York ground now soft

The going at York is currently described as soft ahead of next week's three-day Dante Festival following more rain in North Yorkshire.

The track had eight millimetres of rain on Thursday night and drizzle amounting to one millimetre on Friday morning, making a total of 33mm in the last seven days.

The Met Office forecast is for a dry weekend with sunny spells and temperatures rising to the mid teens.

The track stress that while there is currently some standing water on football pitches and public areas away from the track, the racing surface itself has no standing water and has taken the rainfall well.

Assistant Clerk of the Course, Anthea Morshead said on Friday afternoon: "The track has taken the rainfall really well and we could race today. I am pleased with how well the drainage scheme installed in 2008/9 is working - there is now a system in place to allow the rainfall to get away from the racing surface.

"The difference between the drained and maintained racing surface and the wider public areas of the Knavesmire is very marked. Various racing professionals have visited in recent days and have commented on how well the track is looking. The Met Office forecast is now for a dry and warmer weekend which should see ground conditions improve further as we approach the Dante Festival."