Skidpan conditions force Bath to conduct repairs on bend before next meeting

Bath remains confident its fixture on June 26 will go ahead as planned in the aftermath of two races being abandoned at the track on Saturday, with horses losing their footing on the bend turning out of the back straight.

Following the running of the opening race on the round course at Saturday’s meeting, a number of jockeys including Adam Kirby and John Egan reported their mounts slipped on the bend, which resulted in an inspection of that part of the track by the stewards, jockeys and trainers.

After a consultation in the weighing room, the remaining two races on the round course were abandoned on safety grounds, but recently returned clerk of the course Tim Long is more than hopeful the problems on the bottom bend can be remedied before the next meeting scheduled for a week on Wednesday.

Long said: “Unfortunately it was the second time in 14 months there has been a problem with unsafe ground on that part of the track, as a similar situation arose on Good Friday last year when some races on that card had to be called off. Remedial work will be carried out in the coming week to rectify the current unfortunate situation.”

Long will meet with Jon Pullin, director of racing at Bath's owner Arena Racing Company, and BHA inspector of courses Peter Hobbs to discuss and decide a plan of action in the coming days aiming to ensure the bend rides safely ahead of its next meeting.

He added: “We've had such a long, dry spring and early summer this year and that hasn't helped, especially when the rain finally arrived last week and we had almost two inches on top of already parched and firm ground.

“Everybody knows we cannot water so we're always hostage to the elements in one way or another, but this issue has to be sorted and the team at the course will be working flat out in the coming days.”

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