Jumps action abandoned in the UK
Punters will have to endure a blank day on the jumps front in the UK after both of today’s meetings were cancelled due to the wintry weather.
Folkestone were first to call off their meeting early this morning while Wetherby soon followed suit, abandoning their fixture at 9.30 after unexpected snow hit the West Yorkshire venue overnight.
“We have had to abandon as it is still snowing and it keeps laying,” said spokesman James Sanderson.
“The Met Office has said that it will continue to snow for the next couple of hours and while the sun may come out after that, we can expect further showers through the day. On the basis of that we had no option but to call it off.”
The weather claimed Folkestone’s meeting before clerk of the course Chris Stickels held his planned 7.30am inspection.
“We had 13 millimetres of rain overnight which has caused some waterlogging and now there is snow on the track so we have had to abandon,” he explained.
Today’s meeting on the all-weather at Southwell will go ahead though with no problems anticipated at the track.
The weather that has gripped the country for the last 11 days could also have an impact on tomorrow’s fixtures with Ludlow having called a precautionary inspection for 7.30am due to the threat of frost.
Temperatures are set to dip below freezing tonight so clerk of the course Bob Davies will take a look early tomorrow.
He explained: “Tonight’s weather very much depends on which forecast you look at.
“It is due to be somewhere between minus two and minus five tonight with the first forecast giving us a warmer day tomorrow than the second prediction.
“We will have to check the forecast again this afternoon then we will know more but if we got the minus two forecast, I think we would be all right.
“We have got a covering of snow on the track but no frost and I think that snow will clear today.”
The going at Ludlow is currently described as good to soft, good in places.
