Thunderstorm delays racing at Windsor as incredible weather change causes chaos and throws the course into darkness

A lovely summer's evening at @WindsorRaces

Therehegoes takes the opener in quite brutal conditions! pic.twitter.com/PUfJisyPlg

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 12, 2023

But as the runners started to load the gate, the course was plunged into darkness.

When the stalls opened, torrential rain began to fall and runners were barely visible as they charged towards home.

The rain was so heavy that the course looked to be covered by fog as Therehegoes and Level Up battled it out.

Thunder could also be heard in the background, which may have had an impact on the horses too.

There was further carnage during the race as the fancied My Genghis veered across the track when his rider Mollie Phillips used the whip, hampering the unlucky third Bungle Bay.

Conditions caused the stewards to delay the second race and with the threat of lightning still in the air, the stalls weren’t used for that race.

Several runners were making their debuts and unsurprisingly, there was a false start.

Many punters were left fuming on the next successful try as the two market leaders gave away a huge amount of ground in the flag start.

One said: “I thought I had seen everything. But you see, there is always room for more.”

Another wrote: “Serious question… What is wrong with this sport?”

In classic British style, the storm quickly left the area and by the time Elraaed won the third race, the course was back in bright sunshine.