Cheltenham’s New Year’s Day meeting has been abandoned after clerk of the course Simon Claisse admitted that the track is waterlogged after taking on 85mm of rain in the last week.
On Wednesday morning at 8:30AM there was set to be an inspection on the track ahead of the meeting on the first day of the year, but before that could even take place their official Twitter account tweeted the meeting will not be going ahead this season.
Cheltenham now joins the likes of Chepstow, Limerick Uttoxeter and Haydock to miss out on their meetings over the festive period due to adverse weather leaving the tracks waterlogged, but for many this meeting is one of the best over the Christmas period.
New Year's Day Racing abandoned.
— CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) December 30, 2020
Following 85mm of rainfall since last Wednesday, there are areas of waterlogged ground across the width of the course and it is therefore not raceable. pic.twitter.com/jgw9Yg9sDF
The tweet read: “New Year’s Day Racing abandoned.
“Following 85mm of rainfall since last Wednesday, there are areas of waterlogged ground across the width of the course, and it is therefore not raceable.”
Cheltenham have not yet announced whether the meeting will be rescheduled and if so when, but at the moment on New Year's Day we will be missing out on races like the Dipper Novices' Chase, Relkeel Hurdle and the big fielded Paddy Power Millionaire Handicap Chase.