Plumpton and Carlisle abandon as freeze takes hold

Monday’s Fairyhouse card survives – but Wednesday’s is off, with the inside track waterlogged.

Monday’s scheduled jumps meetings at Plumpton and Carlisle were both abandoned as the forecast freezing temperatures began to take hold in Britain.

Both cards were subject to early-morning inspections, and neither passed – with Carlisle frozen, and the frost at Plumpton compounded by a covering of snow.

In Ireland, the Monday card at Fairyhouse did pass its morning inspection – but it was announced at the same time that Wednesday’s scheduled meeting there will not take place, because the inside track set to be used then is waterlogged.

The racing week is therefore set to start with Fairyhouse’s surviving jumps meeting, for which the ground is heavy – while in Britain, a jumpers bumper meeting at Newcastle and an all-weather evening Flat card at Wolverhampton remain scheduled.

A raft of further inspections are already in place for the remainder of the week, and more appear inevitable, with the freezing temperatures forecast to be unrelenting.

At Carlisle, a 7am Twitter update confirmed the abandonment and described the course as “frozen on the morning of racing”.

Plumpton’s official account was also able to make an early announcement.

It read: “We’ve had to abandon today’s fixture due to frost in the ground and snow on top, with no prospect for improvement.”

Follow us on Twitter racing365dotcom and like our Facebook page.

Latest