Frost finally beats Kempton
Kempton officials were beaten by the thermometer as the second day of the Stan James Christmas Festival fell by the wayside yesterday.
Having been optimistic that racing could go ahead when the first inspection of the track took place at 8am, clerk of the course Brian Clifford was forced to admit defeat after looking at the course again at 10am, 11am and finally noon.
Although a few hundred punters did stay at the track to enjoy the remaining racing action on TV, the loss of the fixture was a bitter disappointment, with many only learning of the abandonment as they arrived at the entrance gates.
“There were still patches of ground around the course that were frozen and it wouldn’t have been safe to race,” Clifford said.
Of the five British meetings scheduled to take place, only Ayr and Wolverhampton went ahead.
