Frozen Ascot forced to cancel high-profile Clarence House Chase card

Ascot's Clarence House Chase card has been called off due to frozen ground and the BHA is reportedly looking at rescheduling the Grade 1 contest.

Saturday's meeting was called off on Thursday afternoon as temperatures fell to -1.75C at the Berkshire track on Wednesday night and are forecast to remain below freezing for the next two nights.

In 2013 and 2017 the Clarence House was staged at Cheltenham when Ascot had to cancel the card. No contingency plan has been made yet but Ascot said the fixture would not be staged there on Sunday instead.

Chris Stickels, Ascot's clerk of the course, said: "It's disappointing. We haven't been fit to race since first thing Tuesday morning and it hasn't improved sufficiently. We're not fit for racing currently as it's frozen in places and there's no more prospect of it improving enough."

Constitution Hill (Sean O'Briain) leads first lot up the hill at Seven Barrows in Lambourn on ThursdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

The BHA has had discussions with Ascot about potentially rescheduling the race elsewhere. It falls to the BHA to confirm arrangements.

Stickels said: "When I had discussions with them [the BHA] they were looking at whether they would reschedule it, but because it's a Pattern race it's down to them to get those wheels in motion.

"We're happy for them to stage it somewhere else if they want to, in the past it's gone to Cheltenham and it's just a shame we weren't able to stage it this weekend."

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