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SALISBURY DECIDE NOT TO USE BEND AGAIN IN 2005

Posted September 30th 2005

The Salisbury Executive took the decision on Friday not to stage races on the bend, at their next meeting on Saturday, October 8. The transferred Ascot fixture had originally included three of the seven races using the loop section of the course. The race meeting will now be a six-race card with all races being on the straight course over a distance of 1 mile or less. The BHB will be releasing details later today. The feature races are the Group 3Three skybet.com Cornwallis Stakes and Group Three skybet.com Autumn Stakes, which are unaffected, and take place as planned. The BHB are looking to relocate the Listed EBF Harvest Stakes.

The decision followed incidents on the bend at Wednesday's race meeting. In the opening 1m2f apprentices' handicap, Hatch A Plan slipped carrying out another runner, Chapter, and in the 1m 6f handicap finale, Tilla also lost her footing.

Jeremy Martin, Clerk of the Course at Salisbury, said: "It did appear that the bend was slippery on Wednesday which resulted in these two horses losing their footing. It can only be attributed to the 12mm of rain, which fell on the course in the 36 hours before racing. The course had become quite firm prior to this rain arriving and it has made the top couple of inches loose".

Jeremy Martin was joined by Chairman Michael Wates and Director Ian Balding on Thursday afternoon to view the course. Although they are of the belief that these were isolated incidents, and the bend would be fine at the next fixture given normal weather conditions, it was felt, that in the circumstances, the bend should not be used again this year. It will now be put to bed for the winter when normal maintenance work will be carried out.

Martin summarised by saying: "It is a tight bend, but we have had 74 races around it without incident, since Lee Tibbatts' mount slipped in June 2003. We believe the weather in the lead up to racing on Wednesday created the problem. The loop will be back in use for the start of next season".

The Salisbury Executive have decided that because of the nature of the bend, races for apprentices will be restricted to the straight course, a course of action they took for amateurs after the Lee Tibbatts incident.

For further information, please contact Jeremy Martin, Salisbury's Clerk of the Course, on 01722 326461.

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