'We can't move the hurdles without a tractor but they were picked up and swept three fields away'

Mel Rowley hopes Malaita can "put a smile back on our faces" by winning at Ludlow on Thursday after Storm Babet washed away much of her yard.

Torrents of water caused "absolutely extraordinary" flooding at her Shropshire base yet she is determined to carry on "as normally as we can" and is looking forward to sending stable star Wishing And Hoping to Aintree on Sunday.

Recounting the effect of the storm, the trainer said: "We're situated close to a stream and with the volume of rain the water came off the main road, through the yard and met the stream coming up – it was a perfect storm. There was a torrent of water coming straight through the yard.

"The gallop, school and hurdles were washed away. The hill of the gallop is fine but the surfaces are all in the hedge. The force of nature is extraordinary. We can't move the hurdles without a tractor but they were picked up and swept three fields away."

Mel Rowley: "We've been here for just over 20 years and we've never seen anything like this"Credit: Carl Evans

Rowley has 65 horses in the yard and said: "We've been here for just over 20 years and we've never seen anything like this. We've had flooding before but this was absolutely extraordinary. The yard sits at the highest point and it was flooded – but that was because of the road situation. It all came off the road and had nowhere to go.

"They've redone the road outside and in their wisdom they put in kerbstones with slats in, which they say act as drains. But they're just not fit for purpose.

"The horses are all fine, although some of them got a little bit soggy with standing in damp stables for a day."

Rowley, who has had 33 winners since taking out a licence in 2021, is determined to make the best of the situation. She said: "We've been working as normally as we can. We've managed to put the school back, our sand gallop was okay because that's on higher ground and we have some grass. But we're going to have to put the woodchip gallop back and we're waiting for various suppliers to get in touch.

"The horses are still in full work and you've just got to make the best of what you've got. Everybody has pulled their weight and done whatever they can and all kept smiling.

"It's going to be expensive. Because we're close to a brook we can't insure so we're going to have to stomach the cost – with everything else spiralling, I don't think we're going to be retiring any time soon!"

Malaita won a £50,000 mares' series hurdle final at Cheltenham last April and makes her chasing debut in a mares' handicap at Ludlow.

Asked what victory would mean, Rowley said: "It would be a real tonic – it would definitely help put a smile back on our faces. 

"It's her first run of the season and you're never quite sure where you're at with them because you'd like to think they've still got a bit of improvement left but she's in very good order."

Wishing And Hoping won the £100,000 veterans' chase final at Sandown last January and reappears in a qualifier on Sunday, scarcely two months short of his 14th birthday.

Rowley said: "We'll take it race by race and listen to him but while he's still full of enthusiasm and wants to do it we'll continue to let him."

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