Sedgefield: one of the three meetings abandoned on Sunday
PICTURE: John GrossickNo racing in Britain nor Ireland this afternoon
BAD weather conditions in Britain and Ireland have hit the fixture list, leaving no racing on Sunday in either country.
The all-weather card at Southwell was the first to fall victim shortly after 9am, when clerk of the course Roderick Duncan decided to abandon the meeting on safety grounds.
Duncan explained: "The track's fine but all the other roads around are covered in four inches of snow and it's extremely dangerous."
Britain's other fixture at Sedgefield was the second casualty of the day. Officials were forced to cancel the card at 10am due to a frozen track.
Charlie Moore, clerk of the course at Sedgefield, said: "The temperature is not yet above freezing and there is insufficient time between now and racing for the ground to recover.
"Furthermore, as soon as I hit the abandonment button, low and behold, it started snowing."
That left Ireland's meeting at Naas as the only possible hope for some Sunday action. However, more bad news followed when course officials abandoned the fixture due to a covering of snow at the track.
The seven-race card, featuring three Grade 3 contests, was set to feature several Cheltenham hopefuls, but following a second inspection, the meeting was cancelled at 10.20am.
Cliff Noone, Irish Turf Club press officer, said: "There is still a covering of snow at the track and we were just hoping that the weather would brighten up. However, it has been overcast all morning and there is no sign of the sun."
Find out what the prospects are for forthcoming fixtures in Britain and Ireland with our at-a-glance table
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