Derby hit by yellow weather warning with thunderstorms and hail set to smash Epsom track for biggest race of the year
THE Derby has been hit with a yellow weather warning – as the Met Office predict thunderstorms and hail are set to smash the Epsom track.
Tomorrow’s £1.5million race – the most famous Flat contest in the world – will see 19 of the most awesome three-year-old colts on the planet go to post.
But the thousands of punters set to pour into the Surrey track may be forced to watch from under their umbrellas.
A downpour on Thursday changed the ground for Friday’s racing on Ladies’ Day to good to soft, good in places, and there is more rain set to fall overnight.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the racecourse on Saturday, starting at 9am and finishing at 6pm.
The Derby itself, worth £900,000 to the winner, is due off at 3.30pm.
A statement on their website read: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms may lead to some disruption to transport and infrastructure.
“There is a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus.”
The warning covers most of the south of Britain and extends to mid-Wales in the west, up to Birmingham and down to Exeter.
A Met Office spokesperson told Sun Racing: “There are still some uncertainties in the forecast for Saturday regarding the exact track and speed of the weather system impacting our weather that day.
“However, we are confident that it will be a very showery day, with some heavy showers accompanied by thunder and small hail.
“The uncertainty lies in where exactly the heaviest rain will fall.
“That said, we can be pretty confident that it’ll be an unsettled day with some heavy showers and thunderstorms, which could have an impact on conditions for the race.”
While an update from the track on Friday morning read: “There was 3.4mm rain on Tuesday afternoon. It was dry on Wednesday with 7mm rain on Thursday up to 8pm.
“After some rain this morning (1mm) it is forecast to clear to a brighter, breezy afternoon with temperatures in the mid to high teens.”
However, with the rain set to fall, clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said the ground could change to soft for Saturday.
He said: “I would think, with the forecast we’re looking at, there has got to be a chance of it being soft ground on Saturday.
“We have a mile of fresh ground on the inner on Saturday but we could be starting on good to soft today and we will have rain of some magnitude overnight.
“Soft ground has to be a real possibility.”
Sadly, coming in the British summer, unsettled weather in June is nothing out of the ordinary.
Last year’s Ladies’ Day – where the feature race is the Oaks for fillies – saw racegoers arrive under umbrellas.
While in 2021 many were forced to run for cover as another downpour came just as punters started rocking up.
Those attending the two-day festival this year have been warned they face £100 on-the-spot fines for unruly behaviour.
Bosses are clamping down on any anti-social activity, which includes continuing to drink after being told to stop.
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