Horse Racing: Sandown subject to inspection
The Sandown meeting that was scheduled to take place tomorrow is now subject to an inspection that has been planned for tomorrow morning. The highlight event of the meeting was the Grade I 32 Red Hurdle. It has been reported that
the inspection will start at 7.30 a.m. and the announcement was made after heavy rainfall was forecasted.
15 millimetres of rainfall was recorded on Thursday on the racecourse. Meanwhile, an additional 5 mm fell on Friday and the Met Office has forecasted rainfall for Friday night as well. Under these circumstances, the officials of
the racecourse thought it was vital to call for an inspection before the meeting.
The clerk of the course Andrew Cooper was approached by the correspondents to inquire about the prospects of the race. He was reported as saying, “We’re forecast to expect at least two bands of rain overnight with the Met Office
forecast suggesting somewhere in the region of 12-18 mm of rain in total, so on the basis of that forecast, we need to call an inspection.”
He also said that it was a bright day today even though it rained from 7 a.m. through 11 a.m. Nonetheless, the clerk expected the weather to remain dry for the rest of the day. He further added that the track is fit for racing
now so the management is keeping their fingers crossed, as it is difficult to say if rainfall will become an issue. The clerk also said that a double figure of rainfall will not be of their interest.
On the other hand, the going at the Sandown racecourse has been described to be soft, good to soft in places. This has been reported for the back straight of the chase course on Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, the going on the hurdle
course has been described as soft, heavy in places.
Moreover, it has also been revealed that the first hurdle in the back straight will be missed. As for the home bend, it will be shared between chases and hurdles.
Andrew Cooper was also reported as saying, “If we get the upper end it is three-quarter of an inch right before racing so we will see.”
The final decision regarding the Sandown meeting will be announced after the inspection. Apart from this fixture, the other significant racing event for tomorrow is the Coral Welsh National.
Tags: