It was a dramatic afternoon at Haydock Park Racecourse on Saturday, with three races abandoned due to safety concerns on a day that also saw Australian sprint star Asfoora fail to fire in the Group 2 Temple Stakes.
Trained by Henry Dwyer, Asfoora never travelled with her usual zest and finished last of 12 runners, beaten more than 11 lengths in the feature sprint.
It was the mare’s second run of the campaign after finishing tenth of 14 first-up at Newmarket. Asfoora finished fourth in the 2024 Temple Stakes before going on to claim the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Her outstanding 2025 European campaign also featured Group 1 victories in the Nunthorpe Stakes and Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp.
Dwyer later confirmed the mare had pulled up fine from the performance but admitted the unstable track conditions were a concern.
“Asfoora’s pulled up fine from her run at Haydock today,” Dwyer said.
“Assuming she pulls up well in the coming days we’ll head to Ascot, then make a decision about her future from there.”
“The ground was a bit shonky.”
“We’ve got a bit of a battle to try and get her back on track for Ascot, we’ve got the blinkers up our sleeve.”
“I still would’ve liked to see her do more.”
Asfoora’s pulled up fine from her run @haydockraces today. Assuming she pulls up well in the coming days we’ll head to Ascot, then make a decision about her future from there. pic.twitter.com/0PpO6dfUIW
— Henry Dwyer Racing (@HDwyerRacing) May 23, 2026
Jockey Oisin Murphy echoed Dwyer’s sentiments post-race.
“She was a bit quiet today,” Murphy said.
“She didn’t travel with the same zest today, but hopefully she will make a big step forward.”
The broader meeting descended into chaos following the opening event when John and Thady Gosden-trained mare Friendly Soul appeared to take a significant misstep approaching the home bend before being quickly eased down by Murphy.
Following the incident, jockeys, trainers and stewards inspected the section of the course and quickly discovered what officials later described as a significant drainage issue beneath the surface.
Haydock clerk of the course Dan Cooper said officials immediately launched an inspection after concerns were raised.
“Straight away we asked our team to go and have a look at the surface there,” Cooper said.
“The head groundsman reported an issue was found so I suggested with the BHA stewards that this was formal inspection grounds.”
“We looked at the track and decided that there is a significant drainage issue, there seems to be a hole from drainage on our track that’s caused the misstep.”
“Therefore this wouldn’t be safe to race on today. We couldn’t continue to race on this track.”
Footage from the inspection showed grounds staff able to push an arm deep into the affected area, sparking immediate safety concerns.
BREAKING: The 14:20, 16:05 & 17:15 (Races 2, 5 & 7) at Haydock have been abandoned after this gaping hole emerged on the track ❌ Mental stuff. pic.twitter.com/So2V9NPgTW
— BAR 1 Betting (@BAR1Betting) May 23, 2026
Cooper later confirmed the meeting could not safely continue on the outer circuit, resulting in races two, five and seven being abandoned altogether.
Some races were later transferred to the inner straight course after an emergency inspection, although officials conceded there were insufficient resources and staffing available to safely prepare the bends for the remainder of the program.
The incident has again raised questions around track maintenance and safety standards in Britain, particularly at Haydock, with similar issues having impacted meetings at the venue in recent seasons.
A formal inquiry from the British Horseracing Authority is expected in the coming days as officials attempt to determine the cause of the issue and prevent a repeat moving forward.
