Exeter called off after Storm Bert causes safety concerns

Exeter officials were forced to abandon Sunday’s National Hunt meeting after strong winds caused safety concerns.

The track had survived a 7am inspection regarding the state of the ground, but weather conditions worsened and the seven-race card was called off after Storm Bert caused damage to facilities.

In a post on X, general manager Jack Parkinson stated: “We’ve had a significant amount of rainfall and strong winds of up to 50mph here this morning and this has resulted in damage being caused to a number of our facilities.

“While the track itself has passed an inspection and has been deemed fit to race, we have seen tiles being ripped from the roof of our Owners’ and Trainers’ facility, which is just 10 metres from the parade ring.

“With conditions now not expected to improve significantly before racing and with ongoing and clear safety risks, we have taken the decision to abandon racing.

“We wanted to make this decision as soon as possible to reduce the number of participants and racegoers making unnecessary journeys to Exeter. The team here are as disappointed as those who had been planning to join us, but the safety of everyone on course will always be our number one priority.”

Sunday’s jumps meeting at Cork had already been cancelled on Saturday due to waterlogging.