Chepstow’s Welsh Racing Festival, the traditional start of the British jumps season, will run without a single chase race this October. The track has been stripped of its high-class chases after an extremely dry summer left the ground too hard to run them.
The three-day meeting runs October 9-11, all live on Sky Sports Racing. Instead of the usual mix of hurdles and chases, Chepstow will stage 19 hurdle races and two national hunt flat races. Ffos Las and Worcester will host all-chase cards on October 12 and October 14, respectively, while Hereford runs an all-hurdle card on October 13.
The reshuffle is the result of a prolonged dry spell that has left the ground unseasonably dry and hard. Chepstow’s racing director, Ben Cook, confirmed the changes.
The Ground Numbers
The figures behind the decision are stark. Chepstow received 63mm of rain in late August, which made a significant positive impact on the track. That progress stalled in September.
The track has received only 43mm of rain in September, with none in the last ten days. That has stalled the improvement, and the chase course will simply not have sufficient ease in the ground to run.
Cook said the team had been undertaking irrigation alongside the natural rainfall, but the combination has fallen short of what the chase course needs. “We have simply been beaten by the weather, as far as the chase course is concerned,” he said.
What Gets Moved
The chases that would normally run at Chepstow have been redistributed to other tracks. Ffos Las takes the Chepstow chases for an all-chase card on October 14. Worcester hosts its own all-chase meeting on October 12.
Hereford runs an all-hurdle card on October 13. The fixture calendar shows the three-day pattern clearly:
- Chepstow: 19 hurdle races, two national hunt flat races, October 9-11
- Ffos Las: All-chase card, October 14
- Worcester: All-chase card, October 12
- Hereford: All-hurdle card, October 13
The reshuffle means punters who planned to watch Chepstow’s high-class chase races will need to switch to Ffos Las or Worcester. For trainers whose horses were entered at Chepstow, the move could mean travel arrangements and stable planning across multiple fixtures.
The Weather Cost
Chepstow’s situation is a warning of how weather can reshape a fixture. The ground has hardened faster than normal, and tracks have been forced to adapt.
The key difference at Chepstow is the scale of the change. Removing all chase races from a fixture that traditionally opens the jumps season is a major blow to the track’s profile. The irony is that the track got some rain in late August. The 63mm that fell then helped soften the ground, but the subsequent dry spell undid much of that work.
Cook’s Response
Cook’s statement was measured. He acknowledged disappointment but stressed the decision had been made early so punters, trainers and sponsors could plan around it.
“We are obviously disappointed to have to make these changes to the DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival at Chepstow, but we wanted to make and announce the decision as early as possible,” he said.
He praised the racecourse team’s work over the summer and into the autumn. “The racecourse team have been working incredibly hard over the course of the summer, and into the autumn, to get both of Chepstow’s jumps tracks ready for this meeting,” he added.
But he made the weather the final word. “We have simply been beaten by the weather, as far as the chase course is concerned,” he concluded.
The Fixture Calendar
The rearrangement means the jumps season opener is now spread across four days and three venues. Chepstow’s three days are followed by single days at Ffos Las and Worcester, with Hereford on a separate day.
Punters who want to see the best chases will have to plan across multiple days. The national hunt flat races remain at Chepstow, alongside the 19 hurdles.
The fixture reshuffle is a practical response to an unusual set of circumstances. Tracks cannot control the weather, and when the ground fails to soften despite irrigation, the only option is to move the races elsewhere.
What It Means for the Sport
The reshuffle is a reminder of how weather-dependent flat racing can be. A summer of drought has forced a leading track to strip its headline fixture of its biggest races.
For Chepstow, the decision preserves the meeting itself. The redistribution also spreads the action across the region. Ffos Las and Worcester get valuable high-class racing, while Hereford gets a full day of hurdles.
The downside is the disruption to established plans. Trainers, owners, sponsors and punters all had expectations built around Chepstow’s traditional format. Those plans are now scrambled.
Key Facts Box
- Chepstow’s Welsh Racing Festival: October 9-11
- All live on Sky Sports Racing
- Chepstow: 19 hurdle races, two national hunt flat races
- Ffos Las: All-chase card, October 14
- Worcester: All-chase card, October 12
- Hereford: All-hurdle card, October 13
- Chepstow received 63mm of rain in late August
- Chepstow received only 43mm of rain in September
- No rain in the last ten days
The decision is pragmatic, but it carries a cost. Chepstow loses its headline act, and the sport loses its traditional opening fixture. The drought has changed the shape of the season.
Chepstow’s racing director is right to acknowledge disappointment while praising the team’s work. The team did everything it could, and the weather simply refused to cooperate.
Source material: “Chepstow’s jumps opener to feature no chase races after dry summer,” Sky Sports.
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