Aintree will step in to stage a two-day meeting on November 6th-7th featuring three graded races, including the BetMGM Haldon Gold Cup, after Exeter and Wincanton were forced to concede defeat in their battle to provide safe ground.

The ‘West Country Weekend’ featuring the Grade 2 two-mile chase a week on Friday and the Badger Chase Ladies Day at Wincanton 24 hours later will not go ahead as planned.

Instead Aintree, who were forced to abandon their Old Roan Chase card last Sunday due to high winds, will put on a bumper two-day fixture, staging all feature races from the two cancelled cards at their original prize-money levels.

The rearranged contests will complement the William Hill Molyneux Hurdle, formerly the Elite Hurdle, and bring total prize-money across the two days to £480,000.

Andrew Morris, director of racing and industry relations at the Jockey Club, said: “It is obviously disappointing for the teams at Exeter and Wincanton to lose these two fixtures, as they are such highlights of their season.

“However, our priority will always be to provide safe ground for our participants. Once it became clear that, given the current conditions and the forecast, this would not be possible, we wanted to make an early decision for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

Sulekha Varma, head of racing at the Merseyside track, was delighted the course could get the races on.

“While we are disappointed for our colleagues at Exeter and Wincanton, we’re pleased to have been able to provide an alternative home for their feature races,” said Varma.

“We’re looking forward to hosting the two-day meeting and welcoming racegoers to enjoy a high-quality programme of racing, with Friday admission available for just £10.”

The British Horseracing Authority announced further minor amendments to the fixture list owing to the dry summer, with Sandown on November 8th now an all-hurdle card, with two new hurdle races replacing the abandoned chases.