Exeter lose another meeting but rain on the way

Clerk of the course Jason Loosemore remained optimistic about Exeter’s chances of getting their National Hunt campaign under way later this month despite abandoning their fourth meeting of the season.

The Devon racecourse has yet to host a card this autumn due to the effects of the baking summer, with their Haldon Gold Cup feature switched to Aintree last weekend.

Now the fixture on Monday, November 16 has become the latest victim to the weather, but Loosemore had a “more positive outlook” on the hopes of their next meeting six days later on November 22.

“We might have been looking at 30 millimetres of rain this week and that just isn’t going to be sufficient,” he said.

“Therefore it’s sort of pointless dragging our heels about a decision, which is quite easy to make really.

“I mean looking at it at this moment in time as we speak, next week does look to be a wet week.

“We could possibly be looking at a further two inches that week, so I would be hopeful that sort of two inches on top of what we get it would be a very positive step forward.

“It’s certainly a much more positive outlook for next week than it is presently for this week.”

Loosemore admitted the loss of the Haldon Gold Cup was significant, but aims to look forward rather than back should action return on Sunday week.

“It’s massively disappointing,” he added. “It’s not a decision we’ve taken lightly, but we’ve done as much as we possibly can.

“I know it’s a pretty cliched line, but the safety aspect is massively important and we have to ensure the safety of the participants, both equine and human, and presently we can’t do that, and that’s why we’ve had to make the decision we have.

“If we can get a start on the 22nd and get the rest of our season in, I’m not saying we’ll forget all about the beginning because obviously it’s significant to lose those fixtures, but we’ve got to make a start, and we’re just hoping that next week’s forecast does prove fruitful in terms of that level of precipitation.”

Ludlow has been another racecourse yet to host a fixture so far this season, with three cancelled due to dry conditions and clerk of the course Simon Sherwood is hopeful of their chances on November 23.

“There’s no difference really, I’ve got a meeting coming up on the 23rd, we’re hoping that will be OK,” he said. “But it depends a lot on grass growth and also on how much rain we get at the moment.

“We do need grass growth but also we need rain and warmth basically, so we take it every day as it comes along and we’re just assessing things by day at the moment.

“We’re a little bit more extreme because we’re based on gravel, so it’s a little bit more of an extreme really than most tracks.”

On the financial hit that the Shropshire track has suffered, Sherwood added: “It’s slightly different if you are a small, independent racecourse where if you lose a fixture, you lose a fixture and you lose that income.

“So it’s very much a different concept as a small independent.”