Chepstow given thumbs-up

This afternoon’s high-profile meeting at Chepstow has been given the go-ahead after passing a fourth inspection at 11.30am.

Overnight temperatures reached a low of around minus 3C, which led to an inconclusive first precautionary inspection at 8am.

It was a similar story when officials assessed the track at 9.15am and 10.30am.

However, clerk of the course Tim Long has now been able to give the Coral Welsh National fixture the green light as temperatures continue to rise.

Long said: “We’ve walked the course with a number of trainers and jockeys and they are all happy to go ahead.

“We will omit the final fence in the first race as it is still slightly frozen on the take-off side, but we will review it as the day progresses.

“We’ve also taken out the third-last flight of hurdles.”