'It's gone through all of the buildings' - Stratford and Worcester submerged as stormy weather continues

Stratford racecourse has suffered significant flood damage and faces a race against time to be ready for its first fixture of 2024.

A flood warning was issued in Stratford-upon-Avon on Tuesday due to the rising levels of the River Avon, and the track as well as buildings at the Warwickshire venue remained under water on Thursday.

Racecourse staff were unable to access the office and there is no power at Stratford, which is due to stage its traditional season opener meeting on the Monday of Cheltenham Festival week on March 11.

“It’s a fairly serious flood,” Stratford’s manager Ilona Barnett said on Thursday. “It’s not as bad as floods we’ve had in 2007 and 1998 but it’s quite a serious one. 

“It’s gone through all of the buildings and there’s considerable damage sadly to the fences, both perimeter fences and the actual chase fences themselves.”

Stratford is almost entirely submergedCredit: Wendy Rollason

Barnett is hopeful that the nine-week timeframe before the first scheduled fixture will allow sufficient time for the necessary repairs to be undertaken.

“There’s going to be a lot of work to repair the place,” she said. “We’ve been in this position before. The flooding in 2007 was actually in July, right in the middle of our season. 

“We have a process in place. It’s fairly laborious, cleaning and tidying up. There’s a lot to be done. I’d like to think we’ll be ready to race on March 11, but we do need the weather to play ball. Like all jumps tracks, we do need some dry weather.”

A lot of cleaning up is required at Stratford, which is due to host its first meeting of 2024 on March 11Credit: Wendy Rollason

Worcester, like Stratford, races predominantly in the summer over jumps and is another Midlands track that was flooded on Thursday. 

However, with Worcester not staging a meeting until May 7, the racecourse’s general manager Michael Thomas said: “We’re a little more relaxed with it. Unfortunately, as we all know, it’s not the first time and it’ll certainly not be the last.”

Worcester’s new weighing room remains on track to be in use from its first fixture of 2024, and Thomas said: “As far as the development is concerned, it’s obviously built with flood defences in mind, whereas the old weighing room used to be engulfed by the most severe floods.

“This one thankfully, because of the additional height that’s been incorporated within the design, doesn’t actually get flooded so there’s no real impact on the new weighing room itself. Obviously it brings work to a halt temporarily, but it doesn’t impact the building.

“It’s had its challenges for various reasons, but it’ll be fabulous once we finally get it open for that first fixture.”

Flood damage has already caused serious disruption at Southwell this season with the Nottinghamshire track closed to the general public until at least March to allow the course to undergo major refurbishment to its facilities damaged by Storm Babet in October.

Southwell’s valuable New Year’s Day card was also lost due to a waterlogged track, while Storm Henk ensured Huntingdon was forced to cancel Wednesday’s jumps fixture due parts of the course being under water.

On Stratford’s damage, Barnett added: “It’s as serious as Southwell’s. Southwell, Worcester, Huntingdon – we’re all by rivers and we’re all affected to the same level.”

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