'We only survived by a hair's breadth' - Haydock clerk relives snow drama

Haydock officials were made to sweat on Saturday after the high-profile meeting, headlined by the return of dual Champion Hurdle hero Buveur D'Air, got the go-ahead only by "a hair's breadth".

After successfully negotiating the rain and frost at morning inspections on Thursday and Saturday, a flurry of snow seriously threatened the fixture, which featured the Peter Marsh Chase and The New One Unibet Hurdle among four Grade 2 contests.

The frost covers put down on the entire course earlier in the week inadvertently caused the problem as the snow sat on top of them and made the task of pulling them up an extremely laborious task.