Firm ground cancels Exeter Races' season opener

Hot weather had stopped ground staff getting the course ready on time, bosses said

Exeter Racecourse has cancelled its season-opening fixture due to the ground being too firm.

Officials at the Devon ground said they had expected more rain ahead of the meeting on Thursday but the safety and welfare of horses, jockeys and all participants remained their highest priority.

Ground staff had been working hard to get the fixture on by using deep spikes in the ground to help drain it, but the hot weather through the summer had beaten them, bosses said.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 21 October.

Draining equipment has been used on the racecourse to improve the surface

Clerk of the course Jason Loosemore said: "The turf itself is not easy enough yet.

"We haven't got quite as much rain as we would like.

"I think we had six inches (152mm) from the end of August to [the] early part of September and thereafter we've not had a lot save for 10 mm at the weekend.

"We'd loved to have seen 30mm [1.2in]."

Course clerk Jason Loosemore said there had not been "quite as much rain as we would like"

At the same time, the horse racing industry is bracing itself for the November Budget, fearing the current 15% levy on online horse racing bets could rise to 21%, bringing it in line with internet gambling and casinos.

The British Horseracing Authority said the industry, which was supported by gambling, could lose £330m over five years as a result, leading to thousands of redundancies in the first 12 months.

A consultation has been taking place into the proposals.

Racecourse general manager Jack Parkinson said proposed tax changes could "have a huge impact on the small courses like Exeter"

Exeter Racecourse general manager Jack Parkinson said: "We rely heavily on the bookmakers.

"If their profits are hit by this new tax, then that will have a direct impact on the racecourse through the levy, which is where the money goes; and then through that we get given prize money and sponsorship and all those aspects of it.

"The bookmakers will just cut down on that, so the prize money will lower, which will mean less horses in racing and, ultimately, will have a huge impact on the small courses like Exeter.

HM Treasury said: "We do not comment on speculation around future changes to tax policy."