The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) can confirm a number of changes to the upcoming Jump racing programme:
- An additional fixture will be staged at Worcester on Wednesday 7 October, replacing Ludlow’s abandoned fixture on the same day
- The Welsh Racing Festival at Chepstow from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October, and Hereford on Tuesday 13 October, will become all-Hurdle cards
- Worcester on Monday 12 October and Ffos Las on Wednesday 14 October will become all-Chase cards.
The fixture at Ludlow has been abandoned because the track remains unraceable following sustained dry weather since the end of last season.
At Chepstow, time has likewise run out for the chase course and it has been agreed with the BHA Course Inspectorate that it will not be in a raceable condition for the Welsh Racing Festival.
Therefore, the chase races are being transferred to Worcester and Ffos Las, where more appropriate chasing ground can be presented. The hurdle races originally programmed at these fixtures have been moved to Chepstow and Hereford.
A small number of amendments have been made to individual races to deliver the most appropriate programme, with full details available on Racing Admin shortly.
Tom Byrne, BHA Head of Racing and Betting, said:
“We appreciate that these are significant changes to the race programme at this stage of the season. However, we hope that as a package they will allow the sport to deliver an appropriate jumping programme over the coming weeks.
“Our intention is to ensure that racing over both hurdles and fences takes place on the best ground available, and we are grateful to Ludlow and ARC for their support in enabling these interventions. We also hope they are welcomed in the circumstances by participants, and we thank them for their ongoing support.
“Further updates are likely to follow on a weekly basis from this point as we continue to work proactively with racecourses and participants to provide the best jumping ground possible amidst the ongoing challenges presented by the lack of rain across the country.”
Simon Sherwood, Chief Executive of Ludlow Racecourse, said:
“Given the current climate, we have spent the past few weeks hoping for significant rainfall. Unfortunately we are now at a point where we cannot delay the decision any further. Additional watering would not have sufficiently addressed the conditions, and we have taken expert advice from agronomists throughout the process.
“This is not the decision we wanted to take for our first fixture of the season, but I am sure everyone will understand the challenges we face following such a prolonged period of dry weather.”
Ben Cook, ARC Racing Director, said:
“We are obviously disappointed to have to make these changes to the DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival at Chepstow, but we wanted to make and announce the decision as early as possible.
“The racecourse team have been working incredibly hard over the course of the summer, and into the autumn, to get both of Chepstow’s jumps tracks ready for this meeting. We have simply been beaten by the weather, as far as the chase course is concerned.
“Chepstow received 63mm of rain in late August, which made a significant positive impact on the track, alongside the irrigation that the team have been undertaking. The track has received only 43mm of rain in September however, with none in the last ten days. This has stalled that progress and meant that the chase course will simply not have sufficient ease in the ground.
“We are grateful to colleagues at BHA for their assistance in reprogramming this fixture, and the surrounding fixtures at Worcester and Ffos Las. Equally, we are incredibly grateful to participants, customers, ITV and all of our sponsors, including DragonBet, for their understanding of this difficult situation. We very much look forward to hosting the meeting and to celebrate the stars of jump racing in Wales.”
Notes to editors:
1. For further information on these changes please contact the BHA Racing Department on 0207 152 0050 or via [email protected].
