Overview
- Saturday’s racing at Prestbury Park produced around 20–25 ground-related non-runners, with leading novices Old Park Star and Kabral Du Mathan among those withdrawn.
- Course staff and multiple trainers said the problem began after a very dry summer and autumn left little natural moisture and sharp overnight frosts prevented watering, which caused the going to firm to good in places.
- Clerk of the course Jon Pullin defended the ground management, saying the team had applied roughly 400mm of irrigation before the meeting plus another c.100mm, and he confirmed a plan to irrigate on Saturday night when temperatures climb above freezing.
- Trainers including Dan Skelton, Nicky Henderson and Harry Fry withdrew horses on welfare and suitability grounds and have begun rerouting entries to fixtures such as Ffos Las and Sandown.
- The withdrawals disrupted key races and produced slipping reports on the home bend, and the meeting now depends on the planned overnight watering and light showers to improve the going for the final day.