Racing:Saturday's meeting at Punchestown has failed to escape the arctic weather conditions, leaving officials with little choice but to cancel the meeting. Sunday's meeting at Leopardstown remains a real doubt with the course currently unfit for racing.
With a heavy covering of snow at Punchestown, and no sign of any let up in the coming days at the Co Kildare track, the Turf Club cancelled racing this afternoon.
Leopardstown’s meeting on Sunday, featuring the MCR Hurdle, is also under threat following fresh snowfall in the Dublin area.
The situation at Leopardstown will continue to be monitored but the showcase contest, formerly run as the Pierse Hurdle, is in jeopardy along with the rest of the card.
Turf Club press officer Cliff Noone said of Leopardstown: “They are still unfit for racing with a covering of snow. Joe Collins (clerk of the course) will be there tomorrow and we will have an update then.”
In response the spate of recent cancellations, Horse Racing Ireland have announced a replacement fixture at Thurles on Friday January 15th. Further details of the meeting have yet to be made public.
In Britain, not even Wednesday’s all-weather meetings at Lingfield and Kempton could escape the wrath of the big freeze.
Although the actual tracks would have been safe for competition, the snow rendered access from surrounding areas very difficult.
Clerk of the course Barney Clifford at Kempton inspected three times in the morning and eventually made the call close to midday.
The venue are also due to report for duty on Thursday — but that fixture is also under a cloud.
Lingfield’s afternoon meeting was placed in jeopardy after four inches of overnight snow.
There has been no jumping since Sunday at Plumpton and there will be no more until at least Saturday with Huntingdon and Ludlow on Thursday already gone, followed by Bangor and Fontwell on Friday.
Ffos Las, due to stage a valuable card on Saturday, is the only possible beacon of hope.
Five inches of overnight snowfall meant Bangor clerk of the course Ed Gretton’s decision to draw stumps was taken without hesitation.
He said: “Five inches of snow, on top of frozen ground, left us with as much chance of racing as England have of winning the third Test in South Africa.”
It was a similar case on the south coast at Fontwell, where an inspection was moved forward.
Both of the other National Hunt meetings on Saturday in Britain fell by the wayside too.