Why Are Horse Races Abandoned? Storm Austen and Waterlogged Newbury

Why are horse races abandoned? The short answer

Why are horse races abandoned? Almost always for safety: officials call off a race or a whole card when the ground, the weather or another hazard puts horses and jockeys at real risk. In Britain the usual reasons are waterlogged turf, frost, fog, high winds and flooding.

That's exactly what happened this week at Newbury. Storm Austen soaked the Berkshire track, and both days of its BetVictor Flat Finale, Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 24, were abandoned.

It's frustrating for fans, owners and trainers. But it's also a clear look at how racing decides a track is safe, so let's walk through it.

What happened at Newbury

Newbury had been fighting the rain all week. On Wednesday, Oct. 21, clerk of the course George Hill had the ground at soft, good to soft in places, after more than 20mm fell the day before. He warned that the top end of the forecast would make it “a struggle” (Racing Post, Oct. 21).

By Thursday the course had taken more than 42mm since the previous Friday. The ground was soft, heavy in places, and waterlogged in places (Racing Post, Oct. 22). Officials could have called Saturday off then too. Instead they gave it an extra 24 hours in case the forecast improved.

It didn't. On Friday morning Hill told the Racing Post it was “disappointing.” He said 13mm had fallen overnight, with more forecast that day, and 8-10mm more expected between 10am and 5pm on Saturday. In his words, “it's just been relentless rain the last few days.”

Hill also made a point worth understanding. He noted the track had been raced on and irrigated all summer, and that “a Flat track is very different from a jumps track.” He added that it had been a very dry summer, so this storm hit ground that had seen little rain for months.

Saturday's lost card was worth more than £286,000. It included two Group 3 races: the St Simon Stakes, where the popular veteran Al Aasy was due to run, and the Horris Hill Stakes for 2-year-olds. If you're fuzzy on what Group 3 means, our guide to Group and Grade races explains the ladder.

What a clerk of the course does

Every British racecourse has a clerk of the course. That's the official responsible for the track and raceday preparation. According to Careers in Racing, the job includes walking and inspecting the course, monitoring the weather, deciding the going description and judging whether the course is fit to race.

A clerk's normal week includes:

• Walking the track and checking problem spots like bends, dips and low-lying ground
• Reading the weather from several forecasts, often hour by hour
• Managing the ground by watering in dry spells and moving rails to give horses fresh strips of turf
• Taking GoingStick readings at dozens of points to map firm and soft patches
• Publishing the going so trainers can decide whether to run

What is a racecourse inspection?

An inspection is a formal check of whether the course is raceable. When conditions are borderline, the clerk announces an inspection at a set time, usually early morning. Afterward, racing is confirmed, put back to a later inspection, or abandoned.

A precautionary inspection is called ahead of time, often the day before, when the forecast looks bad. It gives owners, trainers, horse transporters and racegoers an early warning before horses travel.

What does waterlogged mean?

A waterlogged racecourse has ground so saturated that it can't drain. Water sits on the surface or squelches up under foot, and the turf loses its grip.

It's different from heavy going. Heavy ground is very soft but still raceable. Waterlogged patches are the point where hooves slide or sink unpredictably, and those patches often sit on bends or in dips.

The going in horse racing, from firm to heavy

Going is the official description of how firm or soft the turf is. It's one of the first things trainers check, because many horses handle only certain ground.

You'll often see the words “in places” added, as in “soft, heavy in places.” That tells you the ground isn't the same all the way round.

Clerks back up their judgment with the GoingStick, a probe pushed into the turf. The Racing Post explains it gives a reading from 1 (swamp-like) to 15 (like a road), and clerks take readings at about 50 points around the course. Readings compare well week to week on one track but not between tracks.

Why a Flat track struggles after a dry summer

This is the background to Hill's point. Flat racing in Britain runs mainly in spring and summer, so a Flat course gets heavy use and regular watering in the hot months. Jumps courses are built around winter racing on softer ground.

When a big storm suddenly hits ground that has been used and irrigated all summer, it may not drain the way a jumps course does. The result can be patches of waterlogging even on a well-run track.

Why safety comes first: slips, falls and tendons

A racehorse at full gallop puts huge force through each leg in turn. On sound ground, the hoof grips and the leg loads the way it was conditioned to.

On waterlogged or patchy ground, three things go wrong:

• Slipping: hooves can skid on the bends, which can bring a horse down and the field behind it
• Uneven footing: a horse that suddenly sinks on one stride can overload a joint or tendon, the cord-like tissue at the back of the lower leg
• Exhaustion: deep ground tires horses quickly, and tired horses are more likely to make mistakes

Jockeys are at risk too, from falls and from being hit by other horses. That's why jockeys' views are part of raceday safety checks. Our guide to what happens when a horse falls in a race covers the vets and medical teams on course.

Abandoning a card costs the course money and disappoints everyone. Racing accepts that cost because one bad slip can end a horse's career or a rider's season.

What happens to abandoned races?

When a meeting is lost, its races aren't automatically rerun. Most ordinary races are simply lost, and trainers look for the next suitable race for their horses.

In Britain the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) reviews what was lost. In an explainer on its policy, the BHA says it looks at when the next similar opportunity comes up. If that gap is too long, it can add races to upcoming cards or add a whole fixture, with money from the Levy Board and the willingness of courses and sponsors.

Big races are the most likely to be saved, and that's what happened here. On Oct. 23 the BHA confirmed that:

• St Simon Stakes (Group 3) moves to Newmarket's Rowley Mile on Friday, Oct. 30, worth £75,000
• Horris Hill Stakes (Group 3) moves to Newmarket on Saturday, Oct. 31, worth £50,000, and is now open to fillies as well as colts and geldings

The rest of Newbury's two-day program wasn't part of that announcement.

Wet weather at home: mud, turnout and thrush

You don't need a racehorse to feel Storm Austen. Weeks of rain cause the same problem in fields and paddocks: churned ground that pulls on legs and keeps hooves wet.

A simple wet-weather checklist:

• Pick out hooves daily and sniff for a black, foul-smelling discharge. That's the classic sign of thrush.
• Check legs and heels for scabs and sore skin, which can be mud fever. Scabby patches on the back can be rain rot.
• Give horses a dry spot like a shelter, a hard standing area or a well-drained corner.
• Rest boggy paddocks where you can, and rotate turnout to save the grass.
• Watch gateways and water troughs, where mud gets deepest and horses slip most.
• Skip fast work on slick ground. Ride at a walk or work in an arena if you have one.

For daily routines, see our care guide and health basics. If a horse is lame, has heat or swelling in a leg, or a hoof smells bad despite cleaning, call your vet or farrier.

What to watch next

• Newmarket, Oct. 30-31: Watch for entries in the rescheduled St Simon and Horris Hill Stakes, and for the going at the Rowley Mile after a soggy week. Whether Al Aasy turns up hasn't been confirmed.
• Other courses: Storm-hit tracks often call precautionary inspections. Check the course's website or social channels the night before you travel.
• The going report: Before any race day, read the official going and any “in places” notes. It's the best clue to which horses will handle the ground.

Want more racing terms? Our glossary covers the basics, and the trends hub has the latest racing news.