Taunton forced to cancel Thursday's meeting due to lack of available water

Taunton has been forced to cancel its meeting on Thursday evening as the ground was deemed unsafe for racing.

An inspection was held at the track on Wednesday afternoon due to a lack of available water for irrigation and failed to get the go-ahead for racing.

Despite 1.5mm of rain on Tuesday afternoon, and around 30mm of water applied, the track was unable to improve on the conditions.

Jason Loosemore, clerk of the course for Taunton, said: "We water in cycles so on Sunday we did the quickest half and then on Monday we did the other half, but part of the track has not had water since Sunday.

"We have no irrigation water and we ran out on Monday and the part of the track that hasn't had water is the main concern as it’s really firm. The forecast is showing no more rain and we were left with no other option.

"All that matters is the safety of horses and riders and there is only one correct decision, no matter how hard you work."

Further rainfall did arrive through the night, but weather conditions have meant it has made little difference to the ground at Taunton, where reservoirs are used to irrigate.

"We had 1.5mm a couple of days ago and 2mm last night, but we've had a moderate day today and it’s 16 degrees," added Loosemore. "The water is disappearing before your eyes and we have another day like that tomorrow, so there's nothing to suggest it will get better.

"We have come up short in terms of the amount of water we had left at our disposal. We had to start watering last week because the conditions were favourable as temperatures were cooler.

"We have two reservoirs and we replenish at a rate of 60 cubic meters a day, and we use about 300 cubic meters a day. Demand was outstripping supply and, albeit, we had water in the reservoirs, but you soon get to a point where you’re pumping out air because you have run out.

"In racing you can be 24 hours wrong, but I don’t want to take the edge off it all because we have had a very good season."

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