Thursday afternoon fixtures under threat from the weather with inspections at all four meetings

All four meetings scheduled in Britain and Ireland for Thursday afternoon are in the balance as the wintry weather continues to cause disruption to the racing programme.

Wincanton's meeting must pass a 7.30am inspection on raceday due to the threat of further snow overnight. The going is good at the Somerset track but officials will assess conditions in the morning due to the yellow weather warning for snow in the region and to ensure it has sufficiently thawed out in time for the meeting, which begins at 1.30.

Carlisle faces a second inspection at 9am. The track was found to be raceable on Wednesday afternoon but frost is forecast overnight. Harry Phipps, assistant clerk of the course, said: "We've seen plenty of improvement today. The forecast suggests lows of -3C overnight and we're giving the meeting every chance."

Southwell's all-weather fixture will have to pass a 7.30am inspection if it is to go ahead, but officials are confident of giving the green light. Clerk of the course David Attwood said on Wednesday afternoon: "We're forecast 2-3cm of snow between 5pm and midnight before rain tomorrow morning that could turn to sleet later on. We're very comfortable with the forecasts we're seeing, but just in case we see anything significantly different to that, we thought it best to check in the morning."

In Ireland, there is a 7.30am inspection at Thurles where the track is fit for racing, but Met Eireann has issued a nationwide yellow snow and ice warning from 3am, so the situation will be assessed ahead of racing.

The prospect of heavy snow on Thursday night is causing concern for officials at Ayr with the track's two-day fixture scheduled to begin on Friday. Clerk of the course Graeme Anderson said on Wednesday morning that the track was raceable, with the course completely covered, but the forecast snow would put Friday's card in serious doubt.

Ayr: prospect of heavy snow threatening two-day cardCredit: Grossick Racing (racingpost.com/photos)

Anderson said: "We were supposed to have one night of -3C but we've had -5C overnight and set for a similar night on Wednesday. The frost covers are doing their job and temperatures rise after Wednesday night but the prospect of snow is the main issue. Most forecasts are suggesting we could have heavy snow on Thursday night, and if they are correct, it will be a simple decision to call it off. If the snow turns to rain we would be fine but that's not looking too likely."

Leicester is frozen in places for Friday's all-chase fixture but temperatures are set to rise after Wednesday night. Clerk of the course Jimmy Stevenson said on Wednesday morning: "We had a bit of a frost this morning but that should be gone by lunchtime and I don't anticipate any problems with frost. There is the potential for snow this evening and we may have a covering in the morning. That's supposed to turn to rain by Thursday morning and if it pans out that way we should be fine. The forecasts are changing all the time though and it's not a clear outlook."

Sandown was hit by 3cm of snow on Wednesday morning with the risk of further showers in the evening. There remains uncertainty over the forecast in the lead-up to Saturday's Imperial Cup fixture, with the potential for up to 15mm of rain before the raceday and a frost on Friday night when temperatures could drop to -2C.

Cheltenham is currently good to soft, good in places six days ahead of the festival following no snow on Tuesday night, with 1mm of sleet falling on the track on Wednesday.

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