Inspection called for Newton Abbot's Friday card that includes a first Willie Mullins runner

Newton Abbot will hold a raceday inspection at 7am on Friday to determine if its six-race card can go ahead following a "significant amount of rain" on Thursday morning.

A total of 48mm of rainfall hit the track last weekend followed by a further 7mm on Wednesday. The ground is now heavy, although the track was reported as raceable on Thursday morning.

However, further wet weather is forecast and clerk of the course Jason Loosemore has expressed his concerns.

He said: "I was content with it being heavy and raceable this morning, but as it continues to rain it becomes more problematic. It’s then a question of whether the ground will support the card, not just the opening race.

"We have to make sure it stays stable throughout the card. My feeling at the moment is that we’re still okay, but every millimetre that falls compounds the issue."

He added: "We were expecting showers today, which we’ve had, but they’ve been heavier than indicated. We had 4mm when I last looked, but it’s been raining since and we’ve had quite a significant amount of rain this morning.

"Speaking to a few people, these showers throughout the day are becoming more organised and more persistent, so we could get up to 12mm today."

If the action goes ahead, Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins could saddle his first ever runner at the track as last-time-out winner Alvaniy has been declared for the penultimate 2m5½f novice hurdle (4.20).

On the possible inclusion of a Closutton runner, Loosemore added: "I’m very conscious of that but ultimately I have to make sure the course is capable of supporting the card. 

"Currently I feel it is, but when these showers come it’s proper rain. They’re not lasting long but the fact we’ve had 4-5mm in such a short blast shows you the severity of it."

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