Overview
- Heavy overnight and morning rain forced the official going to be changed to "heavy" after an 8.5mm fall in the space of an hour and left standing water on parts of the turf.
- The presence of water about half a furlong from the finish prompted an initial inspection that delayed the start of the card while officials assessed the surface.
- A second inspection found the standing water had cleared and the meeting was given the go-ahead with a revised running order beginning with the Ayr Silver Cup.
- The Firth of Clyde and the Ayr Gold Cup kept their scheduled times while other races were moved, a decision taken explicitly on safety grounds, Clerk of the Course Graeme Anderson said.
- Organisers recalled the 2017 cancellation and rescheduling to Haydock when weighing options and warned that the heavy going will affect race conditions and jockeys’ tactics on the day.