Lees says rain is no threat to meeting

Newmarket's prestigious £930,000 Champions' Day meeting will go ahead this Saturday no matter what wet weather the forecast has in store, outgoing clerk of the course Captain Nick Lees pledged today.

"There's rarely any problem at Newmarket because it drains so well," said Lees.

"I walked the course on Sunday when the ground was plain 'good'. So, it can cope with all the rain that we're forecast, although luckily it appears that Saturday itself could be quite decent weather.

"But it's a very different scenario to Leicester where we began yesterday with heavy ground."

Lees, who also clerks at the Leicestershire course, finally called off that track's meeting yesterday after five of its eight planned races when - according to two delegations of stewards and senior jockeys present - persistently heavy rain made the course unraceable. Today's intended card at the same track was also abandoned.

Windsor's meeting yesterday fell before a race was even run, while over in Ireland even Punchestown abandoned after one race. Ayr struggled through to complete its six-race schedule but left today's follow-up card in some doubt as a result after the heavy turf was churned up by a full day's racing.

Like Sedgefield, today's other remaining meeting, Ayr will hold an inspection to judge whether racing can go ahead. Although Sedgefield was also raceable yesterday, course spokesman James Hutchinson admitted to concern over the forecast . Ayr officials maintain their scrutiny of conditions is only "precautionary".