Warwick: track is staging a 2pm inspection on Thursday for Saturday
PICTURE: David DewWarwick and Uttoxeter to inspect for Saturday
THE meetings at Warwick and Uttoxeter on Saturday are both subject to early inspections on Thursday afternoon.
Warwick will inspect at 2pm but officials have admitted that it has "not got much of a chance" of beating the weather.
Featuring the Grade 2 Betfair Kingmaker Novice Chase and a 2m4½f Betfair-backed handicap chase also due to be shown on Channel 4, Saturday's meeting could throw up plenty of Cheltenham Festival pointers, but frost and snow have limited its chances of taking place.
Clerk of the course Sulekha Varma said on Wednesday morning: "It got down to minus six last night, it had been thawing quite nicely but that's put paid to that and the track is frozen in places.
"There is snow still covering the majority of the hill although other areas are generally clear. It is not due to get much above three degrees and unless that forecast is very different we have not got much of a chance."
It's a similar story at Uttoxeter where officials called a 1.30pm inspection after the track remained frozen on Wednesday.
Temperatures reached -8.5C on Tuesday night and any improvement in the weather is unlikely to arrive in time to save the meeting.
Charlie Moore, clerk of the course at Uttoxeter, said: "There's still half an inch of snow on 80 per cent of the track and sufficient areas are frozen solid to give us cause for concern.
"We will inspect on Thursday but we're going to need some help."
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