Rain-battered Ayr abandons after four races due to unsafe strip of ground

Ayr's Flat surface, which came under scrutiny in 2017 when the track's premier summer meeting was cancelled, may face questions again after Wednesday's card was abandoned with five races still to go, but officials are hopeful no serious problems exist, instead pinning the blame on heavy rain.

The Ayr Gold Cup meeting was lost three years ago when a patch of waterlogged ground failed to improve sufficiently for the fixture to take place, and there was more dismay at the venue on Wednesday when, following the third race, riders raised concerns about conditions inside the final two furlongs.

After the fourth contest, run on going described as heavy, soft in places, an inspection was held and jockeys Daniel Tudhope, Callum Rodriguez and Kevin Stott interviewed, along with trainers Iain Jardine and Mike Smith and Alistair Whillans' assistant trainer and son Ewan.

"Having considered their evidence, and with no practical solutions for bypassing or avoiding the areas in the remaining races, the stewards ordered racing to be abandoned," read a note from the BHA officials on duty at the track.

Ayr's clerk of the course Graeme Anderson added: "We had 28mm of rain yesterday and a mainly dry night, but we've had another 8mm since 12.30pm today on top of wet, heavy ground.

"The jockeys reported there to be a bit of false or wetter ground after the third race, so we had a look and it's been added to before the next. After that race they've come in saying there are a couple of areas. We had another look and there are a couple of areas of pretty deep holes that are filling with water.

"They're deemed unsafe as they're right in the middle of the track where they can't be avoided or bypassed. Unfortunately we've abandoned."

Ayr's problematic area in 2017 came a little further out in the home straight and Anderson continued: "At the moment it doesn't look like there are underlying problems. The ground had a base to it, but it was just really deep and filling with water, which isn't helping. We'll look into it, but it's an area we've never had an issue with before. It's nowhere near where we've had issues, so I think it's just the rainfall and filling the holes.

"It's unavoidable where it is. The jockeys, to be fair, said if it was the stands' rail they'd try to avoid it, but there's no way around it where it is."

Ayr is next due to race on August 24 and Anderson added: "It's too early to say about that, but I'm obviously hoping there are no deeper problems and it's just down to the rain, but we'll have a look, investigate and take it from there."

Group 1-winning jockey Stott, who won the third race on the Kevin Ryan-trained Alioski, said: "It was heavy ground and still raining, so after four races and another 8mm from 12.30pm it was just unsafe.

"There were a couple of patches – a furlong and a half out and one about half a furlong out – in the middle of the track. If we went around the round course we could have stayed on that inside rail and maybe avoided going up the middle but there was still a five-furlong race to go, so it was never going to happen."

A false patch of ground was also blamed for Yarmouth losing its meeting on Monday halfway through the card.

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