Grandstand roof at Epsom ripped off by high winds

RACING NEWS:EPSOM'S FIRST meeting of the season on April 25th is under no threat – even though part of a grandstand roof was ripped off due to intense gales yesterday.

The racecourse was evacuated, although there were no reported injuries reported to any employees. An investigation will begin once constructors assess the damage to the Duchess Stand, opened in 2009 as part of a €45.5 million development to the course, which stages the Investec-sponsored Derby each June.

Epsom’s PR manager, Jonno Spence, said: “They’ve reopened the road around the racecourse now and we are expecting the clean-up operation to begin.

“Any events that were scheduled for the Duchess Stand have been relocated to the Queen’s Stand for the time being.

“The constructors are going in tomorrow to assess the damage and make it safe and we’ll have more details then. Hopefully everything will be open again by the end of the week.

“One area for concern is that the wind is supposed to pick up again by Thursday so the key will be to make it safe before then.

“Only five per cent of the roof is damaged, it’s just the insulation has blown about which makes it look worse than it is. It’s certainly not the case that the whole roof has blown off.

“There is absolutely no danger to the first meeting in April.”

Yesterday’s card at Ayr was also abandoned on health and safety grounds. Clerk of the course Emma Marley gave the jumps fixture the go-ahead following a 7.15am inspection due to the threat of rain.

But while the ground was raceable, high winds in the area took their toll. The PA system at the course was not working and officials had no option but to call off the meeting.

Ayr’s head of public relations, Iain Ferguson, said: “The very strong winds were actually forecast to ease into the afternoon but that is not why we’ve had to abandon.

“The problem is in fact a tree that is about to fall which is close to a Racetech truck. On health and safety grounds they had to move, but it meant we would have had no scanner and no PA system.

“You are not allowed to race without a PA system and that is why we’ve had to abandon, not because of the wind.”

Tomorrow’s jumps meeting at Lingfield could also be in jeopardy as parts of the course are waterlogged.

Meanwhile, Clive Smith believes a decision on whether Master Minded will race again may not be made for another year.

The dual Champion Chase winner severed a tendon when stepping up to three miles for the first time in the King George at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day.

He has undergone successful surgery, and remains in Newmarket convalescing, but Smith warns the chance of infection is now the main danger.

“I was down at the yard on Monday and Dan Skelton gave me a good summary of the injury in detail, to which Paul Nicholls added some points,” said Smith.

“Basically, he has had his open tendon sewn back together. It was not ruptured, just severely damaged.”