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Key races saved after York cards abandoned
Officials at the British Horseracing Authority have united with other racecourse partners to salvage some of the key races after the wash-out of the York Ebor festival.
All three Group Ones and an Ebor substitute will be run in the coming days, with Newmarket, Goodwood and Newbury all stepping up to play host.
The first two days of the four-day meeting were lost on Tuesday after a deluge of rain and officials had planned to inspect the track at midday to assess prospects for the rest of the week.
However, with waterlogged patches still lying on the track this morning, York clerk of the course and chief executive William Derby was faced with no alternative but to wave the white flag.
He said: "Unfortunately we had to abandon the rest of the meeting as the track is waterlogged in places and there is no prospect of it drying out.
"It is obviously disappointing, both for the connections of the horses and the whole team so I am so sorry about that.
"It's hugely frustrating and to be beaten by the elements is a very humbling experience.
"We have had an unbelievable amount of rainfall and the course could just not take any more."
York chairman Nicholas Wrigley added that he thought the meeting would probably have survived the elements had the new 2.5million drainage system been in place.
Further work on that infrastructure is due to start this weekend and will force the track to remain closed until the Dante fixture next May.
He said: "We are very sorry for everybody, but I feel especially sorry for William and his team as they have worked incredibly hard.
"It is also very disappointing to hear suggestions about our motives for racing to be abandoned.
"There is no financial incentive for us to abandon. We are here to race and we want to race, and in the sense that we are a not-for-profit organisation then the whole committee does want to race.
"We are all here as we love racing and we love racing at York. The decision we had today was if the track was raceable on Thursday and whether it was worth going through the agonies of prolonging it for another day, and the possibility of racing Friday and Saturday.
"You only have to look at the level of the river and the water table, and the further severe weather warning we have just received for more rain.
"In life you always have difficult decisions but this one was quite straightforward."
Newmarket will play host to the International Stakes on Saturday after the BHA worked frantically in an attempt to re-schedule nine races.
Headquarters will also stage the Festival's other Group One events - the Darley Yorkshire Oaks and the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes - on Friday.
Joining those key contests will be the DBS Sales Race to form a bumper 11-race card.
The Ladbrokes Great Voltigeur will take place at Goodwood on Saturday, while the Ebor becomes the totesport Newburgh and will be run at Newbury on Friday, as will the Gimcrack.
The Berkshire track is also offering free entry to anybody holding tickets to any of the four days of the York meeting.
Tote chief executive Trevor Beaumont said: "Totesport are delighted to sponsor the replacement race for the totesport Ebor now scheduled to be run at Newbury.
"Of course, there is only one Ebor - and that race can only ever be run at York, but the totesport Newburgh Handicap (the original Norman name for Newbury) will give the owners and trainers another opportunity to win a valuable staying handicap over the same trip.
"We are obviously disappointed to lose this week's Ebor Meeting at York, but look forward to renewing our association with this prestigious and historic race again next season."
BHA director of communications John Ryan added: "Ruth Quinn (director of racing) has performed minor miracles in getting this done at such short notice.
"A lot of the sponsors have been fantastic and the owners and trainers she has spoken to have, in the main, been incredibly helpful.
"Out of the loss of a four-day meeting like this there are some wonderful positives to racing in terms of what people can do in a crisis, and this is a crisis."
The majority of bookmakers are refunding all bets, including those struck ante-post, on the races due to be staged at York this week and new markets will be formed on the rescheduled events.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
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