Ludlow abandons remainder of jumps season after ground inspection
Ludlow has abandoned its remaining 12 fixtures of the 2026–27 jumps season after inspectors concluded that drought-damaged turf cannot recover in time.
Ludlow will stage no further racing during the 2026–27 jumps season after an inspection concluded that its drought-damaged racing surface could not be restored to a safe condition in time. The decision, announced on Thursday, means the Shropshire course will not race again until its intended return in October 2027.
The course had already lost its first three meetings of the autumn. A prolonged spell of hot, dry weather over the summer left sections of grass badly damaged, and subsequent rainfall has not produced the regrowth required to resume racing. The British Horseracing Authority's course inspectorate has been involved in assessing the track alongside racecourse management and an agronomist.
Ludlow's naturally free-draining gravel base, normally an advantage during wet winter weather, has contributed to the problem. Moisture does not remain in the ground for long, leaving grass particularly vulnerable when rainfall is scarce. Managing director and clerk of the course Simon Sherwood had warned in recent weeks that shortening days and falling temperatures were narrowing the opportunity for recovery.
Twelve fixtures remained on the course's programme, beginning with the meeting scheduled for 23 November. Those dates will now be redistributed to other venues, with replacements involving Huntingdon, Catterick, Ayr, Taunton, Warwick, Wincanton, Musselburgh, Exeter, Fakenham and Market Rasen. The changes preserve opportunities for horses and connections to race, but they do not remove the disruption for Ludlow itself.
The decision is especially consequential for an independent racecourse whose income depends on a relatively small number of fixtures. Sherwood had previously acknowledged the financial strain caused by repeated abandonments, noting that insurance arrangements offered only limited protection against the loss of meetings.
The circumstances also underline the wider effects of an unusually dry period on Britain's jump programme. Several courses have already been forced to abandon meetings, amend race conditions or move fixtures to alternative venues. At Ludlow, however, the problem has proved too extensive to resolve within the remaining season.
The immediate priority is to restore a sufficiently strong and consistent grass covering for the following autumn. The loss of an entire winter programme is an exceptional outcome for a track traditionally regarded as one of the more reliable venues in wet conditions, and illustrates how difficult recovery can be when prolonged drought damages the underlying turf rather than merely leaving the racing surface temporarily firm.
By TP Editorial
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