Musselburgh frozen off but Kelso hopeful
● Borders track’s top-quality Saturday card may be re-staged if snow strikes
Hopes are high at Kelso that their high-quality jumps card on Saturday can beat the weather after Musselburgh fell victim to the Beast from the East yesterday.
The Totepool-sponsored day features the £38,000 Premier Hurdle and the £35,000 Premier Chase – won two years ago by Grand National hero Many Clouds.
Snow is the threat and the racecourse management has already floated a proposal to re-stage the fixture, in the event that it is called off.
Musselburgh clerk of the course Harriet Graham wasted little time yesterday, calling the meeting off before the planned inspection time of 8.30am with the track frozen. She tweeted: “Racing abandoned. Freezing temperatures with no prospects to rise above freezing tomorrow.”
Catterick also abandoned yesterday and today’s meeting at Ludlow has already been called off.
Kelso managing director Jonathan Garratt said: “It looks as though several fixtures will be lost across Britain during the next few days.
“The British Horseracing Authority will be looking at all the options and will have to assess where the best prospects lie for re-scheduling. I’m very optimistic that, if we lose Saturday’s fixture, we might be able to welcome the same horses on a different day.
“Having spoken to a number of trainers with horses that are engaged, we know that they’d be keen to come,” added Garratt.
The latest cancellations mean there will be no jumping action in Britain until Friday at the earliest.
Doncaster and Newbury are due to race that day. Both courses have had the covers down since Friday but continue to monitor the conditions.