Cold snap causing havoc for National Hunt racing

PA Sport Reporters
January 16, 2024 3:38 pm

Lingfield’s valuable Friday fixture of the Winter Million Festival is now in doubt.

Officials at Lingfield have admitted they will need “the best of the forecast” after calling an inspection for 8.30am on Wednesday ahead of day one of the track’s Winter Million Festival on Friday.

The Surrey circuit is due to play host to a quality three-day fixture, with high-class jumps cards on Friday and Sunday sandwiching a morning all-weather meeting on Saturday.

The Grade Two Lightning Novices’ Chase and the GBP 100,000 Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Hurdle are due to take place on Friday – but with parts of the track frozen on Tuesday afternoon and further sub-zero temperatures forecast, the card appears to be under serious threat.

“We got down to minus 7C last night and we have frost under the fleece that we used to cover the whole track on Saturday,” said clerk of the course Stephanie Wethered.

“We’ve called an inspection following that, and with the ongoing freezing temperatures this week. We’re forecast minus 2C tonight and then minus 5C on Wednesday and Thursday night.

“We’ll need the best of the forecast for Friday’s fixture.”

Temperatures are due to rise later in the week, giving Wethered optimism that the weekend action will go ahead as scheduled.

She added: “The weather is going to change for Saturday and Sunday’s racing, hopefully.”

The current cold snap will have a major impact on the jumps racing programme across the country in the coming days, with Tuesday’s National Hunt meetings at Chepstow and Plumpton both abandoned due to frozen ground.

Hopes of any racing over obstacles taking place on Wednesday hinge on a precautionary 8am check at Southwell, with the team at Newbury making an early decision to draw stumps on Tuesday afternoon ahead of their scheduled fixture.

Thursday’s meetings at Newcastle and Wincanton have already been called off, while Fairyhouse’s card on the same day is subject to a noon inspection on Wednesday.

Brendan Sheridan, IHRB clerk of the course, said on Tuesday morning: “The track is currently unfit for racing due to overnight frost.

“Parts of the track are frozen following two nights of low temperatures, with last night getting down to at least minus 3C.

“We don’t have the most favourable forecast with temperatures only rising to a high of 2C for a couple of hours today before dropping again tonight back to minus 3C.

“In light of that forecast, and due to the current ground conditions, we will have a 12pm inspection on Wednesday to assess the prospects of racing here at Fairyhouse on Thursday.”