Racing at Epsom Downs was brought to a sudden halt on Thursday evening after a dramatic flash storm caused significant delays and damaged crucial equipment.
The heavy rain arrived just before the third race of an eight-race card, forcing runners to remain in the saddling boxes while they waited for the storm to pass. As lightning and thunder roared overhead, the 1m½f fillies' handicap was put on hold. However, conditions began to improve after 7:30 pm, allowing the horses to return to the paddock.
The cameras on course, initially disabled by the downpour, were quickly reconnected and the horses were allowed to canter towards the start. Unfortunately, the coverage went down again, leading to another delay while officials scrambled to re-establish a connection, crucial for maintaining race integrity.
While the delay continued, five of the eight runners were scratched from the race before racing was ultimately abandoned at 8:15 pm.
Epsom clerk Andrew Cooper explained the reasoning behind the decision, stating: "The lightning issue dissipated, but the secondary issue was with the reliability of the integrity camera. Factors caused by the storm and rain seemed to have taken the cameras out."
"Coverage was restored just before the horses were released to start the third race, which we wanted to get underway, albeit delayed, on the understanding the cameras were back in play," Cooper continued. "Unfortunately, when the horses were halfway to the start, we received an update from the race tech team that the coverage had gone down again and never recovered with any degree of reliability."
"With this uncertainty, rather than keep the horses at the start for an indefinite period, with another lightning strike kicking in and the camera issue looking increasingly unlikely to be resolved, the horses were brought back to the parade ring. Subsequently, an inquiry was held, and racing was abandoned."
"By this time, we were past eight o'clock, and sunset was approaching rapidly. We were running out of light to complete the races, and with no reliable camera coverage, it was impossible to continue," Cooper added. "It wasn't a track issue, we had about 11 millimetres of rain, but fundamentally, it's the lack of integrity cameras."
While thunderstorms were also forecast to hit Goodwood, the worst of the weather is now expected to miss the track ahead of Friday's card.
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