Catterick likely to inspect while Newcastle set for 8am check as cold snap bites

Tuesday's meeting at Newcastle and the Wednesday fixture at Catterick will need to survive sub-zero overnight temperatures as well as the threat of snow if they are to go ahead. 

Newcastle's jumps fixture faces an 8am inspection, while Catterick officials are anticipating the need to inspect on Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to get down as low as -5C before rising to 4C during raceday. 

"It depends how cold it gets on Tuesday night," said clerk of the course Fiona Needham. "We were forecast to be down around zero on Sunday night and it ended up at plus four degrees. 

"I haven't announced an official inspection yet but I expect we'll be looking at around eight o'clock on Wednesday morning to see where we are. If it gets down to where they are forecasting we may struggle."

The BHA has agreed to a request from Jockey Club Racecourses to bring forward the start time of Kempton's card on Wednesday to 3.05 in an attempt to beat the arrival of forecast snow.

The cold front coming down from the Arctic Circle could also pose a problem for Newcastle, with coastal areas under the threat of snow on Monday night and again during the day Tuesday.

The entire course has been covered since last Friday but temperatures are not expected to break into positive territory before 10am on Tuesday. 

Heavy overnight frosts are also a feature of the outlook at Carlisle, where frost sheets have been put down on the take-off and landing sides on both the hurdle and chase courses, with the thermometer set to drop as low as -6C in the run-up to Thursday's meeting.

Further south Fontwell has taken similar precautions ahead of its fixture on Wednesday but there are no concerns about Tuesday's Grand Military Gold Cup meeting at Sandown.

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