Blank day in Britain as Wolverhampton called off

No racing will take place in Britain on Monday after Wolverhampton’s all-weather fixture failed a second inspection.

Action was not due to get under way until 4pm but following three-quarters of an inch of snow combined with an overnight temperature of -6.5C, clerk of the course Fergus Cameron was unable to give the meeting the go-ahead when officials inspected for a first time at 9.30am.

A second check was called for 11.30am and despite the best efforts of racecourse staff, they were unable to make the track fit for racing.

Meetings at Lingfield and Ludlow had already been frozen off, while Musselburgh on Tuesday has been cancelled as well.

Wednesday will also be a blank day for British jumps action after the scheduled card at Leicester was called off due to a frozen track.

Officials called an inspection for 8am on Monday to make an early assessment of conditions and with track already unraceable and further freezing temperatures forecast, clerk of the course Jimmy Stevenson felt it was a straightforward decision to cancel the card.

He said: “We have abandoned, we got down to -8C which would certainly be our coldest night of this winter so far.

“We’re forecast the same again for tomorrow and then slightly better for Wednesday but it won’t come in time for us as the frost is really in the ground now.”

Saturday’s meeting at Sandown was the last National Hunt fixture to go ahead in Britain, with the next planned cards at Taunton and Catterick on Thursday, although the last-named track has called an 8am inspection on Tuesday.