More rain overnight forces waterlogged Lingfield to cancel Friday's meeting

Lingfield's Friday jumps meeting has been abandoned with the track currently waterlogged and further rain forecast.

The 5mm of rain overnight took the total since Boxing Day to 70mm, and with the going currently heavy and with standing water on the track new clerk of the course George Hill was left no option but to cancel the meeting.

Speaking to the Racing Post about his first abandonment since moving from Brighton in November Hill said: "Like everywhere it's been very wet since just before Christmas, we've had 70mm now since Boxing Day, and the track can only cope with so much.

"It's waterlogged, there's standing water in places and it's not going to improve as there's more rain forecast so I felt it better to let everyone know 48 hours in advance we won't have any chance for Friday.

"The all-weather track is doing what it was designed for and that will be in action again on Saturday. We've had three jumps meetings [since Hill joined] but I think this meeting was lost last year to frost. Hopefully we'll be back up ready to go jumping on January 22."