Soft ground anticipated at Kempton with rain forecast on King George day

Kempton’s clerk of the course Barney Clifford anticipates soft ground for the start of the two-day Ladbrokes Christmas festival on Thursday.

Clifford feels the ground has dried out at the Sunbury track but will maintain a soft going description on Wednesday due to varying forecasts predicting between two and ten millimetres of rain on King George VI Chase day.

Clifford said on Wednesday: “It’s a beautiful day today and the ground has definitely dried out but with the rain forecast tomorrow I’m not going to change the going description.

Boxing Day cards

“If we were racing today it would probably be good to soft, soft in places but I’m leaving it as soft as with the predicted rainfall before racing that’s probably what it will end up.

“The quantity of rain expected depends on which meteorological website you look at – it varies from two millimetres to ten millimetres, so let’s hope we only get two! The Met Office forecasts the rain to be sporadic through the day.

“The course looks fantastic and we’re very happy with its condition going into the meeting.”

Leopardstown: the four-day Christmas festival continues on FridayCredit: Patrick McCann

There is a possibility of up to 10mm of rain on Thursday morning at Leopardstown, where the ground is yielding to soft on the hurdle course and yielding, good to yielding in places on the chase course, while conditions will be testing at Limerick with the ground described as heavy.

The going remains soft at Wetherby, where the 888Sport Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase is the highlight, but the ground could become more testing with the prospect of rain during Thursday.

Clerk of the course Jonjo Sanderson said at midday on Wednesday: “It was dry overnight and it’s been a nice, sunny start to the day. The forecast says it will be dry today but we’re still looking likely to get rain through tomorrow.

“It’s not suggesting a huge quantity of rain, around 5mm across the day, so we’ll start on soft ground and see where we end up. If the rain comes during racing the ground will be testing, certainly down the back straight.”

A key race and runner from each of the ten Boxing Day meetings

Five to ten millimetres of rain is forecast at Wincanton on Thursday but clerk of the course Daniel Cooper has no concerns and is pleased with the track’s condition.

The going is described as heavy, soft in places with the bend leaving the back straight pushed out a further five yards than originally planned to provide the best ground after there was standing water in places at the Somerset track over the weekend.

Cooper said on Wednesday morning: “We had 6mm of rain in the form of showers yesterday and it’s a beautiful day today.

“The going remains heavy, soft in places and the track is in good condition. We were happy to see some rain yesterday as rather than it getting sticky it's kept it nice and fresh.

“We’ll be monitoring the forecast tomorrow as we’re due between five and ten millimetres of rain but that will keep it as testing jumping ground and we have no concerns.”

Fontwell: testing conditions for Boxing Day runnersCredit: Alan Crowhurst

It is heavy on the chase course and soft, heavy in places on the hurdle course at Fontwell, where there is potential for showers on raceday morning, and at Sedgefield the going is soft, good to soft in places with a small chance of light rain during racing.

There are similar conditions at Market Rasen for the Lincolnshire National meeting with soft ground on the chase course and soft, good to soft in places on the hurdle course. Showers are forecast on Thursday morning before a dry afternoon.

Racing at Down Royal is set to take place on yielding, yielding to soft in places, while Wolverhampton hosts the sole all-weather card with the going standard.

Huntingdon’s jumps meeting is the only fixture to have succumbed to bad weather after the Cambridgeshire course suffered flood damage to facilities over the weekend.

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