Heavy Ground Predicted For Both Ascot And Haydock This Weekend

Going Descriptions

Leading officials at both Ascot and Haydock, the two racecourses set to host the feature meetings across the weekend, have said the ground could turn up heavy for the meetings with plenty of rainfall forecasted from now until the racedays.

This week has already seen action up and down the UK get the go ahead in tough conditions and although Ascot and Haydock are expecting the same, they are positive that the meetings will still be able to go ahead.

The heaviest spell of rain is forecast on Friday evening after the first of the two days of racing is set to take place, but the track are not worried and have stated that going is currently soft at the moment.

The way that Ascot will be tackling the wet conditions and trying to give as much fresh ground to the runners across the two days is by moving the rail on the hurdle course for Friday's action.

(Credit Racing Post) Chris Stickels, clerk of the course at Ascot, said: "It remains soft. The forecast indicates we might get slightly less rainfall than we thought at the beginning of the week, which is positive.

"We're expecting three to four millimetres this afternoon, a generally dry day on Thursday and the majority of the rain is expected after racing on Friday.

"The rail was right down at the beginning of the season so we've been gradually bringing them back in, so we'll have fresh ground on Friday and Saturday."

Stickels when asked about the conditions for Saturday added: "I'd say it'll be soft or soft, heavy in places. It depends how much rain we get on Friday."

Haydock is a track that has not been shy of racing on heavy ground recently and their clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright believes those are the exact conditions that the horses will get on Saturday.

"Friday looks like it'll be a particularly wet day but we should be fine," said Kirkland Tellwright.

"It'll be heavy ground and not for the faint-hearted, but we expect to be racing."