New Ayr fixture switched to Chelmsford due to latest ground concern

Ayr's opening Flat fixture of the season on April 1 has been switched to Chelmsford because there is not enough grass growth on the home straight following drainage work.

It is the second year in a row Ayr's first Flat meeting has been lost because of drainage issues.

Graeme Anderson, clerk of the course at Ayr, said the track had "insufficient growth" to be able to stage the new meeting in the latest of a string of ground-related issues to hit the course.

Ayr's Flat season highlight, the three-day Ayr Gold Cup meeting, had to be cancelled in September 2017 due to a drainage problem, and the subsequent work undertaken delayed the start of last year's season, with the track losing its first Flat fixture of 2018.

Last April, Ayr managing director David Brown explained the track "wanted to do the job properly" and had taken a "decision for the long term". However, further drainage work has since taken place.

Anderson said: "Following the end of the Flat season at Ayr last October we invested in some new drainage work in the home straight, following which the ground was reinstated and reseeded.

Ayr clerk of the course Graeme Anderson

"It’s the exact same set-up of drainage work [as the previous year], but it's just in a different part of the home straight.

"Unfortunately there has been insufficient growth for the ground to be ready for our scheduled Flat meeting on April 1. It's an early start and spring has not really kicked in yet. We just need a bit of heat to come to get the grass moving."

In a departure from previous seasons, Ayr had been set to host a new raceday – and its first of the 2019 Flat season – before its marquee Scottish Grand National fixture, whereas the course had typically waited until late April before Flat racing resumed.

The extent of the latest drainage work was not known when the new, earlier start of the Flat season at Ayr had been determined, with Anderson adding: "The extra drainage work had not been quite decided at the time. It was not confirmed we would be draining the full furlong again.

"We are unable to stage a Flat meeting on the hurdles track due to the close proximity of the Coral Scottish Grand National Festival."

The Scottish Grand National meeting is due to take place at Ayr on April 12 and 13, with the next Flat fixture scheduled for April 29.

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