TOMORROW'S race meeting at Salisbury has been abandoned.

Officials inspected the track yesterday afternoon and found it unfit with waterlogging and patches of false ground. 

Though the course was today expected to escape any rain or showers, there is no possibility of it drying out sufficiently before tomorrow afternoon when ironically yet further heavy rain is forecast.

Salisbury suffered almost four inches of rain last week and a further half an inch yesterday scuppered any lingering hopes the meeting could go ahead.

Clerk of the course Jeremy Martin said: "After 122mm pf rain in the last nine days, we have abandoned our season finale. There are areas of waterlogging and false ground and there is no prospect of improvement before racing.

"It's a shame but it's essential that the track has to be right for racing and unfortunately it wasn't going to be."

He added that full refunds for bookings would be issued within a week.

Despite huge entries, only 50 horses had been declared for the seven races for what was due to be Salisbury's 16th meeting of the season and even if racing had been able to go ahead, doubtless some would have been withdrawn on race day because of the testing conditions.

The abandonment means the track has lost a fixture for the second time in two years.

In 2018 the September 11 card had to be called off because of chafer grub infestation caused loose ground near the bend into the straight. It also  resulted in all races in its last two meetings having to be run over the straight mile.