Ed Arkell Explains Goodwood Abandoned After Heavy Shower
goodwood abandoned its final two races on Saturday after horses slipped in the pull-up area and officials judged the track unsafe. A heavy shower arrived after the sixth race and stopped the card at the end of a day that had started on quick ground.
The decision came after a lengthy investigation following the sixth race and the 1m2f handicap. Several horses were slipping past the winning line, and the last two contests were called off rather than risk another run on the same surface.
Ed Arkell on the ground
Ed Arkell said the course had handled the previous two days well, but the shower changed the picture fast. “Everybody's been happy with the ground over the last two days. It's been nice, quick, ground, and we've had a very heavy shower on it, and it's not had a chance to get in. Horses pulling up past the winning line are slipping.”
He added that the course team worked on the problem before making the call. “Despite the work we tried to carry out, it wasn't sufficient for us to carry on. We had a lot of rain and it takes time for it to get into the ground.”
Blue Bolt and Soul Love
Before the shutdown, Blue Bolt won the Listed Conqueror Fillies' Stakes and made a successful return to action for Juddmonte and Andrew Balding. Colin Keane said, “She was coming here ready to start, and whatever she did after that was going to be a bonus, but it's nice to get the first box ticked.”
Blue Bolt’s win was her fourth in seven starts. Keane also said, “She's definitely strengthened. Last year, she was a bit in your hands, but she was very relaxed today from the minute I got on her to the minute I got off her, which is great to see. On her last run at Newmarket, you have to think she can hopefully contend at the top table somewhere this year.”
He added, “I felt we had the measure of Kon Tiki. She got a little bit unbalanced halfway up the straight, but when she got to the line, she got through it well.”
Goodwood card halted
Soul Love also won the Listed Fitzdares Chelmer Fillies' Stakes, giving her a second win of the season and three wins from four outings. Those results stood on a card that ended early, with the final two races shelved after the surface around the pull-up area turned unsafe.
For anyone tracking the Saturday meeting, that left the racecard incomplete and the focus on the ground rather than the finishes that should have closed the day.
