Cold weather continues to plague race meets
All-weather action looks set to take centre stage in Britain for the next few days with National Hunt venues feeling the effects of the current cold snap.
Along with Irish venue Naas, Southwell is the only surviving meeting this afternoon after Plumpton's card was abandoned earlier than their scheduled 8am inspection.
The Sussex venue has had the protection of covers since Friday but after two successive nights of temperatures as low as minus six, clerk of the course Mark Cornford felt he had little option but to call off the card.
"We've had the frost protection covers down and they do a job, but after two very cold nights the frost has worked its way in there," said Cornford.
"Some parts of the track are not too bad but I pulled the covers back this morning and in areas where we are lacking some grass, it was seriously frozen."
Wolverhampton and the newly-added card at Lingfield fly the flag on Monday with both Ludlow and Taunton failing to beat the frost.
Ludlow failed to pass an 8am inspection and clerk of the course Bob Davies said: "On parts of the track last night temperatures got to as low as minus 10 and the frost is in the ground two inches.
"It might not be as cold tonight but it is irrelevant as it is still going to be round about freezing. We had no chance."
It is a similar story at Taunton with their clerk of the course Michael Trickey also deciding to draw stumps early.
"It's bad news I'm afraid. We had minus five and a half degrees overnight and the forecast is for plus one at best today, so we have no chance," said Trickey.
"We had covers down on the take-offs and landings and there was even frost underneath those."
Looking even further ahead, Leicester officials have already announced an 8.15am inspection for Monday to assess the prospects of racing on Tuesday.
Clerk of the course Jimmy Stevenson said: "We had minus three last night and we couldn't race today.
"It is forecast to be slightly less cold tonight but it could be minus five on Monday night so we will just have to see what the morning brings. Things need to improve."
Sedgefield's Tuesday card also hinges on a Monday check, with clerk of the course Charlie Moore electing to look at 11.30am.
"We are unraceable at present but there is a school of thought that says temperatures will rise tonight with a band of drizzle, sleet or even snow passing through," said Moore.
"It all depends what the temperatures do once that has gone through but we are forecast anything from minus three to plus five so it is hard to say.
"If we pass the inspection which I would like to hope we will, we will probably have to have a precautionary inspection on Tuesday morning as there is forecast to be more frost on Monday night."
