Ludlow Racecourse cancels entire 2026-27 season after drought damage

Ludlow Racecourse in Shropshire has cancelled its whole 2026-27 jump racing season because summer drought damaged the grass on its course.

Fourteen meetings are off, including the fixture due on Monday 23 November. The course will not host racing again until October 2027, while the ground recovers. BBC Sport reported the decision.

The first meeting of the season, which was due on 15 October, was moved to Worcester, about 35 miles away. Racing needs a firm, healthy surface for horses to run safely, and a dry summer can leave a turf track thin and bare.

British Horseracing Authority inspectors, the sport's governing body, visited Ludlow to examine the drought damage. The course's managing director is Simon Sherwood.

For trainers, jockeys and stable staff who plan their year around the fixture list, losing a whole season at one course is a serious blow. Horses that would have run at Ludlow now need other races, and the people who look after them need to plan around that. Many of those people start their days before dawn, and the loss will be felt in yards far beyond Shropshire.

Ludlow is a small, picturesque track set among the hills near the Welsh border. Its races have long been a fixture for local owners and racegoers, and the course's loyal crowds will now wait nearly a year to return.

The story is a reminder of how much a racecourse depends on its grass. A dry summer can change a track in a few months, and rebuilding it takes longer. Ludlow's next move is to recover the turf before racing comes back in October 2027.