Haydock Horse Racing Cancelled After Tuesday 1pm Inspection Fails

Haydock horse racing cancelled its two-day weekend meeting after Tuesday’s 1pm inspection failed on the suitability of the inner course for racing. The Friday and Saturday fixtures will not go ahead as planned.

Haydock Inner Course

The problem followed a drainage issue that led to a hole being found on the outer course at Saturday’s fixture. Three races were abandoned that day, while the remaining sprint races, including the Sandy Lane Stakes and the Temple Stakes, were switched to the inner track.

Friendly Soul took a misstep in the Hedge of Oak Stakes before officials later identified an issue with the surface. Haydock said the inner course would not have the chance to recover to an acceptable standard for racing this weekend after three days of racing in recent days.

Friday And Saturday Races

Tuesday’s inspection left Haydock with no route to stage the meeting on the original schedule, and the track said it was working with the BHA on next steps for rescheduling Friday and Saturday’s races. External drainage specialists and agronomists were on site on Tuesday as investigations into the cause of the hole continued.

The cancellation also removes Saturday’s card from the broadcast schedule. That programme had been due to air on ITV and was headed by the Group 3 Betway Lester Piggott Fillies' Stakes.

For racegoers, the immediate change is simple: the weekend fixture is off, and the card that was due to anchor Saturday now needs a new date. Haydock has already said the racing will need rescheduling, leaving the meeting to be rebuilt around the course issues that surfaced last Saturday and the inspection that failed on Tuesday afternoon.