'We need to be sure it's safe' - Southwell closed to the general public until March due to flood damage

Southwell's fixtures will not have entry to the paying public until at least March as the racecourse requires a major refurbishment to its facilities following severe flooding in October. 

Areas of the racecourse were underwater by as much as three feet after Storm Babet battered Britain in the autumn and the track is only able to open its first-floor facilities to owners and trainers, stable staff and a number its 320 annual members as it continues to fix the damage.

Racing returned to Southwell a month after its flooding on November 24, but its next phase of reopening will be slower due to the damage caused to buildings. The racecourse can only reopen to the public if it meets various construction and insurance safety protocols.

The Winter Derby, the first Group race to be held at Southwell in February, will go ahead without a crowd, along with its valuable New Year's Day card that features a £75,000 handicap hurdle. General admission is hoped to be in place for the track's meeting on March 4, but racing before then will be watched by a few hundred at most.

Southwell's executive director Mark Clayton said: "It's been a magnificent team effort from everyone to be able to turn things around in a short space of time so we could race again on November 24. We focused on what we needed to for the resumption of racing, which was the track, the stable yard and the weighing room, which is temporary, and since then we've raced a number of times.

"We're back fighting only using the first floor facilities. We don't have any facilities we can give the public and our focus is now getting them back as soon as possible. Everything takes time and we need to be sure it's safe. We have a plan and we'll have a staged process for the refurbishment and hopefully we'll have crowds back as soon as possible, but we don't feel that'll happen before our first meeting in March."

He added: "It's really disappointing as we have our biggest jumps meeting here on New Year's Day and our first ever Group race, but we'll do everything we can to make sure those who can attend have an excellent experience."

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