Exeter's meeting on Thursday 15th October has been abandoned as the prolonged spell of dry weather continues to affect the jumps racing programme.
The Jockey Club said with limited watering capacity and very little rain in the forecast, conditions are unlikely to improve sufficiently to provide safe ground for racing.
The British Horseracing Authority have confirmed that additional fixtures will take place on that day at Fontwell and Perth while Wincanton's fixture on October 25th has been transferred to Market Rasen.
Further updates and changes are expected with Kempton's fixture on Sunday 18th October also in doubt. Conditions are not fit for jumps racing there at present and alternative options for staging the races elsewhere are being explored.
Tom Byrne, BHA Head of Racing and Betting, said: “The challenges facing Jump racecourses and participants continue with limited rain falling across the country. We have taken the opportunity to replace Exeter with a fixture at Fontwell Park, as well as adding an extra fixture into the programme at Perth to make use of their track following their summer season. We expect both tracks to be able to offer ground on the easier side of good.
"We continue to work with racecourses to support the delivery of the jumping programme, however as we enter October with still no significant rain in the forecast, we expect that challenge to get harder before it gets easier. We will continue to show flexibility where necessary and will announce further plans as soon as we are able to."
Andrew Morris, Racing and Industry Relations Director at The Jockey Club, said: “We know that sustained periods of hot weather and limited rainfall have presented significant challenges for racecourses this summer. Unfortunately, these conditions, combined with limited watering capacity at Wincanton and Exeter, have meant that we have had to cancel their opening fixtures of the season. This is understandably disappointing for the teams involved, but our priority will always be to ensure that we provide safe and optimal ground conditions for racing.
“We will always look to reschedule races or fixtures where possible, and we are pleased that Market Rasen has been able to accommodate the Wincanton card in full. Working closely with the BHA, we will continue to monitor conditions and the latest forecasts and keep everyone updated on future fixtures.”
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