Stuck in the mud: Haydock clerk Tellwright finds it tough going on Tizzard visit

Clerks of the course are normally on the receiving end of complaints from trainers about the state of the ground, but the tables were turned on Monday morning when Haydock's clerk Kirkland Tellwright found his car stuck in the mud at Colin Tizzard's yard in Dorset.

Tellwright drove to one of Tizzard's gallops at the trainer's media day but his car failed to travel through the thick mud. Members of the racing press, sponsors and Joe Tizzard were on hand to push the vehicle, but a tow was required to resolve the problem.

Kirkland Tellwright: clerk of the course at HaydockCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Tellwright joked: "The ground was certainly approaching bottomless. We almost got stuck there three years ago so I had said to Joe [Tizzard] in the week we would end up getting stuck at the top of the gallops and he said we would be fine.

"The car bottomed out, the wheels were turning and there was a lack of scenery going past the windows. The racing press tried their best to push us but I think they're a bit of a soft lot, some of them were only leaning. There wasn't much diligent pushing going on. It's great to have a laugh at these sort of things."

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