Following the abandonment of the William Hill Ayr Gold Cup Festival on 22-24 September 2017, the BHA requested a report from the racecourse executive at Ayr detailing the circumstances surrounding the abandonments.

Having reviewed the report and received feedback from the BHA’s course inspectorate, Brant Dunshea, Director of Integrity and Regulatory Operations, issued the following statement:

“There were a number of exceptional circumstances which led to the abandonment at Ayr, including rainfall which was substantially above historical averages for that time of year.

“This was coupled with an area of impervious indigenous clay based soil and clay subsoil underneath the affected patch of ground, which had limited existing drainage.

“The required remedial work on the affected area, which has been started proactively by Ayr, is already under way and will progress with the close co-operation and guidance of the BHA’s course inspectorate.

“Despite a combination of unusual circumstances leading to the abandonments, some issues were identified in relation to the timeliness of data and information being logged as events unfolded.

“The BHA has made a number of recommendations to improve communications going forward ensuring all those impacted by any future abandonments, or the potential for abandonments, are informed in a as timely a manner as possible.”