'There isn’t a clerk in the country who carries on regardless' - is there a perfect time to inspect or abandon?

Two of Britain's most respected clerks of the course have given their takes on the controversy surrounding some of the late abandonments that blighted racing last weekend.

Andrew Cooper described the decision he faced to call off Saturday's card at Sandown as an easy one, but said that a variety of factors play into when a clerk of the course might choose to stage their first inspection on a raceday. 

While accepting that calling off meetings at short notice was in nobody's interest, Cooper said the sport would have to accept the loss of more fixtures as the price of any clarity brought about by earlier decisions to abandon.