early certainty to participants and ensure that the fixture takes place, approval has been given to transfer the fixture to Newcastle.
Entries will close as normal at noon on Monday, with the races published shortly on Racing Admin.
Managing Director of Arena Racing Company’s Racing Division, Mark Spincer, said:
“The VirginBet November Handicap is a really popular fixture at the end of the turf season in Britain. It is a huge shame to lose the fixture at Doncaster, but there is simply no chance that the track will be in a position to be fit for racing in time.
“Doncaster raced on very heavy ground at the Kameko Futurity meeting just over a week ago, and we have seen significant rainfall since then with anywhere between 25mm and 50mm more forecast through the coming week. We appreciate the impact on those looking for a final opportunity on the turf before the season comes to a close, but the track will simply not be ready in time.
“We would like to thank our colleagues at BHA, as well as sponsors VirginBet and the European Breeders Fund and to ITV and Sky Sports Racing for facilitating this move.”