Tag Archive for: Weather

Snow falls ahead of second day of Cheltenham Festival

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After a Champion Hurdle that had to be seen to believed, there was another surprise at Cheltenham on Wednesday morning, with snow falling.

An increasingly wintry scene emerged at Prestbury Park, where the day two feature is the Queen Mother Champion Chase at 4.00pm.

Thankfully by 8.30am the snow had turned to sleet before gradually stopping with temperatures forecast to rise to 7C by the time racing begins at 1.20pm, with a fascinating clash between The New Lion and Final Demand in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle.

Clerk of the course Jon Pullin told ITV Racing: “We were forecast wintry showers and I suppose you could say this is a wintry shower, but it should in the next hour turn more sleety and then disappear.

“If the forecast is correct, there are no concerns that it should clear fairly quickly within the next two or three hours.”

Frost covers were used overnight and Pullin added: “They are in the process of taking them off now.

“It was very precautionary last night, as we were forecast a slight frost. It did dip down briefly to a minus two temperature, so we took some precautions on the take-offs and landings, just to make sure we’d be comfortable this morning.

“That did its job and they are taking them off now.

“Today, daytime temperature should be around seven degrees, potentially another little bit of frost tonight, but Thursday to Friday is looking quite cold again now, so we’ll see where we go, but it should be dry from here on in.”

Kempton and Bangor pass morning checks

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Friday’s meetings at Kempton and Bangor will go ahead as planned after both tracks passed morning inspections.

Kempton’s precautionary check was planned for 8am but officials were able to make an earlier decision as temperatures remained above freezing overnight.

Bangor’s inspection was also scheduled for 8am but they too were able to give the go-ahead earlier than expected.

The ground at Kempton is described as good to soft, while the going at Bangor is soft.

Sandown passes inspection for Saturday card

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Saturday’s meeting at Sandown will go ahead as originally planned after both the hurdles and chase tracks passed an inspection on Thursday morning.

Heavy rain earlier in the week had left the venue waterlogged in places, with the chase track rated in better shape than the hurdles course and a provisional six-race card over fences planned.

That stand-by card will not be required though, as clerk of the course Andrew Cooper found conditions to have improved with the hurdles track now fit for action and the ground reported to be heavy soft in places.

The feature event of the seven-race fixture is the Grade One Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase and the going over fences is rated slightly better as soft, heavy in places.

A statement from the track said: “Following an inspection this morning, the decision has been made to continue with our original seven-race programme on Saturday, including both hurdle and chase races.

“Whilst no further inspection is currently planned, we will continue to monitor the conditions over the next 48 hours and provide an update should it be necessary.”

Ahead of the Sandown fixture, the Esher venue has announced the reinstatement on a £100,000 bonus for any horse which wins the Betfair Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle before doubling up at the Cheltenham Festival.

The March 8 contest takes place just three days before the start of the Festival, with only three horses having won the prize when it was previously offered.

Olympian (1993 Coral Cup), Blowing Wind (1998 County Hurdle) and Gaspara (2007 Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle) all hailed from the Nicholashayne yard in Somerset belonging to the Pipe family, with Martin Pipe saddling Olympian and Blowing Wind, while Gaspara was trained by his son and successor David.

The bonus would see the winning owner take home £60,000, with £20,000 to the winning trainer, £10,000 to the winning yard and £10,000 to the winning jockey – split in half if different jockeys ride at Sandown and Cheltenham.

Sarah Drabwell, Sandown’s general manager, said: “We are delighted to reintroduce the Imperial Cup bonus this year.

“We have seen some high-quality horses win the Imperial Cup and go on to take their place at the Festival just a few days later and we hope the same happens again in 2025.

“It would take a special horse to win the bonus but it has been done before and we hope it can be done again.”

Thursday’s card at Wincanton also got the go-ahead after a morning check.

An inspection was planned for 8am but officials were able to make an earlier call, with the ground described as heavy.

Racing abandoned at waterlogged Exeter

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Wednesday’s meeting at Exeter has become the latest victim of the weather, with officials left with no option but to abandon the fixture due to a waterlogged track.

Off the back of the heavy rain of Storm Herminia, the racing programme has been interrupted this week, with Monday’s Hereford card, Leicester’s meeting on Wednesday and racing at Ffos Las on Thursday already called off.

Chepstow’s Tuesday fixture was given the go-ahead following a precautionary inspection, but the team at Exeter have made the early decision to draw stumps.

Exeter’s clerk of the course, Jason Loosemore, said: “I think we’ve had 92 millimetres of rain in total now since Friday and Sunday was probably the killer really because we had 40mm on Sunday.

“We had another 16mm yesterday (Monday) and it’s still raining here this morning. We’ve had 6mm this morning so far and it’s still raining away and it’s forecast for it to remain wet today.

“Tomorrow (Wednesday) doesn’t look as bad as first thought ironically, but nevertheless it’s still forecast to be a wet day and there is no chance of an improvement, so ultimately we’re not going to be in a different position this time tomorrow morning.

“It isn’t what we want but it is what we’ve got, sadly.”

The British Horseracing Authority has already put provisional plans in place for an all-chase card at Sandown on Saturday.

The Esher track will be subject to an inspection at 8am on Thursday, with the plan to come into place if the hurdles course is deemed unraceable. That would see three more contests over fences added, to make a six-race card.

If the meeting – which is due to host the Grade One Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase – is able to proceed as originally scheduled with both chase and hurdle races, the three additional chases will be abandoned.

Sandown ready to put on extra chases if hurdles course is unraceable

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The British Horseracing Authority has put provisional plans in place for an all-chase card at Sandown on Saturday.

The Esher track will be subject to an inspection at 8am on Thursday, with the plan to come into place if the hurdles course is deemed unraceable. That would see three more contests over fences added, to make a six-race card.

If the meeting – which is due to host the Grade One Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase – is able to proceed as originally scheduled with both chase and hurdle races, the three additional chases will be abandoned.

Chepstow will hold a precautionary inspection at 7.30am ahead of Tuesday’s jumps meeting due to forecasts showing a possible risk of more rain overnight than was originally predicted.

Monday’s meeting at Hereford was called off due to a waterlogged track.

Officials had called a 7.30am precautionary inspection after 10 millimetres of rain on Sunday afternoon, with strong winds and further rain forecast overnight.

However, an earlier decision was made with the track unraceable due to flooding on a bend and further areas of standing water.

Clerk of the course Ben Hicks said: “We have had 22mm in the last 24 hours and there’s more in the forecast, possibly another 10mm today.

“We have some flooding on the GB Liners bend and there’s no chance of improvement today.”

Waterlogging has also claimed Wednesday’s card at Leicester.

A 7.45am inspection was called and clerk of the course James Stevenson had a straightforward decision to call off the meeting.

He said: “We had 10mm overnight but we were starting off on the back foot as we were already heavy and knew we couldn’t take much more.

“We have more rain forecast and it won’t improve for Wednesday.”

There will be an inspection at Exeter at 8am on Tuesday regarding Wednesday’s fixture following a further 9mm of rainfall by mid-afternoon on Monday.

A statement on X said: “The course is currently unraceable with standing water in places. The forecast continues to have a wet outlook over the next few days.”

Thursday’s Ffos Las meeting has also been cancelled, with 62mm of rain in recent days resulting in a waterlogged track and more heavy rain forecast on Wednesday.

Waterlogging claims Hereford card

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Monday’s meeting at Hereford has been called off due to a waterlogged track.

Officials had called a 7.30am precautionary inspection after 10 millimetres of rain on Sunday afternoon, with strong winds and further rain forecast overnight.

However, an earlier decision was made with the track unraceable due to flooding on a bend and further areas of standing water.

Clerk of the course Ben Hicks said: “We have had 22mm in the last 24 hours and there’s more in the forecast, possibly another 10mm today.

“We have some flooding on the GB Liners bend and there’s no chance of improvement today.”

Waterlogging has also claimed Wednesday’s card at Leicester.

A 7.45am inspection was called and clerk of the course James Stevenson had a straightforward decision to call off the meeting.

He said: “We had 10mm overnight but we were starting off on the back foot as we were already heavy and knew we couldn’t take much more.

“We have more rain forecast and it won’t improve for Wednesday.”

Thursday’s Ffos Las meeting has also been cancelled, with 62mm of rain in recent days resulting in a waterlogged track and more heavy rain forecast on Wednesday.

Plumpton is fit for action on Monday, with the track passing a precautionary check.

The going is reported to be soft, heavy in places.

Plumpton and Hereford call precautionary inspections

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Monday’s jumps cards at Plumpton and Hereford will have to pass precautionary inspections on raceday morning.

Hereford will be the first to assess conditions at 7.30am, with the going currently reported to be good to soft, soft in places after 10 millimetres of rain by Sunday afternoon.

Further rain and strong winds are forecast overnight, prompting the need for a morning check.

It is a similar story at Plumpton, with the area under a yellow weather warning from the Met Office for strong winds and rain.

The ground is described as soft, good to soft in places with an 8.30am inspection planned.

Wednesday’s meeting at Leicester is also under threat with a 7.45am check called for Monday.

Heavy rain is forecast on Sunday night, with the hurdles track heavy and the chase course soft, heavy in places.

Cheltenham conditions to ease as Storm Eowyn rolls in

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Cheltenham are likely to miss the worst of the weather as Storm Eowyn strikes on Friday ahead of Festival Trials Day on Saturday.

The card is the final meeting at the track before the Festival and features seven races, including five at Grade Two level.

The Betfair Cotswold Chase and the Unibet Hurdle are among them, the latter race set to feature the great Constitution Hill.

The weather could be challenging, however, with Storm Eowyn set to roll in over Britain and bring with it incredibly strong winds and in some places a Met Office red weather warning.

Friday is forecast to see the worst of the weather and Cheltenham only has a yellow warning, meaning conditions should be more settled when the meeting gets underway.

“The ground is currently soft, good to soft in places,” said Jon Pullin, clerk of the course at the track.

“We’re having a little shower or two at the moment, which was forecast, we could get two or three millimetres and then it dries up for the afternoon.

“The storm builds and moves in through the night, and overnight we see wind speeds increase with gusts of 45 to 50 miles an hour.

“The odd forecast has got in excess of 50 miles an hour, so we’re certainly expecting a pretty windy night and some heavier spells of rain to come with that.

“Some forecasts have a below double-digit rainfall and some have a little bit more, eight to 15 millimetres through the night and into the morning.

“Conditions are highly likely to ease from where we are currently. The rain then dies out by tomorrow morning and the winds continue to a lesser degree throughout the early afternoon.

“By the late afternoon everything has calmed down and the forecast looks very settled for Saturday itself.”

Friday’s meeting at Dundalk has been cancelled as the area is under a red warning.

Lingfield, Doncaster, Sandown and Southwell are all expected to race, although the tracks will be monitoring the situation.

Warwick’s Classic Chase meeting abandoned

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Officials at Warwick have been left “gutted” after being forced to admit defeat in the battle to get their Unibet Classic Chase card on this weekend.

Like many courses, the battle has not just been on one front with snow, ice and frost causing difficulties.

An inspection was held at 8am on Thursday ahead of declarations for Saturday’s card but it did not take long for clerk of the course Nessie Chanter to announce her decision.

With successive very cold nights of minus 4C to come, there was little hope of improvement.

As well as the Classic Chase there was the Grade Two TrustATrader Hampton Novices’ Chase and the rescheduled Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase Final on the card meaning over £300,000 in prize-money was up for grabs.

“We’re gutted,” said Chanter. “Temperatures reached minus 4C last night and they are not due to rise above freezing until midday.

“We’re only going to get a high of 2C when it does get above zero so it leaves us with little choice really but to pull the plug because there’s going to be no significant chance of improvement.

“There may be plans afoot to save some of the races but I’m not in a position to confirm any.”

Wetherby’s meeting on Saturday had already been abandoned, although Kempton is currently deemed as raceable after flooded parts of the track receded. No inspection has been announced so far at the Sunbury track.

Ffos Las has been added to the fixture list as prospects there remain high, with the Towton Novices’ Chase moved from Wetherby to the new fixture.

The meeting at Kelso on Sunday faces an 8am inspection on Friday, with the all-weather action at Lingfield on Friday subject to a precautionary inspection at 7.30am.

Towton moved to new fixture at Ffos Las this weekend

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The Grade Two Towton Novices’ Chase will be run at Ffos Las on Saturday, after the British Horseracing Authority announced two additional fixtures in light of the continued cold weather.

With officials at Wetherby making an early decision to abandon this weekend’s Towton meeting and high-profile cards at Kempton and Warwick also under threat, the BHA has moved to ensure some National Hunt action will take place following a blank Saturday last week.

Ffos Las is now due to stage a seven-race card with the ability to divide to eight, with the Towton Novices’ Chase the feature having been saved. Entries will close at 12pm on Thursday, with declarations to be made by 10am on Friday.

A BHA statement read: “The track at Ffos Las is currently raceable and offered the most realistic opportunity to get a jumps fixture on, with the latest forecast giving the fixture every chance of going ahead.

“While we are aware there remains an element of risk that adverse weather may result in these conditions changing, we feel it is important to put an opportunity in place to help provide jumps racing for participants and customers on Saturday afternoon.”

An additional afternoon all-weather meeting at Chelmsford has also been added, while Newcastle’s card that was previously scheduled to begin at 3.50pm will be brought forward approximately two hours to an earlier start time.

Freezing temperatures have decimated the racing programme in recent days. Taunton was a rare survivor on Wednesday, but Thursday’s meetings at Catterick and Newbury have been abandoned and scheduled cards at Doncaster and Huntingdon on Friday have also fallen by the wayside.

Wetherby’s clerk of the course Jonjo Sanderson said that prospects of racing in West Yorkshire on Saturday were “slimmer than me” earlier in the week, and he faced a straightforward decision following a 3.30pm inspection on Wednesday.

Sanderson said: “We’ve got snow, we’re frozen and we’re waterlogged, so it wasn’t a difficult decision!

“There’s still a huge amount of snow on the back straight particularly and we’ve also got widespread waterlogging down the back straight which over the past couple of days has slowly frozen over.

“Last night we had temperatures of minus 3.5C, so we’ve got ice that’s half an inch thick and basically an enormous frozen lake in the back straight.

“Underneath that you’ve still got water sitting on the track, so we need the ice to thaw, the water to drain and all that has got to happen before Saturday in temperatures of minus 5C, which is largely impossible.”

Warwick’s Classic Chase meeting on Saturday is also under serious threat, with an inspection called for 8am on Thursday. The course was unraceable on Wednesday due to areas of surface water on the hurdle track and frozen areas on the chase track.

No inspection has been announced at this stage ahead of a Kempton card featuring the Grade Two Silviniaco Conti Chase, but the track is forecast between three and five centimetres of snow on Wednesday night followed by three successive nights of sub-zero temperatures.

Freezing weather claims jumps cards on Thursday and Friday

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There will be no jumps racing on Thursday or Friday with frozen tracks claiming cards at Newbury, Doncaster and Huntingdon.

Only Ayr has staged National Hunt action so far this week and while Wednesday’s fixture at Taunton goes ahead as planned, another blank spell will end the working week.

Newbury’s clerk of the course George Hill had planned an inspection at 8.30am ahead of Thursday’s card, but was able to make a slightly earlier decision following temperatures of -3C overnight.

He said: “The forecast has unfortunately proved correct, we got down to -3C and it has been freezing since 9pm or 10pm.

“The course is frozen in places and we are forecast 1C or 2C today with the possibility of sleet or snow showers tonight and another freezing night.

“With temperature of 2C or 3C forecast tomorrow, it just won’t be enough”

It is a similar story at Doncaster, where clerk David Attwood has made an early call ahead of Friday’s meeting.

He said: “We got down to -2C and there is still some snow on the course from Sunday which prevented us from fleecing the track, along with the area of waterlogged ground on Bawtry Road, which is also frozen now.

“We are forecast -4C tonight and the same tomorrow, possibly even -5C, so we thought it best to take an early decision now.”

Huntingdon were also scheduled to race over jumps on Friday, but clerk of the course Andrew Morris admitted cancellation was fairly “inevitable” after flooding at the track earlier in the week.

He said: “A bit of an inevitable decision. A combination of the home straight flooding on Monday and though some of that flooding has receded, but there are still areas of the track that would not be safe to race on now.

“And on top of that we’ve had a frost overnight, so it is now frozen in places as well.

“The forecast for the next two days is for even colder temperatures and it is a fairly consistent forecast, so there’s really no prospect for improvement.”

Thursday’s other planned card at Catterick was called off on Tuesday.

Wetherby’s card on Saturday is under threat after an inspection was called for 3.30pm on Wednesday afternoon with prospects also looking bleak at Warwick ahead of its Classic Chase meeting.

An inspection has been called for 8am on Thursday.

Taunton passes morning check

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Wednesday’s meeting at Taunton goes ahead after the track passed a precautionary morning inspection.

Officials called the 7am check due to “variable forecasts” for the overnight weather ahead of a six-race jumps card.

While temperatures did drop to -1C, the track is reported to be raceable with the going described as soft, good to soft in places.

The National Hunt programme has been heavily impacted in recent days by the cold weather, with Monday’s meeting at Ayr the only jumps action so far this week.

Flooding claims Hereford jumps card

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Poor weather continues to play havoc with National Hunt racing, with Tuesday’s meeting at Hereford the latest to be abandoned due to a waterlogged track.

Significant flooding in several areas left course officials with no alternative but to cancel the six-race card following a lunchtime inspection.

With Leicester having already been called off for the same reason over the weekend, that leaves a void of afternoon racing, with Wolverhampton’s all-weather Flat fixture not starting until 4.30pm.

Thursday’s jumps card at Catterick, which features the North Yorkshire Grand National, is already under threat, with an inspection to be held at 7.45am on Tuesday due to current snow cover and forecast significant frost.

Clerk of the course Fiona Needham said: “To be fair, the snow I wouldn’t be so fussed about, I think if that went, that would be all right, but it’s the incoming frost.

“With all that moisture in the ground, it’s going to freeze solid isn’t it. That’s why I’m looking in the morning, but everybody knows about the weather and I don’t think anybody will be surprised.”

Clonmel’s meeting on Thursday has already been called off with the track covered in snow and unlikely to improve in time for racing.

Clerk of the course Lorcan Wyer said: “Following adverse weather over the weekend, unfortunately the track at Clonmel is unfit for racing at present due to a covering of snow.

“The current weather forecast is for temperatures to remain very low and dropping as low as -7C in the Clonmel area this week.

“Due to the current conditions and the forecast for the coming days, the fixture scheduled for Thursday has been cancelled.

“The team at Clonmel are working with Horse Racing Ireland regarding a new date for this meeting.”

Monday’s jumps meeting at Ludlow was abandoned due to a waterlogged track but Ayr did go ahead.

Taunton is scheduled to be the only National Hunt fixture on Wednesday, with the going described as soft following 40 millimetres of rain in recent days and the take-offs and landings being covered.

Waterlogging claims Ludlow card

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Monday’s meeting at Ludlow has been called off due to a waterlogged track.

The seven-race National Hunt card was subject to a 7am inspection with two inches of snow at the course on Sunday, but it is waterlogging that has claimed the fixture.

In a post on X, the track said: “Unfortunately, due to waterlogging and no improvement in the forecast we are very sorry to have to abandon today’s fixture.”

Officials at Ayr were also due to inspect at 7am due to the threat of snow and freezing temperatures, but that check was brought forward and the track is fit for action, with the going described as soft, heavy in places.

Jumps racing has been restricted in recent days due to the weather as both Friday and Saturday were blank days due to cancellations, while Sunday’s Chepstow card was abandoned after two races due to unsafe conditions.

Clonmel’s meeting on Thursday has already been called off with the track covered in snow and unlikely to improve in time for racing.

Clerk of the course Lorcan Wyer said: “Following adverse weather over the weekend, unfortunately the track at Clonmel is unfit for racing at present due to a covering of snow.

“The current weather forecast is for temperatures to remain very low and dropping as low as -7C in the Clonmel area this week.

“Due to the current conditions and the forecast for the coming days, the fixture scheduled for Thursday has been cancelled.

“The team at Clonmel are working with Horse Racing Ireland regarding a new date for this meeting.”

Cold snap means Sandown card hinges on morning inspection

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Saturday’s Sandown fixture is subject to a precautionary inspection on raceday morning as the cold snap continues to bite in Britain.

Friday’s Musselburgh card was called off less than 10 minutes before the first race due to a frozen track, while Saturday’s National Hunt fixture at Newcastle was abandoned following a lunchtime inspection with the ground unlikely to improve in time for racing.

Sandown is set to the host the British weekend highlight in the shape of the £100,000 Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase and although the course was raceable on Friday afternoon, clerk of the course Andrew Cooper will assess conditions at 7.30am on Saturday, with temperatures forecast to dip below freezing again.

He said: “I think it’s sensible given the uncertainty of the overnight temperatures at the moment and the impact that has.

“We had our coldest night of the winter so far last night, we went as low as minus 2.5C, but we got up to 6C this afternoon and the track was raceable by mid-afternoon.

“I would say we’ve covered about 25 per cent of the course – we’ve got the frost covers down on the areas that don’t see much daylight, such as in front of the stands.

“We’re forecast a possible low of minus 1C overnight and there is a slight risk of some mist or fog in the morning, so we still need a little bit of luck and it seems sensible to look at 7.30am.”

Wincanton’s Saturday card is also subject to a precautionary check at 8am, with temperatures forecast to potentially reach minus 3C overnight. Cork will also inspect at 8am ahead of the planned National Hunt card.

Sunday’s Grade One fixture at Naas hinges on a 7.30am raceday inspection.

The seven-race meeting is spearheaded by the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle, a top-level contest won by the likes of Envoi Allen and Bob Olinger in recent years, with able support from the Grade Two Racing Post Novice Chase.

Clerk of the course Brendan Sheridan reported the course to be raceable on Friday despite an overnight frost, but with snow a possibility on Saturday night, conditions will be assessed further on Sunday.

He said: “The ground at Naas is currently soft and fit for racing. There is a grass frost at present but that will clear quite quickly today.

“Having spoken with Met Éireann this morning, the forecast for Saturday night into Sunday morning is for rain, sleet or snow. There is an uncertainty at present what will fall so in light of that forecast we will have a 7.30am inspection here at Naas on Sunday morning.”

Tuesday’s meeting at Leicester is already under threat with an inspection also called for Sunday morning.

Officials will assess conditions at 7.45am as the track is reported to be waterlogged with rain or snow forecast on Saturday night.