Haydock Park is set to resume racing on Friday, August 7 after officials traced May’s track hole to a fissure linked to historic mining activity.
Our investigations have narrowed down the cause of the issue to a fissure associated with historic mining activity in the area
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 1, 2026
The Merseyside course has been off limits for racing since the issue emerged in May, with July 2, 3 and 4 fixtures already moved while investigations continued.
The latest update means the July 17 and 18 fixtures will not go ahead at Haydock. The July 18 card has been switched to Nottingham, while plans for the July 17 meeting are still being finalised. The post-racing Madness concert scheduled for July 18 remains due to take place at Haydock.
July cancellations leave August as the target
Clerk of the course Daniel Cooper said the investigations had narrowed the problem to a fissure associated with historic mining in the area, with elements of an earlier repair deteriorating and creating instability beneath the turf.
Cooper said independent structural engineers had helped trace the fissure and that the racecourse would replace the previous repair with a more durable solution. A ground-penetrating radar survey has also been carried out across the full course.
At The Races reported that officials expect racing to return on the inner course for a two-day meeting in early August, allowing the outer course more recovery time after the repair work.
