Snow forces Ludlow inspection

Officials at Ludlow will stage an inspection at noon on Sunday to assess the prospects of racing on Monday.

The Shropshire venue was hit by substantial snowfall on Friday and a sharp frost overnight means clerk of the course Bob Davies is not too optimistic.

“We had a sharp snow shower yesterday and we have almost an inch of snow laying on the track,” said Davies.

“We had a -4C frost last night and we are due another frost tonight, so the forecast obviously isn’t the best. We’ll have a look tomorrow but we need things to go our way.”

Meanwhile, today’s fixture at Uttoxeter has been given the go-ahead after the track passed a 10am precautionary inspection.

Although overnight temperatures dipped to around minus 4.5C, frost covers over the entirety of the course helped defeat the spectre of abandonment.

The meeting still required two inspections, the first being at 8am, before racing could be given the seal of approval.

Clerk of the course Charlie Moore said: “The sheets are coming up and the ground is fine. We’ve got three hours of above-freezing temperatures so we are fit for racing.

“The groundstaff have been absolute heroes – they’ve put down forty rolls of fleece on the track and deserve all the credit.”

The ground is officially heavy, soft in places.