Newmarket hit by heavy rain Ground conditions at Newmarket are expected to return to good to soft for the two-day Qipco Guineas Festival at the weekend despite substantial rain overnight. The going on Thursday morning had eased to soft following an inch (25 millimetres) of rain, but the forecast for the rest of the week is for dry weather. "We had significantly more rain than we were forecast. We had 25 millimetres, mainly from midnight through to 6am, which is three to four times what we expected," Newmarket director of racing Michael Prosser told At The Races. "The Rowley Mile is an incredible place and has taken it incredibly well. I have changed the ground to soft from good to soft, but it has taken it very well indeed. "We are now forecast largely dry conditions through to the end of the Guineas meeting with the possibility of a light shower today and tomorrow, but dry on Saturday. "Quite remarkably there is even a grass frost forecast on Saturday morning and Sunday morning. What that tells us is that we will have clear skies and therefore it will be dry, so I expect the track to improve. "I expect it to improve back to good to soft potentially before Saturday itself for the first day of the Guineas Festival. "The forecast for Sunday mirrors Saturday which is basically dry. "They always throw in the chance of a light shower, but the chances of getting one are slim. "If we assume both days are going to be dry, the ground will be good to soft. What we are saying is there are going to be no extremes, the heavy stuff has now gone. "Whatever we get now will be pretty minor in nature, no more than a millimetre on any particular day."
