'Exceptionally dry summer' forces more fixtures to be switched from Bath

The prolonged spell of dry and warm weather has forced Bath's next two meetings to be switched to the all-weather at Wolverhampton due to the ground being too firm to race on.

The meetings on Saturday August 13 and Wednesday August 17 were rescheduled on Tuesday with the ground at Bath described as hard and no significant rainfall in the forecast.

England had just recorded its driest July since 1935 and it was also the driest July on record in southeast and southern England as well as East Anglia, according to provisional statistics from the Met Office.

The consequences have been a growing concern for racing, which included the closure of Newmarket's watered gallop.

Mark Spincer, managing director of Arena Racing Company's (ARC) racing division, which runs Bath, said: “Sadly, the dry weather continues to impact on our ability to race at Bath. In what has been an exceptionally dry summer around the country, Bath has seen next to no rain in the last month.

The fixtures have been relocated to WolverhamptonCredit: Nathan Stirk

"In the interests of all participants, we feel it is best to host these fixtures at an alternative venue, in this instance Wolverhampton.”

Two of Bath's other fixtures last month on July 20 and July 29 were switched to Southwell.

Saturday was due to be a popular meeting as Bath was set to host its 'Cider Racenight' where punters were promised a day out at the races "West Country style" alongside a performance from The Wurzels.

Clerk of the course Ben Hicks said: "It's well known that Bath doesn't have a watering system and we're reliant on the weather and the rain. The only decent shower we had this month was on July 22, apart from that we've had no measurable rain and there was none in the forecast.

"We've got the bowser we can use to maintain plant health and to aid the recovery of the track but it's not used to change the going. In the interest of everyone who wants to run horses here, the decision has been made.

"Ideally we would need sustained rain over a long period of time for it to be safe to run on. One heavy shower on ground that's had no rain on it for a long time isn't enough to change the ground.

"It's disappointing but you've got to remind yourself that when you're reliant on nature it's somewhat out of your your control.

"There's measures we take with the track and we're doing what we can, but there's only so much you can do when you need the rain to help out in a big way."

Read these next:

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