'I think we're through the worst of it' - Newbury's Coral Gold Cup card given go-ahead on Saturday

Frost and snow will threaten Sunday’s jump fixtures at Carlisle and Leicester with the tracks to inspect at 8am due to the cold weather.

Leicester is forecast a snow shower overnight but the track is optimistic with temperatures expected to rise up to 3C before racing starts at 12.45. 

Clerk of the course Jimmy Stevenson said: “We had a better night than I expected we were going to have, there was no frost in the ground on Saturday morning. We had freezing fog for the last 24 hours which seemed to hold the temperatures up and was really handy.

“We’re not out of the woods yet but we’re raceable at the moment, with potential for frost overnight or snow. They’re the two issues that we’re looking at but hopefully the temperature will rise. They look promising, getting up to 3C by 8am.“

Carlisle was hit with snow on Saturday afternoon and temperatures as low as -8C have been recorded this week at the track on the generals, the lowest point on the track. 

Snow will continue through the night but temperatures are forecast to go above freezing before racing.

“We have a yellow weather warning for snow so we’ve got a precautionary inspection for 8am,” said Harry Phipps. “It’s looking like we’ll have -1C and we’d expect it to go lower at the generals, which is the lowest point of the course. Temperatures are expected to reach 2C or 3C during the day. 

“We’ll see how the weather pans out but we’ve done everything we can by fleecing the racing line and bypasses and we’ll just see what the weather does.”

Newbury's big Saturday card featuring the Coral Gold Cup (2.50) will go ahead as planned after the track passed a morning inspection – but conditions will still be monitored with forecast temperatures still below freezing in advance of the opening race.

The course was covered overnight and avoided the frost despite sub-zero overnight temperatures, but it is set to be a cold day in Berkshire with conditions at -2C and set to be below freezing for racing, which starts at 11.55am.

Clerk of the course George Hill is confident the frost will not stop Saturday's fixture including the £250,000 Coral Gold Cup, Britain's second richest handicap chase, and will headline ITV Racing's weekend coverage in Britain.

Hill said: "I think we're through the worst of it. The temperatures have dipped a bit but even if it does drop we should be okay hopefully. We'll continue to monitor it but hopefully we're geared up for another great day's racing.

"We're at -2C at the moment and may not get above freezing before racing, the high is 1C, and I'm a bit cautious as it'll be freezing for race one. We've got to unwrap the track, which takes about an hour, and make sure it doesn't freeze over in the build-up. There's no frost in the ground and we'll be good to go at 11.55am.

"It's been a great effort from the team to get Friday on and it's looking positive for this afternoon."

The ground at Newbury is good to soft, good in places. The cross fence will not be jumped having been broken during racing on Friday.

"It's not much different than yesterday," Hill added. "It's lovely ground for racing and there should be any excuses."

Newcastle cancels with 'no prospect of improvement'

It comes as Newcastle's clerk of the course Eloise Quayle said she was left with no choice but to cancel Saturday's Fighting Fifth Hurdle fixture – but the Grade 1 race will be salvaged on Sandown's Tingle Creek card next weekend.

A 2.30pm inspection took place at the north east venue on Friday as a result of snow, but an early decision was made to cancel the seven-race jumps card due to no signs of improvement and below-freezing temperatures expected overnight.

Quayle said: "It's very tough. We're all extremely sad and gutted because we've done everything we can and unfortunately we can't beat the weather.

"There's no prospect of improvement. There's no point in getting everybody here because there's horses coming up from the south and you want to save them as much travelling as possible so they have enough in them for their next outing, which hopefully isn't too far away."

Saturday's card was due to see the return of unbeaten superstar Constitution Hill, who was expected to run in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, while Nicky Henderson-trained stablemate Shishkin had been declared for the Rehearsal Chase.

Speaking on Friday, Quayle added: "Very sadly it's all just gone against us. Our temperatures today are marginally better than the forecast tomorrow, so the fact it was freezing over with the added factor of the wind chill factor gave us no hope for tomorrow.

"We planned to do a practice run of removing the frost sheet with all of the snow at 11am today. We did that and, while we were lifting it, it was freezing over behind us. Within half an hour of taking the sheet off, it was covered in frost."

Newcastle's Fighting Fifth Hurdle has been rearranged to take place on Sandown's Tingle Creek card on December 9Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

The Fighting Fifth Hurdle will not be lost, with the BHA announcing it has been rearranged to take place at Sandown on December 9. The Listed Houghton Mares' Chase is another contest to have been rescheduled, moving from Carlisle this Sunday to Aintree's Becher Chase fixture, also on December 9.

Henderson, speaking to Racing TV following the cancellation of Newcastle but before the BHA announced the rearranged Fighting Fifth, said: "The one I'm more concerned about is Shishkin and the Rehearsal. From Constitution Hill's point of view, if he had to go to Kempton without a run that would not worry me at all, whereas Shishkin to the King George without a run, that does not sit comfortably.

"We have no option with Shishkin. There might be an option with Constitution Hill, but I wouldn't want to go too far from today because you're getting terribly close to Christmas itself and 16 to 17 days [gap] doesn't appeal to me enormously. We'll have to see.

"I don't think Shishkin is necessarily a doubt for the King George, he needs to go and have a good gallop somewhere and he'll have to do some work in the meantime."

The situation elsewhere

In Ireland, racing goes ahead at Fairyhouse after the track passed an inspection in advance of the opening day of its two-day winter festival on Saturday.

Doncaster passed a second inspection at 9am and Bangor also got the go-ahead after officials checked at 7.30am.

Elsewhere, Leicester and Carlisle's Sunday cards must pass inspections at 8am on raceeday morning. Both tracks are raceable with no frost in the ground as of Saturday lunchtime.

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