'We're not where we'd like to be' - Doncaster grass cover worry before Lincoln

Doncaster has defended the state of the ground ahead of this weekend's Lincoln meeting after potentially damaging footage of conditions on the track was posted on social media.

Trainer Roger Fell tweeted a 15-second video that appeared to show bare patches on the course, which stages the Unibet Lincoln on Saturday.

But clerk of the course Roderick Duncan claimed the film misleadingly focused on one particular pinch point and said: "It has been taken at one of the points where the National Hunt course crosses the Flat course. It's also a pedestrian access point and there's an extreme amount of wear there.

"With this being a public space, all through lockdown we've had hundreds of people walking the course daily getting the exercise that they're allowed. We've had a lot of pedestrian activity, we can't stop that."

But Duncan added: "We're not where we'd like to be with the grass cover and that's a fact of life. I've told every trainer who's rung me. It's the Lincoln meeting and it can happen."

Unibet Lincoln card and betting

He pointed to a quirk of the calendar that has shortened time to prepare the surface for the first Flat turf meeting of the year and added: "Every third or fourth year the November Handicap meeting comes nearly two weeks into November and the Lincoln comes forward, so that it's nearly a week early. This is one of those years.

Roderick Duncan: 'With this being a public space, all through lockdown we've had hundreds of people walking the course daily getting the exercise that they're allowed'Credit: David Carr

"We've been getting frosts in the morning, which doesn't help grass growth. We've had a record number of National Hunt horses round the course this season, there were just short of 800 runners.

"The track has been aerated and we're going to spike the crossing points, as we always do, but we've got to let them settle down from the last jumps meeting last week."

Final declarations are made on Thursday for the £100,000 Lincoln, the highlight on a Saturday card which also features the Listed Unibet Doncaster Mile and Unibet Cammidge Trophy.

More on the start of the new season at Doncaster:

What you need to know for the return of the turf at Doncaster this weekend

John Gosden hands star apprentice the plum ride on fancied Haqeeqy in Lincoln

First-season sires in Brocklesby and Ghaiyyath's brother among Doncaster entries

John and Thady Gosden to start new joint-licence era on Saturday

What's on this week: the Flat is back with the Lincoln at Doncaster plus $12m Dubai World Cup

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