Horse racing has been disrupted by climate change after a jumps meeting was cancelled due to hard ground following an exceptionally dry summer. A planned festival at Fakenham has been scrapped after an inspection by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), and racing will not start at the Norfolk course for another three weeks.
Fakenham fixture axed and Newbury adjusts
Newbury's meeting on November 5 will be run over hurdles rather than fences to safeguard horses' welfare due to dry ground. An extra fixture has been added at Worcester on November 1 in an effort to 'mitigate any lost opportunities during this period'.
David Hunter, chief executive and clerk of the course at Fakenham, said: “Unfortunately the effects of the dry summer are still taking their toll. After an inspection by a BHA course inspector, a racecourse director, the head groundsman and the clerk of the course it was unanimously agreed that the grass growth of the reseeded areas of ground are still not advanced enough for safe racing to take place on November 2. A fixture on Sunday November 22 gives the ground an additional three weeks to recover which is what is needed.”
BHA explains delay and extra Worcester fixture
Tom Byrne, the BHA’s head of racing and betting, said: “We have taken the decision to delay the start of Fakenham’s season by a further three weeks to allow additional time for the track to recover to ensure racing can take place safely.
“We hope this will provide the necessary time for conditions to improve and we look forward to Fakenham welcoming runners back to the course. We have also taken the opportunity to schedule an additional fixture at Worcester.
“This meeting has been allocated in lieu of the fixture lost in June during the period of red weather warnings, which was the only fixture affected during that period that was not subsequently rescheduled.
“Worcester has proved popular with participants during the dry spell, attracting strong fields, so the additional meeting provides a further opportunity to utilise the track following the conclusion of its scheduled fixture list.
“We continue to work with racecourses and participants as we assess the weather and fixture list to try and deliver an appropriate jumping programme. We will announce further updates as and when decisions have been taken.”
Hottest summer on record
According to the Met Office, this summer was the hottest since records began in 1884. The prolonged heat and dry conditions – with only 77% of the usual rainfall – triggered droughts across two-thirds of England and all of Wales, leading to hosepipe bans and wildfires. The Met Office warned such 'remarkable' summers will happen more often in future due to climate change.
