'Safety has to be paramount' - heavy rainfall forces Market Rasen abandonment

Racing at Market Rasen was abandoned after four races on Thursday due to a waterlogged course.

Heavy rainfall hit the track through the afternoon, forcing officials into having to check the course twice with jockeys and trainers.

Clerk of the course Jack Pryor said the track was left with no choice but to abandon the card following more than 35mm of rainfall since Wednesday night.

He said: "We had two inspections. During the first one, the jockeys and trainers were happy the track was still safe.

"We then had further rain which meant conditions deteriorated further and we then held another inspection, which led us to feel that horse ambulances and emergency vehicles couldn’t access all areas of the track.

"There was a lot of standing water and it stopped us from being able to continue. We had in excess of 35mm since 11pm on Wednesday and we gave it every chance, but it’s still raining now and everything is getting worse."

Tom Lacey, who was one of the trainers involved in the inspection before the fifth race, said it was the correct call to abandon the remainder of the card.

Speaking to Racing TV, he said: "The rain is increasing all the time and there’s even standing water on the hurdle track.

"The road crossing is a factor and the primary concern is safety as there were worries in case a horse ambulance needed to get on.

"In today’s world, safety has to be paramount and it's gotten increasingly worse throughout the day. It’s one of those things and it’s nobody’s fault."

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