Beverley racecourse became the latest British track forced to abandon racing after the discovery of a hole in the surface during a Monday evening meeting. Only three of the six scheduled races were completed before officials called an inspection and deemed the ground unsuitable.
Inspection confirms unsafe ground
The stewards' report stated: "The inspection confirmed that unsuitable ground had been identified underneath the starting stalls and on the racing line. Riders, PJ McDonald, Barry McHugh and Cieren Fallon; trainers, Ruth Carr, Nigel Tinkler and Lawrence Mullaney; The Clerk of the Course and the Veterinary Officer were interviewed. Having considered the evidence, the Stewards ordered racing to be abandoned."
The hole was located near the 7-furlong start, affecting stalls three and four. Racing TV presenter Chris Dixon said: "That hole in the track which is right at the stalls position for the 7f races is significant and nothing can be done about it in the short term."
Third course affected this year
Beverley is the third racecourse to encounter such problems. Haydock has not staged racing since May after an elbow-deep hole was found during its Temple Stakes meeting. Cheltenham's Festival Trials Day in January was also disrupted when a hole opened in the straight. Both tracks cancelled subsequent fixtures for remedial work.
Pundit Adele Mulrennan commented: "I think they’ve thought of numerous ideas but couldn’t get anything to work. They can’t move the stalls because of the fence. They have a gap to get in for each start and you have the fact there is still a big hole there. It’s lucky they’ve found it because it’s quite a big hole. It goes from as wide as two stalls. It’s stall three and stall four that it’s affecting. It’s just disappointing."
Compensation and future plans
Beverley announced it would make compensatory payments to owners of horses scheduled to run in the final three races. Racegoers will receive complimentary tickets to the season finale on September 22. The course will now carry out repairs before its next fixture.
