Kempton frozen off
Heavy snow at Kempton has led to the abandonment of tomorrow’s all-weather fixture.
Clerk of the course Brian Clifford had serious concerns about the surrounding areas, and believed the situation would be “insurmountable” given time constraints for the afternoon meeting.
He said: “We’ve had eight to 10 centimetres of snow today and, taking everything into account, we have decided to abandon.
“Given the forecast, there is no guarantee the road infrastructure would be passable tomorrow and getting everyone here safely would be the main concern.
“It would be an insurmountable job to get it moved.
“We’ll look forward now to the additional fixture we have here on Tuesday for the National Hunt horses. There’s snow flurries forecast but not for the amount we have had today.”
Looking further ahead to the showpiece King George meeting on December 26, Clifford was able to issue an upbeat bulletin.
He said: “I spoke to John Kettley this afternoon and temperatures will stay cold until Thursday and Friday.
“Then into Christmas Day and Boxing Day, we could see 3C on Christmas Day and 4C on Boxing Day.
“We are in a good position, there’s no frost underneath the covers and the vulnerable areas I have checked all seem fine.
“We are still a week tomorrow away and time is on our side.”
