Cheltenham card subject to second inspection

Friday card must pass 10.30am check.

Officials at Cheltenham are hopeful Friday’s meeting will go ahead as scheduled despite calling a second morning inspection for 10.30am.

Day one of the International meeting was first subject to a 7.30am precautionary check – and despite temperatures at Prestbury Park dipping to as low as minus 7.5C overnight, clerk of the course Jon Pullin was encouraged by what he found.

However, with the frost covers yet to be fully lifted, Pullin will check on conditions once more mid-morning before making a final call.

He said: “We’ve lifted the covers and checked this morning and everywhere we have checked has been perfectly raceable.

“We just want to give ourselves the opportunity to have a proper look once the covers have been lifted to make sure there’s no surprises there.”

The first of six races at Cheltenham is due to get under way at 12.40pm.

Friday’s other jumps fixtures at Bangor and Doncaster are also subject to morning inspections, at 8am and 9am respectively.

Officials at Navan will inspect at noon on Friday ahead of Saturday’s card, while the high-profile meeting at Punchestown on Sunday – due to feature the Grade One John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase – will need to pass a noon inspection on Saturday.

Brendan Sheridan, clerk of the course for the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, said: “Following overnight snow and severe frost, Punchestown is unraceable.

“With the forecast remaining very cold for the next few days and severe frost each night we will have an official inspection at 12pm on Saturday in advance of racing on Sunday.

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