Wetherby and Folkestone call further inspections

Officials at Wetherby and Folkestone will hold further inspections this morning to assess the prospects for this afternoon’s meetings at both tracks.

Folkestone will hold a further inspection at 10am with Wetherby holding theirs a half hour earlier.

Temperatures dipped below freezing last night at Folkestone and an initial 7.30am inspection proved inconclusive, with officials now planning a later look.

Clerk of the course at Folkestone Chris Stickels said: “We are going to have another look. Temperatures got down to minus three overnight but they are rising so we are confident that we will be able to race.”

At Wetherby, temperatures were lower than expected last night and Tim Betteridge, chief executive at the track, admits it is “touch and go” whether they race at present.

“It’s been a sharper than expected frost overnight and temperatures went down to about minus four,” he said.

“We will be taking another look later this morning but it could be touch and go at present as their is some cloud cover which means the sun is not getting through.”