The going at Epsom is now on the easy side of good after 30mm of rain on Tuesday.
20mm fell through to 9am and two more hefty showers delivered a further 5mm each later in the day, more than was forecast.
Clerk of the Course Andrew Cooper told Racing TV on Tuesday afternoon: “We’ve just had another sharp shower of 5mm with some hail attached to it. It was all very dramatic We had a similar shower at about 9am this morning and that follows about 20mm of rain from midnight to around 6am. So we’re up to 30 millimetres in the day.
“I was speaking to my contact in the Met Office this time yesterday afternoon who echoed what his colleagues had said really on a daily call since Friday which was it was shaping up to be almost a ten millimetres of rain event.
“Admittedly there was the possibility that if the heavy pulses kicked in it could get up to the 15 or 20 mark. So It’s beyond what probably what we were expecting but not to a degree that I’d say crikey the forecast was completely wrong.
“We were working on ten guaranteed, possibly 15 to 20, but probably not 30."
And more showers are forecast for the rest of the week.
“I can’t see anything else looming on the radar that I can see, certainly in the immediate future, here this afternoon but that's not to say something might not pep up from the West.
“Then we’re basically dry until late morning tomorrow when the weakish weather front rather than showers comes over us. That’s only expected to generate a couple of millimetres of rain.
“Thursday has a shower risk attached to it and overall the week should get better in terms of shower risk gradually dissipating as you certainly get closer to Saturday but it is fair to say there is some degree of rainfall risk every day up to and including Saturday."
And as for the official going description, Cooper added: “I think I’m inclined to change things, certainly on the Oaks and Derby course, to good to soft, good in places off the back of that shower we’ve just had. Earlier in the day when I walked it, I felt it was probably 60-40 good to good to soft, it’s probably the reverse now.
“30 millimetres is a hell of a lot of rain but the track in general has taken it incredibly well. It’s certainly indicative to where it had dried to by close of play Monday afternoon.
“We haven’t touched the course deliberately since early Saturday morning when we watered having not watered on Friday. I’ve no regrets about putting a little bit on then because by close of play Monday, before whatever rain came to us, we were getting pretty quick here.
“I think the sprint track on the top side is better, no worse than the slow side of good, but I think the whole mile-and-a-half on the inner I’ll be changing to good to soft, good in places ahead of decs tomorrow.”
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