Precautionary inspection called for Market Rasen

LONDON: Market Rasen’s meeting will be subject to a precautionary morning inspection on Saturday (today) because of the threat of further wintry weather overnight.

Clerk of the course

Jack Pryor remains confident, however, that the seven-race card – set to feature the Listed Alan Swinbank Mares’

Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race – will beat the cold snap.

The ground is currently described as soft, heavy in places at the Lincolnshire venue – where the inspection will take place at 8am.

Speaking on Friday lunchtime, Pryor said: “The track is perfectly raceable at the moment.

“We’ve had no frost, no snow – I know a lot of Lincolnshire have had snow, but it’s absolutely fine here this morning.

“It’s just that the forecast is suggesting that there are potentially some wintry showers around tomorrow morning, and we just didn’t want to get caught out if the snow did start to settle in the early hours.”

Fog was also slow to clear on Friday morning, with temperatures forecast to reach a high of only 1C but up to 3C by midday on Saturday – after a potentially frosty start.

No inspection is in place for Warwick’s seven-race card, which includes three graded contests and is also due to take place on ground described as soft, heavy in places.

Sunday’s meeting at Kelso has been abandoned after an inspection on Friday morning because of “waterlogged areas currently frozen, more rain forecast to come with the thaw”.