Heavy rains and a waterlogged track have forced York to abandon the rest of this week's Totesport Ebor meeting, including three Group 1 races that have been rescheduled for other venues.
On Tuesday morning, officials canceled that day's card as well as Wednesday's card. With further rain on Wednesday morning and no sign of significant improvement in the near future, the only option was to cancel the cards for the rest of the week.
"Unfortunately, we have had to abandon the rest of the meeting as the track is waterlogged in places and there is no prospect of it drying out,” William Derby, clerk of the course at York, told Racing Post. "It is obviously disappointing, both for the connections of the horses and the whole team so I am so sorry about that.
"It's hugely frustrating and to be beaten by the elements is a very humbling experience. We're determined to carry on with our drainage project to help guard against this in the future. We have had an unbelievable amount of rainfall and the course could just not take any more.”
Each of the three Group 1 races have been rescheduled, while other stakes races slated for the Ebor meeting likely will be lost. The Juddmonte International Stakes (Eng-G1) will be contested at Newmarket on Saturday after the British Horseracing Authority worked quickly to reschedule nine of the races lost due to cancellations at York.
Newmarket also will host on Friday the other Group 1 races slated for the Ebor meet—the Darley Yorkshire Oaks (Eng-G1) and the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes (Eng-G1).
The Ladbrokes Great Voltigeur Stakes (Eng-G2) will be held on Saturday at Goodwood, and the prestigious Ebor Handicap has been renamed the Totesport Newburgh Handicap and will be contested Friday at Newbury.
Newbury will offer free entry to anyone with tickets to any of the four days of the York meeting.
"Totesport are delighted to sponsor the replacement race for the Ebor now scheduled to be run at Newbury,” Trevor Beaumont, chief executive of Totesport, told Racing Post. "Of course, there is only one Ebor—and that race can only ever be run at York, but the Totesport Newburgh Handicap [the original Norman name for Newbury] will give the owners and trainers another opportunity to win a valuable staying handicap over the same trip.
Michael Prosser, clerk of the course and director of racing at Newmarket, commended the various racecourses for pulling together to make staging the important Ebor meeting fixtures at alternate venues a reality.
"We view ourselves at Jockey Club racecourses that we are very much here for the good of racing," Prosser told Racing Post. "What we have said all along is that hopefully all these races will be staged at York, but if not and you need any help from us at any stage then don't be afraid to come to us.
"It's not just us. Newbury and Goodwood, as I understand it, have been extremely helpful."