Mystery as Haydock Park Racecourse hole 'may be linked to historic mining activity'
Haydock Park Racecourse has announced a number of upcoming meetings have been cancelled while investigations continue into the cause of the hole that occurred during racing last month.
The race programme scheduled for Saturday, June 20 will now take place at Nottingham Racecourse. However, the Tom Grennan concert originally scheduled to take place after racing will go ahead at Haydock Park as planned, with a crowd of between 15,000 and 17,000 expected to attend.
The race programme scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 2 will be transferred to Nottingham Racecourse.
The seven-race card planned for Saturday, July 4, including the Betway Lancashire Oaks and the Betway Old Newton Cup, will be moved to Newmarket Racecourse on the July Course.
The British Horseracing Authority will announce plans for the rescheduling of racing on Friday, July 3 in due course.
Daniel Cooper, Clerk of the Course at Haydock Park, said: “Following extensive investigations, independent experts continue to investigate the cause of the hole which appeared on the outer course, but findings suggest it may be linked to historic mining activity in the area.
"However, further work is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn and therefore, we are working closely with specialist contractors to confirm the cause and conduct the necessary remedial works in the affected area. In addition, we are utilising a Ground Penetrating Radar across the entire course to provide further information and assurance.
“Given the time required to complete these surveys, analyse the findings, and identify and carry out the necessary repairs to the outer track, we wanted to provide clarity on upcoming fixtures for all participants, members and racegoers.
“We would like to thank the National Trainers Federation for their support and understanding with the need to transfer these racedays, as well as the BHA for their cooperation and flexibility to allow the changes to take place.
"We will provide a further update by the end of the month when we have the results of the ground surveys and are able to assess the progress of the remedial works and the impact on any other upcoming fixtures scheduled to take place at Haydock Park.”
Simon Tonge, General Manager of Haydock Park Racecourse, added: “Providing a safe racing surface will always be our priority. And while we understand that the cancellation of these upcoming fixtures will be disappointing for our racegoers, members and participants, we know it is the right thing to do to allow our investigations to continue.
“This decision was not taken lightly, and we will be in touch with all ticket purchasers and annual members to discuss their compensation and additional reciprocal opportunities available to them.”
All ticket purchasers and hospitality guests for June 20 will be contacted directly with further information about the concert and refund process.
All ticket purchasers for the Old Newton Cup Meeting at Haydock Park will receive automatic refunds, while hospitality customers will be contacted directly by the racecourse team.
For ticket information regarding the rescheduled fixtures, visit www.thejockeyclub.co.uk