Good Ground Expected at Doncaster for Betfred St Leger Meeting

Doncaster racecourse is set to begin its Betfred St Leger meeting on Thursday with favorable ground conditions, as officials confirm the track is expected to be "good" for the start of the prestigious four-day event. Despite recent unsettled weather, the forecast indicates only light rain in the coming days, providing an ideal surface for racing at the historic Town Moor course.

David Attwood, clerk of the course, provided an update on Monday afternoon, expressing optimism about the current state of the track. "We've currently got good ground, and we seem to have missed a lot of the heavy rain that was around in the area," he said. "We only got two millimeters last night and through this morning, though it’s going to be quite unsettled over the next few days. We may get a few more spots of rain, but that would still hold us in a very nice place for good ground."

With only minor precipitation expected, Attwood anticipates that the track will remain largely unaffected by the weather. "I think it’ll hold quite nicely. If we don’t get any rain, it may go good to firm in places, but it would be unlikely to go to any extremes," he added. "We’re very happy with where we are at the moment."

The St Leger meeting, which runs from Thursday to Sunday, culminates in Saturday’s Betfred St Leger, the final Classic of the British Flat season. With Doncaster largely avoiding the heavy summer rainfall that has impacted other courses, Attwood believes the track is in prime condition to host the iconic event. "All summer we have missed most of the heavy rain, and that has helped us," he said. "We’ve got a lovely covering of grass, and I couldn’t be much happier with it."

As the forecast remains favorable for the week ahead, racing fans and connections can look forward to ideal conditions as some of the season's top runners take to the track, with the Betfred St Leger set to be the highlight of an exciting weekend of racing.