The racing had been officially cancelled before the final declarations on Thursday, with the first race scheduled as a Class 6 5f sprint pencilled in to start at 4.05pm on Saturday. Following a pre-declarations course walk, further areas of damage to the racing surface were identified in consultation with the BHA course inspectorate, leading to the abandonment. With the approval of the BHA course inspectorate, the racing surface was deemed unfit for racing and the fixture was abandoned, as safety always comes first, leaving no option but to cancel the meeting.
The areas of concern had been well managed by ground staff ahead of the meeting through treatment to the track which had a positive and encouraging effect, and movement of running rail lines and reduced field size limits were arranged to counter the issues. However, the situation worsened significantly overnight on Wednesday to the extent that there are now damaged areas on the track that cannot be avoided. It remains unclear what specific damage or conditions made the track unfit for racing or why the situation worsened overnight, and the financial impact of the cancellation on owners, trainers, and the racecourse has not been disclosed.
I’m very disappointed. They obviously must have known about this before, and for it to be called off so late in the day at the declarations stage, it’s unfortunate for owners who have waited for these races.
Efforts are being made to resolve the track issue ahead of the next fixtures on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th April, with further updates to be released as soon as possible, though the specific measures being taken are unknown. According to Daily Express - Sport, trainer James Owen was unimpressed with the situation.