Newbury hoping course covers can help beat the cold snap

Track is due to stage high-profile card on Saturday.

Officials at Newbury have covered the entire course in a bid to give their Betfair Super Saturday meeting every chance of beating the freezing weather.

Clerk of the course Keith Ottesen was happy with the state of the track on Monday and reported the ground to be soft as they prepare for arctic conditions.

“We’ve covered the track. It’s a big job. We put them down on Sunday and we’re just finishing off in a few places today,” said Ottesen.

“It’s quite cold. We’re all right today, it’s soft ground.

“The forecast is for it to be very cold all week. We’ll just keep an eye on it and hope for the best.

“We will monitor it closely all week. We’ve done what we can and we’ll hope for the best.”

Saturday is one of Newbury’s biggest meetings of the winter, featuring the Betfair Hurdle, the Betfair Denman Chase and the Betfair Cheltenham Free Bet Pot Builder Chase, registered as the Game Spirit.

The week began on a cold note with Monday’s scheduled jumps meetings at Plumpton and Carlisle both abandoned after failing early-morning inspections.

The course at Carlisle was frozen, with 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.

Tuesday’s jumps meeting at Market Rasen has been abandoned due to snow following an inspection on Monday.

“Unfortunately following heavy snowfall overnight and this morning, the track is now snow-covered and unraceable. With further snow forecast and sub-zero temperatures between now and racing, there is little chance for improvement,” the Lincolnshire course announced on their Twitter feed.

The UK’s other jumps meeting tomorrow is at Taunton, but that is subject to a precautionary inspection at 8am on race day.

The course was frost free on Monday morning, but temperatures are set to dip to -3C overnight and are likely to struggle to get above freezing during Tuesday.

The going is described as soft, heavy in places.

Doncaster’s jumps meeting on Thursday is in doubt. Officials will look at the course at 8am on Tuesday as the track is currently unraceable.

It is waterlogged with standing water in places and a light covering of snow.

Further snow is forecast with temperatures on Tuesday not to set rise above +2C and overnight lows of -4C.

There is an inspection at 2pm on Monday at Kempton ahead of Friday’s jumps meeting.

The lake bend is waterlogged and the course is frozen in places.

The venue is also due to stage all-weather action on Tuesday, but that card is subject to an 8am check on raceday due to the threat of snow.

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Keith Ottesen

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