Warwick 'more optimistic' of Saturday card beating the weather

FESTIVAL VICTOR: Myretown, seen here winning the Ultima Handicap Chase at last year's Cheltenham Festival, is due to contest the Classic Chase at Warwick on Saturday. Picture: Healy Racing

Warwick appears to hold the best chance of staging jumps action in Britain on Saturday, with Kempton in the balance and Wetherby already off.

With Cheltenham Festival winner Myretown and L'Homme Presse due to take part in the feature Classic Chase, Warwick officials are desperate to get the meeting on but while the thaw has started, there is a band of rain forecast which could possibly turn to snow on the way.

Warwick's clerk of the course Nessie Chanter said: "I'm much more optimistic than I was yesterday.

"We stole a bit of a night last night as we were due sub-zero temperatures but it remained above freezing, so we're further ahead than we thought we'd be.

"It's looking fine on the fresh ground, it's just the worn areas it (frost) hasn't quite lifted out of.

"We're obviously due this band of rain tomorrow afternoon and Thursday night and if that stays as rain I'm cautiously optimistic that we might squeeze across the line, but if that turns to snow overnight it might just scupper us."

Barney Clifford at Kempton has called a 2pm inspection on Thursday for the Lanzarote Hurdle meeting.

"We've had no improvement at all from 2pm Tuesday to 2pm Wednesday, so I've called an inspection for 2pm on Thursday to ascertain if there's been any improvement in that 24 hours," he said.

"Then we'll see where we are and we'll take it stage by stage.

"Even though it is 5C, I've seen no improvement from yesterday to today so unless it improves significantly in the next 24 hours...but we've still got a 0C tonight so we'll see how we go."

Wetherby remains frozen despite temperatures reaching 6C on Wednesday and with an "unfavourable forecast" over the coming days, clerk of the course Jonjo Sanderson cancelled the meeting following a 3.30pm inspection.

Friday's jumps card at Southwell is still on currently but the track is reported to be unraceable, while Huntingdon will inspect at 9am on Thursday for Friday.

Exeter's Friday meeting must survive an inspection at 4pm on Thursday with heavy rain expected.

Taunton and Ffos Las anticipate no problems ahead of their Thursday cards but Catterick has already been abandoned.