Green light for Cheltenham

This afternoon’s meeting at the Cheltenham Festival has survived an early-morning inspection and goes ahead as scheduled.

Although overnight temperatures dipped to a shuddering minus 7C, clerk of the course Simon Claisse was able to give the fixture the thumbs-up at first light.

The chase course and hurdles course have been passed fit – with the going good to soft, soft in places – but the cross-country track, due to stage the Glenfarclas Handicap Chase, must still pass an 11am inspection.

Claisse said: ``The frost covers have done their job marvellously well.

“Without the wind-chill, we should really be surviving those sorts of temperatures at this time of the year.

“Everything is hunky-dory under the covers, so we’ve had a good couple of days.

“We are due to get up to 5-6C today, with the possibility of between three and four millimetres of rainfall.”

Meanwhile this afternoon’s jumps meeting at Hexham has been abandoned due to a frozen track.

Course officials moved forward an intended 8am inspection after overnight temperatures fell to minus 4C.

The situation was also exacerbated by a significant wind-chill, which left clerk of the course Fiona Needham with no choice other than to draw stumps.