STORM EUNICE has wreaked havoc on Friday’s race meetings – and Saturday’s big card at Haydock is under threat.
The fixtures at Lingfield, Fakenham, Southwell and Dundalk were scrapped after winds of up to 100mph battered the British isles – and there is an precautionary inspection at 8am at Haydock tomorrow.
The valuable card, which features the Rendlesham Hurdle and Grand National Trial, is in doubt after strong winds and heavy rain.
Clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright said: “The main concern has been wind, which would be a problem on a raceday but shouldn’t be the day before. There will be a lot of damage to repair, no doubt.
“Saturday is expected to be blustery, gusts of wind and more rain. Having walked the course a couple of times today, I’m pretty optimistic we’ll get through.
“The hurdle course is heavy, soft in places, and is not in a bad place. The chase course is heavy, and very heavy in one or two places so we might be bypassing them. I’ve taken the second fence out in the back straight mainly as a precaution because it gives us more options in terms on how we get past that location.”
It wasn’t a total wipeout in the UK, with Kelso managing to go ahead on Friday despite snow and strong winds in Scotland and the North.
The seven-race jumps card kicked off at 1pm, with the Scottish track monitoring conditions throughout the afternoon with a ‘yellow’ weather warning in place.
The forecast is set to calm down by Saturday, and Ascot’s Grade 1 card expected to go ahead, as is Wincanton’s Kingwell Hurdle meeting.
But Lingfield’s jumps card on Monday has already been abandoned with the ground there waterlogged.
Rail firms advised customers not to travel due to the forecast on Friday.
Southern Rail, who operate in and out of Ascot, tweeted: “Please DO NOT travel on Friday 18th February.
“Very strong winds are forecast and these are expected to cause damage and obstruction on the railway.
“We strongly advise travelling today, Thursday 17th February, or Saturday 19th February.”
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