Punters slam 'absolute joke' officials after race called off 35 minutes after scheduled start
Share:
Angry punters slammed racing officials on Thursday after another fixture was called off at late notice. The track at Ludlow had been passed fit for jumps racing at 7am but another inspection had to be called before the first race due to patches of frost in the ground.
Stewards decided to delay the start of the meeting by 35 minutes to allow more time for a thaw. But the fixture was abandoned half an hour after the scheduled start of the first race with jockeys’ remaining concerned about the surface. Chief steward Thomas Evetts told RacingTV, "The stewards’ panel chair and clerk of the course were happy two hours before the first race, but felt an extra half hour would help the frost that was left in the ground to come out.
Stipendiary steward Tom Evetts told Racing TV: “I arrived on course two and a half hours before the first race and that was following the inspection, which was done by the racecourse this morning and was passed. “The procedure then is the stewards’ panel chair goes on a course walk with the clerk of the course, approximately two hours before the first race, and they came back and were happy – but they felt an extra half an hour would just help the frost that was left in the ground to come out.
“I went out with the two of them and had a look at a few of the landings and the problem area we’ve got is shaded by the grandstand and we did feel that the extra half a -hour and the improving temperatures would help. “As we got closer to the first race, we went in and spoke to the riders and a few of the trainers and heard their feedback and it became apparent that they were less happy with the track and the temperatures hadn’t improved to the levels we thought they would.”.
