Racing resumes at Windsor after work on problem bend

Windsor hopes a wet spell will ensure there are no grounds for any safety concerns on Monday, when racing resumes at the track seven days after last week's mid-meeting abandonment.

For the second year running the fixture had to be called off after a horse slipped on the final part of the bend into the home straight at the figure-of-eight track, as a result of which clerk of the course Jeff Green has been stood down.

Last week's meeting was staged on good ground which had been watered, with the slippery bend having received extra watering, but conditions will be softer this time, according to acting clerk Ed Arkell.

Arkell, Arena Racing Company's regional clerk for the south, said: "We're calling the ground good to soft. We have had 53.5mm of rain since last Monday so it will obviously be very different ground.

"We've done some remedial work on the bend and we're looking forward to a successful evening. The ground is a lot easier than it was the other night. We've cut the grass on the bend short, spiked it and slit it, and we'll sand it before racing as well."

The highlight of the card is the Listed Weatherbys Private Bank Leisure Stakes (7.25) in which Mr Lupton bids to follow up a career-best victory in a valuable sprint handicap at the Guineas meeting at Newmarket.

He beat stablemate Eastern Impact under 9st 9lb, for which he has been raised to 113.

Trainer Richard Fahey said: "He was very impressive at Newmarket, it was definitely a career best. We don't think he'll mind the ease in the ground. His best form is on quick ground but he has good form on slow ground as well. I hope he runs another big race."

The race also features the return of the Dean Ivory-trained Tropics, who won this race two years ago but has not been seen since the 2015 campaign.

Ivory said: "It's quite exciting. I could have nearly run him last year but I thought I would give him plenty of time off. He broke the track record when he won this two years ago.

"He had an issue when he went to Dubai, then he won at Windsor and finished second in the July Cup, but then he sprained a tendon. I was going to give him six months off. I started to look around for races but couldn't see any so decided to give him even longer off.

"We hope he's the same Tropics. He's nine now but he's very well. It's a tough race though."

7.25 Windsor

Richard Hughes: Windsor must learn lesson from Salisbury on looking after bend