Exeter and Wincanton hope to maintain good ground for ITV4 meetings as dry weather forecast poses challenges

Exeter and Wincanton are expecting to provide good ground at their big meetings being shown on ITV4 on Friday and Saturday as they confront the challenge of dry weather.

The Bet MGM Haldon Gold Cup is the feature race at Exeter on Friday, with the terrestrial channel showing four races on the card.

There is the possibility of 2-3mm of rain on Thursday and light showers on raceday, with clerk of the course Jason Loosemore hoping they arrive to help maintain the going description of good.

Groundstaff have been verti-draining areas where it dries a little quicker at the Devon track, including the uphill run in the back straight and from the second-last fence to the winning line in the home straight.

Loosemore said on Sunday: “We had a damp afternoon yesterday and the next day or two have quite misty, foggy starts. There is a weak front moving through from Wednesday, which could give us a drizzly day on Thursday and on and off drizzle on Friday, so I’m hopeful it will be good ground.

“We won’t be any easier than good unless the forecast takes a significant turn. The ground has dried back only slowly in the last ten days but, nevertheless, I’d have loved a few little showers to keep it fresh.”

Blackjack Magic (left): won the Badger Beer Handicap Chase at Wincanton last yearCredit: Alan Crowhurst / Getty Images

Wincanton’s clerk of the course Tom Ryall expects to be watering at some stage this week to maintain good ground for Saturday’s card that features the Badger Beer Handicap Chase, the Elite Hurdle and the Boodles Rising Stars Novices' Chase.

Ryall said: “We've had some dry days but they’ve not been drying the ground. There’s moisture in the ground and there might be a little rain around later in the week.

“It’s more than likely we'll have to water at some stage this week to maintain good ground – it will just be to replace any moisture lost from the top and I don’t foresee us going mad with the watering and having to do it every day.”

The going was described as good, good to firm on the chase course for Sandown’s meeting on Sunday, with a watering process in place with the aim of providing good ground.

It was good to soft on the hurdle course – the same course used for the Flat during the summer – and a third dry week in a row is forecast at the Esher track.

Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said: “We haven’t had the need to water the hurdle course, but we've been watering the chase course for the past two weeks and anticipate doing it daily this week.

“It’s the fast side of good on the latter half of the back straight, and the obvious scenario is it’s going to be no easier than good given the dry forecast.”

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