Too much of a good thing?

[Gladiateur]

I notice that Sandown have got nine races on Saturday.

While I’m sure that both the marketing team and the raceday sponsors, Virgin Bet, will bang on about providing racegoers with great value for money, what about the effects on the ground? Ploughing up what is almost certain to be a very sodden surface (the forecast is for rain all week) all day is going to result in virtually unraceable conditions towards the end of the card, and what about the long-term effect on the racing surface?

Come Imperial Cup day in March, and even the end of season extravaganza, we are possibly still going to be seeing the effects of this weekend’s racing on the course.

[Refuse To Bend]

I think they are hedging their bets as it may become an all chase card if the hurdles track fails an inspection. I suspect you are seeing all of the races with the extra chases should that happen.

The more I know the less I understand.

[LD73]

They have added two new chase races as a standby if the hurdles course fails an 8am inspection on Thursday.

Apparently since their last meeting on 3rd Jan each week has seen up to 30mm of rain and with another 20mm due overnight into Tuesday morning together with a yellow weather warning in place the cotc has stated that currently they are just about ‘raceable’ so it is not sounding too good especially considering the hurdles course is basically the flat course, which always rides slower due to watering during the flat season.

Seems like a prudent forward thinking decision to add two chases races to the card.

[apracing]

Here’s the official notice:

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has today confirmed a provisional all-Chase, six-race card has been created for Sandown Park’s meeting on Saturday 31 January, which will come into effect if the scheduled Hurdle races are abandoned.

An inspection will be held by 8am on Thursday 29 January to determine whether the Hurdles course at Sandown is raceable.

If the Hurdle races are abandoned, the fixture will revert to a six-race card will which feature two additional Steeple Chases as follows:

C3 Novices’ Limited Handicap Steeple Chase over 1m 7f 99y 0-125
C3 Novices’ Limited Handicap Steeple Chase over 3m 42y 0-135

Entries for the new races, will close at noon tomorrow (Tuesday 27 January), and declarations will take place at 10am on Thursday 29 January along with the four existing Chases.

If the meeting is able to proceed as originally scheduled with both Chase and Hurdle races, the two additional Chases will be abandoned.

This decision has been made both to give the original card the best opportunity to go ahead, and to provide a contingency to support a Grade 1 Saturday fixture on ITV.

[Author]

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