Frost threat to three cross-channel meetings
Wetherby, Huntingdon and Kempton have all been forced to check conditions after three of yesterday’s meetings were lost due to frost.
Officials at Wetherby and Huntingdon will be the first to inspect, with a decision on racing due to be made at 7.30am.
Despite passing an inspection this morning, Christopher Tetley, clerk of the course at Wetherby, is unsure if they will be able to stage today’s card, which features the Grade Two skybet.com Castleford Chase.
He said: “We are forecast anything from minus three to minus five, and it will be touch and go.”
Huntingdon, though, are slightly more optimistic of their meeting going ahead.
“It was very cold last night but it is a bright sunny day today and it is not forecast to be as cold tonight - temperatures should be no lower than minus one,” said clerk of the course Fiona Needham.
“However, we are going to have to keep an eye on the weather and we will take a precautionary look at 7.30.”
Kempton will look half an hour later at 8am ahead of their meeting, which features the Stan James Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase. The track passed an inspection yesterday morning.
“We have had the same sort of forecast for tonight as we had last night, with the possibility of temperatures going down to minus three,” said clerk of the course Brian Clifford.
“The temperatures are due to rise from mid-day onwards and hopefully we should be fine again, but we are always slightly more vulnerable on the second day because the condition of the track is less good.
“We are bringing in additional staff tonight to bring the track back to as good a condition as we can get it. The most vulnerable areas will be sheeted over again and I’m as hopeful as I can be.”
Officials at Ayr, though, anticipate no problems, with a warm front expected to hit the west of Scotland overnight.
Clerk of the course Anthea Morshead, said: “The Met Office say we are due to get some rain later in the night. We will get below freezing, with a ground temperature of around minus one, from 8pm tonight.
“It will be below freezing for around five hours, but by 7am it is meant to be around plus two or three degrees, with temperatures around plus six of seven by race time.
“We are perfectly raceable this afternoon and based on the forecast I do not anticipate any problems, so will not be holding an inspection.”
Today’s other meeting in the UK takes place at Wolverhampton on the all-weather. The action there starts at 12.40.
