During the winter months there are often many horse racing cancelled fixtures – which is, of course, mostly down to the weather and making the tracks unraceable. This can often lead to punters looking for daily news on which horse racing is abandoned as they plan their trips to the races or their bets for the day.
Horse Racing Cancelled Calendar For The Upcoming Fixtures
With this in mind, see below the latest information on the horse racing cancelled fixtures over the coming days. Plus, you can also use the best UK betting sites to check the latest news on any UK and Irish horse racing meetings that might be abandoned.
Horse Racing Cancelled Today and Tomorrow
Today’s Horse Racing Meetings
Thursday 4th April 2024: Warwick & Clonmel off (waterlogged track)
- Lingfield (AW)
- Southwell
- Naas (Ire)
- Wolverhampton (AW)
Tomorrow’s Horse Racing Meetings
Friday 5th April 2024: Wetherby off (waterlogged track)
- Lingfield (AW)
- Musselburgh
- Wexford (Ire)
- Dundalk (Ire) (AW)
Horse Racing Cancelled This Weekend
Saturday 6th April 2024: No reported problems at the moment
Saturday 7th April 2024: No reported problems at the moment
Why Is Horse Racing Cancelled?
Horse racing can be cancelled for many reasons, but the most popular is due to the weather in some shape or form – see a list of some of the main reasons below.
For example, if a racetrack is close to a river, then during the wetter months of the year there is a bigger chance of the bank overflowing and this water spreading to the track. A recent example of this was Southwell, with the nearby River Greet bursting its banks in October 2023. Due to Storm Babet hitting the area with heavy rain.
Snow, Waterlogged and Frozen Tracks The Most Common Reasons
Snow and frozen tracks are another popular reasons why horse racing is cancelled. Some of the bigger tracks can afford covers that can be laid in advance to help the ground from low overnight temperatures. However, laying them is a big operation with a mass area of grass to cover and doesn’t always work.
High winds have also played their part in horse racing being abandoned over the years. The most famous of these was in 2008 when day two of the Cheltenham Festival was called off with strong gales surrounded the Prestbury Park track.
Those races were still saved though, with race planners quickly slotting them into the remaining Thursday and Friday cards.
2001 Cheltenham Festival Cancelled Due To Foot and Mouth
The Cheltenham Festival was also subject of another abandonment in 2001 when the country was hit by the foot and mouth disease. This resulted in the whole of fixture that year being called off.
While in more recent times the Covid-19 pandemic also caused a lot of horse racing meetings to be cancelled. There was no racing at all between the end of March 2020 to May 2020.
At the other end of the weather spectrum, it’s also been known for horse racing to be called off due to high temperatures. It was Cheltenham that hit the headlines again with this reason in April 2018.
It reached 26 degrees on race day and as a result a 3m 2f Handicap Chase was called off on welfare grounds.
Tracks are also permitted to have certain medial teams in place in order to race. These include having two ambulances at each venue. This has also led to some horse racing being abandoned should there be a bad accident and one (or both) of the medical vehicles having to leave the track.
Bomb Scare Disrupts 1997 Aintree Grand National
Finally, the rarest of them all when it comes to horse racing being called off is probably in 1997 when there was an alleged bomb threat made to the Aintree racecourse.
This was just before the Grand National was due to run. As a result, the race was cancelled and all racegoers evacuated from the Liverpool track. But the race that year was re-staged on the following Monday and won by the Tony Dobbin-ridden Lord Gyllene.
Horse Racing Cancelled – The Main Reasons
- Snow
- Waterlogged Track
- Frozen Track
- Ground Unsafe (too soft, or too hard)
- High Winds
- High Temperatures
- Lack Of Medical Staff or Ambulance
- Disease (rare)
- Bomb Scare (rare)
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