Sport

Naas fixture still doubtful

THE track at Naas was still covered by snow yesterday and the chances of racing there on Thursday do not look bright at present…

Tue Jan 07 1997 - 00:00

THE track at Naas was still covered by snow yesterday and the chances of racing there on Thursday do not look bright at present. Plans for a course inspection have yet to be announced.

It is now hoped to stage the Punchestown meeting - postponed for the second time yesterday - on Friday. Fresh declaration must be made by Thursday.

Racing on turf in Britain appears unlikely to resume until Friday at the earliest as the sport continues to suffer the effects of the freeze. For the ninth racing day in a row the all-weather will provide the only action today, at Lingfield, as Leicester's scheduled meeting was called off.

And jump racing looks unlikely tomorrow with the meeting at Plumpton abandoned yesterday and prospects rated poor at Kelso. Plumpton clerk of the course Geoff Stickels said: "The stewards inspected the track and decided there was no chance of racing going ahead on Wednesday."

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A total of 53 jumps meetings have now been lost to the weather in Britain during the current season, 43 since Christmas. Kelso could well be added to the tally after an inspection at 9.00 a.m. today.

"I would say it is very, very doubtful," clerk of the course Johnnie Fenwicke-Clenell said yesterday. "We had no frost last night but there are one or two inches of snow over all the course and there is no hope in Halifax of it all thawing in time for 12 noon on Wednesday."

Thursday's meetings at Wetherby and Wincanton seem no more likely to beat the weather. Wetherby clerk of the course Christopher Tetley said: "It is looking doubtful. There is still quite a lot of snow on the track and a bit of frost."

Wincanton will hold an inspection at 3.00 p.m. tomorrow to determine whether Thursday's fixture can go ahead.

Clerk of the course Ian Renton said: "Prospects are very slim. The course remains frozen with no let-up in the weather before Thursday. I am afraid we can offer very little hope."

And prospects are "poor" for Ascot's valuable two-day meeting scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Clerk of the course Nicholas Cheyne said: "Things are not looking good at the moment."

Friday's other turf meeting is at Musselburgh which came very close to racing last Saturday and was the last course in Britain to stage a jumps meeting - on December 27th.