Imperial Cup card subject to Saturday morning inspection

PA Sport Reporters
March 10, 2023 8:38 am

Rain and frost a concern at Esher venue.

Saturday’s Betfair Imperial Cup meeting at Sandown will need to pass an 8am inspection if it is to go ahead as scheduled.

Racing took place at Sandown on Tuesday, but persistent wintry showers since have eased conditions significantly and clerk of the course Andrew Cooper admitted the track would have “struggled to race” on Thursday.

With further rain forecast and temperatures set to dip below freezing on Friday night, Cooper has called an inspection for raceday morning, with the track in a “difficult situation”.

He said: “It’s clearly a case of taking stock on Saturday morning, but the immediate issues and concerns here would be rainfall and the wetness of the conditions here after the week we’ve had.

There will be an Inspection @Sandownpark at 8am on Saturday morning ahead of @Betfair Imperial Cup – to assess the impact of any further rain today but primarily in light of the potential for a sharp overnight frost.
— Andrew Cooper (@ACooperClerk) March 10, 2023

“We raced on Tuesday and the rain started in this neck of the woods after a long break without rain on Tuesday morning. We’ve now had the best part of 30 millimetres, so over an inch of rain, and there could be a bit more rain later today.

“It’s a difficult situation with challenges potentially on two fronts as we’re also forecast a sudden, sharp frost here tonight.

“The general appraisal is we could get down to minus 2C. It could be less than that or it could be sharper than that, we’ll just have to see.

“It’s a combination of things really.”

Racing at Ayr goes ahead on Friday, but an inspection has been called ahead of Saturday's card — Racing at Ayr goes ahead on Friday, but an inspection has been called ahead of Saturday’s card (Jeff Holmes/PA)

With two inches of snow on the track, officials at Leicester had no option but to abandon Friday’s card, but there was better news north of the border, with racing at Ayr given the go-ahead.

The Scottish venue is also due to stage a Saturday fixture, which is subject to a precautionary inspection at 8.30am due to a forecast of overnight temperatures dipping to as low as minus 3C.

Friday’s all-weather meeting at Wolverhampton must pass a second morning inspection at 10am, while Saturday’s jumps card at Hereford hinges on a 9.30am check on Friday.

There are also concerns in Ireland with Navan’s Saturday meeting, which is due to feature the Grade Two Webster Cup Chase, subject to a 7.30am inspection.