SportHorse racingTemple StakesHaydock Park will resume racing on August 7 after ground safety investigations forced the cancellation of July fixtures after the Temple Stakes fixture was interrupted by the discovery of a hole15:01, 01 Jul 2026Racing is set to return to Haydock Park on Friday, August 7, following extensive work to identify the cause of a hole which appeared in the track back in May.‌While the Temple Stakes meeting went ahead after sprint races were moved to the inner course on May 23, fixtures scheduled for July 2, 3 and 4 were relocated as investigations got under way.‌To facilitate the August comeback, the meetings due to be held on July 17 and 18 were also called off, with the July 18 fixture moved to Nottingham and plans for the July 17 meeting yet to be finalised. A post-racing Madness concert that had been scheduled for July 18 will still go ahead at Haydock as planned.‌Having identified what they believe to be the root cause of the hole on the outer track, officials are now confident they will be able to welcome racegoers back for the two-day fixture in early August, with racing set to take place on the inner course.Clerk of the course Daniel Cooper said: "While it is disappointing to cancel our fixtures in July, we are confident this is the right decision to allow us to work with the relevant experts to complete further investigations and carry out the recommended repair to the outer track.‌"Our investigations have narrowed down the cause of the issue to a fissure associated with historic mining activity in the area and that elements of a previous repair deteriorated, which created a pocket of instability beneath the turf, which led to the hole that appeared in May."Working with independent structural engineers and experts in this field, we have traced the fissure and will replace the previous repair with a more robust and durable solution. This will involve using a membrane and repair technique utilising modern materials and layers of material found in the natural makeup of the land.Article continues below"We also conducted a Ground Penetration Radar Survey across the entire course. As you would expect, the survey identified some anomalies which we have checked. The results will enable us to produce an up-to-date map of the racecourse to support our enhanced maintenance programme which will now be put in place."He added: "We have always been of the view that, in the interests of safety, it would not be appropriate to race on the inner course while the excavated area remained exposed on the adjacent outer course. However, having spent considerable time investigating and analysing the results we are now confident that once we have repaired and filled in the excavated areas of the outer course, we will be able to race on the inner course."While we allow the outer course time to recover from the necessary work, the team will work hard to ensure the inner course is in the best condition possible to stage all racing in the meantime."Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Daniel CooperTemple StakesHaydock Racecourse