The Citizen (Gauteng)

Going soft at Ascot

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The Ascot track changed the going report to Soft (heavy in places) after a weekend deluge ahead of Saturday's Qipco Champions Day on Saturday.

The Berkshire track reportedly had close to 50mm of rain over the weekend, but looks to be over the worst of the wet weather now.

The forecast looks drier for the remainder of the week and should ensure the contingenc­y plan of using the inside track is not needed. Officials from the track have stated they will only use the inside track - traditiona­lly used for Jumps racing - to prevent the meeting being abandoned.

It's not unusual for the day to be run on rain softened ground, but the meeting hasn't been run with Heavy in the going since 2014.

The rain will be music to the ears of Cracksman fans as he looks set to defend his Champions Stakes crown on his final run. However, it could be cause for concern for stablemate­s Roaring Lion and Stradivari­us.

John Gosden has hinted that if the ground is testing Roaring Lion could run in the QEII instead, but nothing is confirmed.

The rain around the area came at a cost for Windsor racecourse as they were forced to abandon their Monday meeting. The track confirmed the news this morning on Twitter, and said they had received far more rain than forecast and that standing water had settled on the surface.

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