Chelmsford cancels third fixture in a row after floodlights damaged by storm

Damage to the floodlights at Chelmsford racecourse, caused by Storm Eunice, has led to Thursday's fixture being cancelled, the third in a row.

The cancellation of the evening card was announced on Friday, with the course requiring an engineer to assess the floodlights, which suffered damage due to the storm's high winds.

The track's fixture last Monday, three days after Storm Eunice, was the first to be called off, followed by this Saturday's meeting and now next Thursday's.

Clerk of the course Andy Waitt said: "We had a little bit of building damage and floodlight damage and the engineers just wanted to make sure they were safe before we carried on. As soon as we get the all-clear we'll get cracking again.

"Some of the floodlights were damaged with the high winds and the company that manufacture them are now checking them out for us. I can't be too specific before I see the report from them, but we can't take a chance with health and safety, it wouldn't be prudent."

An additional all-weather fixture has been put on at Southwell for next Thursday to compensate for the loss of Chelmsford's fixture.

The next raceday scheduled for the track is on Saturday March 12 while at the end of the month Chelmsford hosts one of its biggest races, the Cardinal Stakes. This is the last of seven qualifying events for the Kentucky Derby for European-trained horses and is worth £100,000.

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