Second check needed at Uttoxeter

Uttoxeter will stage a further inspection at 7.30am in the hope of staging tomorrow’s jump fixture.

The course was found to be raceable under the fleece covers at 4pm on Thursday, with the going described as heavy.

However, temperatures were set to drop as low as -4C or even -6C overnight and they will struggle to get above freezing on Friday.

“We are raceable at the moment. We’ve had five millimetres of rain, sleet and snow, but nothing has settled,” said clerk of the course Charlie Moore.

“It is just a question of how cold and for how long it is overnight and then concerns about the daytime temperatures tomorrow.

“What the covers have been doing is maintaining the soil temperature, so where it is covered the soil is warmer so it is going to take more to freeze it.

“And also the fleece does take the first impact of the frost.”