Thaw the key to Wetherby hopes

Officials at Wetherby are hoping the thaw continues to allow tomorrow’s meeting, featuring the re-arranged WBX.COM “Fighting Fifth” Hurdle, to go ahead.

There is still some snow on the track but rising temperatures are giving cause for optimism.

“We are thawing out. First thing this morning we still had a 50% covering of snow on the course,” said clerk of the course Jonjo Sanderson.

“We’ve had a little light drizzle and it’s about five degrees, so it is moving. It’s going to be a bit of a waiting game.

“The forecast is positive. Today is cloudy with the odd bit of sunshine and maybe a little sleety rain late morning.

“We are set to have positive temperatures overnight then maybe six or seven degrees tomorrow.

We think we will get a lot of snow shifted today. There was some improvement between lunchtime yesterday and dusk.

“If we can get a decent amount of improvement by 3.30 and four o’clock today that would be encouraging and then we can maybe take a look first thing in the morning.

“We’ll put an announcement out after lunch early afternoon just to let people know what’s happened by that stage.”

The “Fighting Fifth” was switched to the West Yorkshire course after the meeting at Newcastle was lost through frost last Saturday.