Storm Boelo is threatening to cancel Sunday's horse racing fixtures across Britain due to powerful winds, with precautionary inspections called at both Aintree and Market Rasen.
The two venues sit on opposite sides of the country, 146 miles apart, yet both fall within a Met Office yellow weather warning for wind that remains in place until 9pm on Sunday. Officials are set to assess conditions at 8am Sunday morning to decide whether racing can go ahead.
Precautionary inspections at Aintree and Market Rasen
A statement from Aintree Racecourse said: "We have been monitoring conditions and the weather forecast closely ahead of tomorrow's Halloween Family Fun Day and will hold a precautionary inspection at 8am tomorrow.
"While the track is raceable, the forecast is for wind speeds to reach up to 50mph throughout the night and into the early morning, with the potential for these speeds to further increase throughout the day.
"The safety of our participants, racegoers and teams on site is our number one priority and we will update everyone as soon as possible."
Aintree is scheduled to host the feature Grade Two William Hill Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase. Market Rasen's clerk of the course, Alice Cosgrove, told the Racing Post that gusts of 53mph are expected.
Other fixtures and wind speeds
Meanwhile, Galway and Wexford are scheduled to race in Ireland, while Constitution Hill is set to compete in the Group Two Gran Premio del Jockey Club at San Siro in Italy.
Wind speeds reaching 40-45mph are expected at Cheltenham on Saturday afternoon, where Zara Tindall is in attendance. The day's most lucrative contest is the £100,000 William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Chase, scheduled for 2.55pm.
While the going remains good, rainfall is imminent, and Doncaster's William Hill Futurity Trophy will take place on heavy ground. The Group One encounter could prove significant for the 2026 trainers' championship, featuring entries from title contenders Aidan O'Brien and Andrew Balding.
Scottish Cup tie called off and Premier League unaffected
In addition to horse racing, one Scottish Cup tie has already been called off as a result of Storm Austen, and supporters are facing travel chaos in the nation because of Storm Boleo. The Met Office has an amber alert in place for large parts of Scotland after the match between Penicuik Athletic and Clyde was scrapped.
There is no expectation that any Premier League scheduled matches for this weekend will be affected. There had been some social media speculation that Liverpool's match with Brighton on Sunday could be at risk, due to high winds, but no official communication suggesting that is the case has been made.
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett explained what the situation would look like if games are postponed, telling Football Insider: "The elite level will liaise with the police and the media so that if the game is unable to go ahead spectators will be informed.
"The club will not want food waste and will have to advise all catering staff and security staff etc. A lot of people are involved. The police will be aware of all the travel arrangements of teams and spectators.
"This is where the referee earns his money. He will be in the city overnight with club officials. Everyone will want to avoid a late call off with spectators in the vicinity of the ground."
