The Flat course at Ayr Racecourse is currently heavy, waterlogged in places but, with a dry forecast for the next few days, this is likely to improve. However, if the ground fails to dry sufficiently, it may be necessary to transfer racing on to the Hurdles course in order to safeguard the fixture.

In response, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has created four new provisional Flat races, which will be activated no later than 3pm on Monday, October 8th. These will replace the races over 5f, 6f and 7f should the Flat course be unfit for racing and it will also be necessary to alter the distances of the 8f and 10f races, which will all become 9f. Slight changes to the weights for these races may also be required, as different weight-for-age allowances will apply. Safety factors for these races will also be altered.

The new races will be as follows:
9f 3yo+ Maiden
9f 2yo 0-75 Nursery Handicap
9f 3yo 51-70 Handicap
14f 3yo+ 51-70 Handicap

Full race conditions can be found on the BHA’s Racing Admin website at www.racingadmin.co.uk.

The provisional races will close at noon on Saturday, October 6th. Declarations to run must be made by 10am on Tuesday, October 9th.

Harriet Graham, Clerk of the Course said today, “The Flat course at Ayr is currently waterlogged in places after it received 28mm of rain in the last 48 hours. However, the forecast for the weekend is for drier weather, but then it turns unsettled again. In contrast, the Jumps track remains in a suitable condition for racing despite the rainfall and would be in a better position to be raced over on Thursday should the rain return. The going on the Hurdles course is currently soft, heavy in places.”