The second day of Chester‘s May meeting was almost abandoned due to unracable conditions on Thursday. Stratusnine, ridden by Jason Watson for Hugo Palmer, was pulled up during race one having slipped on the home turn.
Watson was not the only jockey to report his mount slipping during the opening contest. As a result, racing was delayed by more than an hour subsequently with plenty critical of watering undertaken at the track. Too little water was used to soften underfoot conditions, leaving a slippery surface atop good ground.
Clerk of the course Eloise Quayle consulted with her groundstaff ahead a decision. The course was sanded in crucial areas to attempt to absorb any sanding moisture.
Eventually, after consultations on the track and in the stewards’ room, racing resumed. The second race on the card took place over an hour after its scheduled start time.
Tom Marquand who rode in the opener, subsequently gave up his remaining rides. He applied for reinstatement on his final pair of mounts to conclude the card. Maureen Haggas backed her jockey though, stating on ITV, via the Racing Post, that “Tom says the ground is dangerous.” Morshdi, who would have run for Maureen’s husband William in the Dee Stakes, was subsequently declared a non-runner.
“It’s not an ideal situation” – Trainers sympathise as meeting passes without incident
The remaining six races on the card passed without significant incident. It is to the relief of the entire sport that racing continued unscathed.
Other trainers who had runners on the card were more sympathetic to Quayle and her team’s cause. Both Hugo Palmer and Karl Burke were ultimately satisfied with the decision to continue with the remaining schedule.
“It’s uncomfortable for jockeys when they slip but they’ve mowed and sanded the track,” Palmer said. “The balance of opinion was that we should race ahead and that’s what we’re doing.”
Burke echoed Palmer’s words: “It’s an impossible job being a clerk of the course. With hindsight, she (Quayle) will wish she put more water on, but what do you do? If you do that and then the rain comes, there’s always somebody who’ll moan.
“I’m happy to send my horses out there on the basis that the jockeys are happy with the ground.”
Many viewers questioned the length of time it took to make a decision. Burke also outlined the intricacies of the conversations with stewards.
“In the stewards’ inquiry they asked for everyone’s opinion and went round and round in circles, that’s why it took so long. Tom Marquand wasn’t happy and neither was Jason Watson, who slipped a little bit, but Ryan and Oisin said they’d ride if they had to.
“If anything happens, it’s a huge error. It is a risk, but what do you do? It’s not an ideal situation.”