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I don’t think I can ever recall a meeting there being abandoned due to waterlogging.
Can anyone advise differently?
If not it’s conclusive proof that the worlds climate is going haywire
While it seems like the rain has been falling incessantly you’d also have to throw into the mix things like loads of blocked drains due to “austerity” and changes in farming, and also house building and road schemes moving traditional water courses. Racecourses were historically established where the ground was drained well enough to be always usable but now even with modern drainage methods if the water pours in from where it didn’t before you’re stuffed.
This meeting is often run on at least good going I believe it is a first.
The more I know the less I understand.
I can’t recall an abandonment for anything other than frost or snow at Musselburgh since I came to Scotland in 2006. Indeed, I don’t think the ground has been ‘Heavy’ even in winter more than a handful of times in recent years. It’s just been continuous waves of rain in recent weeks and clearly the ground has just got too much moisutre to take any more. Hoping things will dry out a bit for next weekend as both the tracks where I’m a member, Kelso and Musselburgh, have Go North Final meetings.
Frustrating seeing the golfers out today on the Opening Show but the turf management of a golf course, particularly links, is very different from a racecourse. I play a bit of golf and hoping to get a midweek round in at Musselburgh Old Links sometime soon.
I would say changes in watering policies have also helped exacerbate the problem – the need for courses to race on ground no quicker than good to soft means the tracks tend to have a higher normal water table level and as such it doesn’t takes as much rain to tip that level to the wrong side of the scales.
More often than not if you let mother nature handle the watering policy, I am sure we would have less abandonments and quite obviously less racing on very deep/heavy ground – but giving the watering policy will not be changed, I think we will simply have to put up with more abandonments going forward.
Even some of the more quick draining courses that are know for having comparatively decent ground when others courses are heavy are starting to struggle.
Weather forecast isn’t brilliant leading up to Friday’s Musselburgh meeting, with some rain forecast every day. The inside jumps course part of the track is currently given as ‘Soft’ presumably because it drains directly on to the sandy golf course area.
The racecourse is 2 miles down the road from me and this is the worst spell of rain in March I can remember. The local golf course and football pitches are saturated worst that I can remember. Wasn’t surprised at the call off. With the temperature being a few degrees higher then what was snow is now constant rain. You can clear snow but incessant rain then is no answer to.
There can surely be no better indicator of how wet it’s been the last 6 months than the current going description at Bath.
Soft, heavy in places
I kid you not! That has to be a world first surely?
It’s still raining here with Heavy rain forecast tomorrow and Friday and no break in the string of wet days in the next fortnight acccording to the Met Office. Fingers crossed for Mussleburgh (Friday) and Kelso (Saturday) but they are gonig to have to absorb a fair bit of precipation.
I managed to get out and play golf at Cowdenbeath yesterday, first day in a while all 18 holes had been open. More rain overnight meant it’s closed again today!
Been raining all day here so I’d say its 50/50 for Musselburgh. Eases tomorrow but back raining on Friday. I’d be surprised if its on. Everywhere saturated now. Can’t ever remember it as bad as this.
Thanks for the local update Mickey. Sounds pretty much the same as we had it in Dunfermline yesterday, sluiced it down all day.
Kelso pretty much doomed for Saturday, waterlogged already and more rain on the way. Just crossing fingers that Musselburgh dries a bit today and then doesn’t cop too much rain overnight.
I understand the road from Duns to Berwick is under water. I don’t hold out much hope for Kelso.
It was interesting to hear Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, saying yesterday that climate change is the biggest problem facing the rail industry.
It’s probably going to affect racing a lot, too.
It’s a shame. The Go North series is a good initiative and the fields for tomorrow evening are just what was hoped for.
The official going at Musselburgh is soft which amazes me after yesterday. But gives those of you going(I’m working) some hope.
Looks as if this evening’s meeting will go ahead. Bill Farnsworth reports the going Soft (Heavy in places), a bit of standing water but that should drain through during the day. Some light showery rain forecast today, but shouldn’t be a problem though the ground is likely to be as testing as it’s ever been on the Musselburgh jumps course.
Not such good news at Kelso where Matthew Taylor splashed along a very soggy hurdles course to report that tomorrow’s meeting has been abandoned. The course are investigating the possibility of rescheduling their races in the Go North Series Finals.
It will be heavy going to say the least. Dry here yesterday but poured overnight and been raining most of today.
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