MUSSELBURGH Racecourse's scheduled meeting on Good Friday has been cancelled.

In a statement, the racecourse said it had taken the "reluctant decision" to abandon what would hae been the opening meeting of the UK flat racing season on Friday, March 25.

The course has ruled that new ground laid last summer as part of a re-cambering project on the winning post bend is too soft and could cause problems if racing was to go ahead as scheduled.

While the rest of the country is due to bask in warm spring temperatures, Musselburgh is this week expected to be blanketed in fog, slowing up the drying of the new ground.

The wettest winter on record and an earlier than normal Easter weekend are also contributory factors, said Musselburgh Racecourse general manager Bill Farnworth.

He said: “We are desperately disappointed at having to make this call but, following a trial gallop of four horses around the track, we feel the new ground is just too soft to race at this time.

“The re-cambering work completed last July was very successful and went better than was planned but we have since had the wettest winter I can recall.

"The ground needs to dry out and tighten up but unfortunately, while the rest of the country will enjoy warm spring weather in the week ahead, we are due to be blanketed by low cloud, fog and lower temperatures.

“We could have taken a gamble but felt the risk of having to abandon nearer the race meeting, or possibly on the day itself if we had rain, was just too high.

"It goes without saying that we are deeply disappointed but, given the circumstances, feel that it is the right decision.”

Farnsworth added that the option of using the National Hunt track had been considered but it was felt that, with a record 650 horses racing at Musselburgh during the winter season, this was not viable.

“Plan B was to move to the jumps track but, with more than 600 horses having raced on soft ground over the winter, we didn’t feel that this was an option at this time," he said.