Weather Watch: Cheltenham optimistic for Festival Trials Day

Officials at Cheltenham are optimistic this weekend’s high-profile fixture will go ahead as scheduled with temperatures across the country set to rise in the coming days.

National Hunt fans have been starved of action in the past week, with Hereford’s meeting last Monday followed by six consecutive days of no jumps racing in Britain.

Ffos Las got the show back on the road on Monday afternoon, but Tuesday’s cards at Exeter, Leicester and a rearranged fixture at Market Rasen have all been abandoned, while racing at Warwick on Wednesday is subject to an inspection at noon on Tuesday.

Beyond that, however, forecasts suggest temperatures will stay above freezing for the remainder of the week, which will undoubtedly be a big relief to the teams at Cheltenham and Doncaster in particular.

With the Grade One Clarence House Chase saved and rescheduled from last weekend’s abandoned meeting at Ascot, Cheltenham is set to play host to a bumper nine-race card that also features a recognised Gold Cup trial in the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase and the Grade Two Cleeve Hurdle.

And while parts of the Prestbury Park circuit remained frozen on Monday afternoon, clerk of the course Jon Pullin is hopeful the weather will not pose any problems.

He said: “We’re currently frozen following some frosts over the weekend, but the situation does improve, certainly from Wednesday onwards.

“We are forecast another frost this evening, getting down to minus 3C/minus 4C, but then things improve and from Wednesday daytime temperatures are due to rise to plus 6C or plus 7C.

“We could get down to around zero on Thursday and Friday night, but again temperatures are forecast to get back up to plus 6C or 7C on Saturday. If the forecast is correct, we’re hopeful that we’ll be OK.

“We’ve got nine great races, we’re delighted with the entries and obviously we’re really pleased to be able to stage the Clarence House.”

Doncaster is set to stage a quality two-day fixture on Friday and Saturday, with Saturday’s fare particularly mouthwatering.

The £100,000 Sky Bet Chase is supported by a trio of Grade Two contests, with the presence of 2020 Champion Hurdle heroine Epatante in the Sky Bet Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle an added bonus.

Clerk of the course Paul Barker said: “We’re currently frozen in places and on the areas of the track that have thawed we’ve got good ground.

“It’s 6C today, so it’s a nice thawing day, and the forecast is saying tonight is probably the last chance of us getting a frost this week. Thereafter temperatures increase to 9C or possibly 10C on Wednesday and the thaw will continue through to racing.

“It was nice to see Epatante entered this morning and 22 stood their ground for the Sky Bet Chase. Over the two days we have some very competitive racing, which is great.”

Monday's all-weather fixture at Kempton was abandoned due to freezing fog.

The Sunbury circuit came through a 12.30pm precautionary inspection on Sunday, but a further check was announced for raceday morning and officials ultimately had no option but to call off proceedings.

Clerk of the course Barney Clifford said: “It’s 8am, we’ve got freezing fog and it’s minus 5C.

“I had to wait to get the latest update from the Met Office and it’s not forecast to clear today. It might do by 3pm, but it’s worse now than it was 7.30am.

“Hopefully we should be fine for racing on Wednesday, but this looks set in for the day. Put it this way, if I was going skiing here today you wouldn’t see much!”

There will be no National Hunt racing in Britain on Tuesday after fixtures at both Exeter and Leicester were abandoned on Monday morning due to frost.

Officials at Leicester had planned to inspect at 3.30pm, but with the track frozen and no prospect of sufficient improvement, an early decision was made.

Clerk of the course Jimmy Stevenson said: “Unfortunately there has been little improvement.

“I was hoping last night for it not to be as cold – it wasn’t as cold as it has been considering it only went down to minus 3C last night when we have been getting minus 7C and minus 8C. But unfortunately that wasn’t enough to help us out and the frost is really set in the ground now.

“It’s been in the ground now for about nine days and unfortunately the temperatures that are forecast aren’t going to help us.”

It is a similar story at Exeter, where an inspection had been announced for 4pm. However, that was brought forward to 9am and officials had to draw stumps.

It is not only jumps fixtures which are being affected by the cold snap, with Monday’s all-weather meeting at Kempton abandoned due to freezing fog.

The Sunbury circuit came through a 12.30pm precautionary inspection on Sunday, but a further check was announced for raceday morning and clerk of the course Barney Clifford ultimately had no option but to call off proceedings.

He said: “It’s 8am, we’ve got freezing fog and it’s minus 5C.

“I had to wait to get the latest update from the Met Office and it’s not forecast to clear today. It might do by 3pm, but it’s worse now than it was 7.30am.

“Hopefully we should be fine for racing on Wednesday, but this looks set in for the day. Put it this way, if I was going skiing here today you wouldn’t see much!”

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