Rain back at Ascot

Ascot's hopes of staging an eight-race card on Friday were under threat yesterday, with rain falling at the track.

Clerk of the course Nick Cheyne said yesterday: "It's very wet again. The going remains heavy on the hurdle course and soft, heavy in places on the chase course but quite a bit of the hurdles course is not raceable today."

Contingency plans have been made to run a card comprising of five chases, including the Victor Chandler Chase - already moved from last Saturday's meeting which was abandoned due to water-logging - if the wet weather fails to relent.

Cheyne added: "It is supposed to get drier from tomorrow afternoon but whether it comes in time for the hurdle track we'll just have to keep an eye on it."

Following the abandonment of Newton Abbot on Monday prospects for the resumption of turf racing today rest with Huntingdon - which is subject to an early-morning inspection.

Clerk of the course Hugo Bevan is full of hope that the fixture will beat the weather, stressing: "We could have raced today."