'The risk has increased' - yellow weather warning threatens Sandown's Saturday fixture with Wincanton inspecting on the same day
Sandown's clerk of the course Andrew Cooper admitted the risk to the track's first Premier raceday on Saturday has increased in the last 24 hours after the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for rain in the south of England on Thursday.
The £100,000 Veterans' Chase Series Final is the feature contest at the Esher venue, where the going is soft, heavy in places on the chase course and heavy, soft in places on the hurdles track, but up to 20mm of rain could fall between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.
"There’s been uncertainty all week," Cooper said of the weather warning on Thursday morning. "We were being told there was every likelihood it was going to go south of us or travel through the channel, grazing the south coast.
"The risk to the meeting has increased in the last 24 hours. It’d be naïve to say otherwise because the weather forecast has consolidated and changed.
"About lunchtime yesterday the forecast started to move in a more negative direction in terms of likelihood of rain and volume of rain for us. That’s been consolidated through current forecasts and speaking with the Met Office first thing this morning.
"We caught about 3mm in one or two showers here yesterday and we’re being told to expect rain in this vicinity from one or two o’clock this afternoon, probably at its heaviest during the rush hour period.
"In that period from early afternoon today until early tomorrow morning we could get up to 20mm, at least 10mm is the steer we’re being given at the moment."
However, Cooper is hopeful that having no racing on Friday at Sandown will give the track a chance to recover from the deluge.
"What we have got in our favour is we’re not racing tomorrow," he said. "If we had 20mm, I would question our ability if we were racing on Friday to be able to turn things around here.
"Friday, once any early morning rain has gone through, looks basically a dry day, cooling down, chilly night and Saturday looks dry, so we’ve got 36 hours or so to improve from wherever we’re left after the rain later today."
Asked if any inspections were planned, Cooper added: "There’s no point looking at anything over the course of Thursday. I think we just need to monitor what happens today and overnight and, if necessary, take a look at things here on Friday morning and judge it from there."
Wincanton to face 8am raceday inspection with clerk "nervous" about prospects for Saturday's card
Wincanton is due to form part of ITV4's coverage with Sandown on Saturday but the Somerset venue must survive an 8am raceday inspection.
The track is raceable and the going is heavy, soft in places, but clerk of the course Daniel Coop
er admitted the wet forecast has him "nervous" about the prospect of the seven-race card going ahead.
"It’s been a challenging week," said Daniel Cooper on Thursday morning. "I walked it nice and early and we’d race this morning with the omission of one hurdle in the back straight. We’ve been unraceable on the hurdle course on and off since Sunday. The chase course has been perfect.
"We’ve got a very, very wet forecast today. 21mm is coming which makes me nervous. It’s a dry Friday, which makes me think we need to look on Saturday morning and take a view on it then.
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