Kempton Park’s all-weather meeting on the evening of Wednesday the 12th June has had to be cancelled after a burst water pipe in the area left the course without water.
Racecourse officials made the announcement after they couldn’t guarantee when the supply would return to the Surrey track after a major pipe had burst in the Hampton area on Wednesday morning.
As well as providing for the racegoers, availability of water is also crucial for the horses at the track to keep them hydrated but also to cool the runners after they have raced.
Low water pressure left the track with little or no supply, with the only safe option to abandon the meeting.
Clerk of the course Barney Clifford said:
“We were notified at around 9am that there was a major water burst in the Hampton Court area.
“We have very slow or no running water and with Thames Water unable to provide a timeline of when it will be rectified, we’ve unfortunately had to abandon racing due to both equine and human welfare. We have very little running water and we will run out before too long as things stand. We did manage to store some water for the horses that arrived overnight.
“There is plenty of water coming out of the skies, but unfortunately nothing coming out of the taps!”
Thames Water who supply the area have said:
“We’re working flat out to get water flowing out of our treatment works again, where a large pipe burst this morning.
“We’re pumping water into our pipe network from other areas to get supplies back to normal for as many of our customers as we can and are looking at providing bottled water for those who will be affected for longer.
“We fully appreciate how disruptive having no water is, especially for schools, and we’re really sorry that we’ve not been able to provide the service our customers expect of us today.”
The seven race card was due to get underway at 5:50, with the next scheduled fixture to take place in a fortnight’s time on the 26th June.
Raining Cats and Dogs
Ironically, after days of heavy rainfall, an abundance of water is leading to problems elsewhere in the country.
Officials at Haydock Park have had to call a precautionary inspection ahead of an evening meeting scheduled for tomorrow night, with the Met Office issuing a yellow warning for rain in the area.
Precautionary inspection at 7.00am tomorrow ahead of Thursday evening’s racing. We will keep you updated. pic.twitter.com/ViksxMzWmi
— Haydock Park Races (@haydockraces) 12 June 2019
Other courses nervously watching the forecast include Uttoxeter who are holding their Ladies Night alongside a seven race evening fixture, also tomorrow night. They are set to inspect a 8 am tomorrow morning.
Following 40mm of rain within the last 24 hours, we are now calling a precautionary inspection which will take place at 8am tomorrow. We are currently raceable and are still hopeful of racing tomorrow, however due to this evenings forecast we do need to monitor the situation. pic.twitter.com/FD3AFkMaVZ
— Uttoxeter Racecourse (@UttoxeterRaces) 12 June 2019
Racing Update 13/06/19
There was some good and some bad news for punters following inspections at four tracks on Thursday morning. The meetings at Haydock Park and Uttoxeter have been abandoned, with Nottingham and Yarmouth clear to race.
Both Haydock and Uttoxeter have suffered from continued rainfall through the night which is forecast to persist during the day. With both courses waterlogged, there was no option but to cancel their respective evening fixtures.
Following the abandonment of our Ladies Night meeting today, our Executive Director, David Macdonald gives us an update on the situation.
For more information: https://t.co/QWQ3eRzwax pic.twitter.com/B5G70egm9P
— Uttoxeter Racecourse (@UttoxeterRaces) June 13, 2019
The going at Nottingham is set as heavy, soft in places but racing possible for their 8 race card starting at 1:40. Yarmouth on the east coast did have overnight rain leaving the going heavy for their afternoon fixture but the outlook for the day is mainly dry, leaving the course raceable.
Thames water have confirmed that the supply has returned to the area surrounding Kempton Park racecourse after overnight repair work.