Monday 18 December 2017 12:19, UK
This afternoon's meeting at Musselburgh was eventually given the go-ahead around half an hour before the scheduled first race.
The National Hunt fixture was initially subject to an 8.30am inspection, but a drop in temperatures prompted officials to hold a second check at 10am and a third at 11am.
With racing due to get under way at 12.10pm, the seven-race card was eventually given the green light just after 11.30am, much to the relief of those in charge.
Musselburgh's general manager, Bill Farnsworth, told Racing UK: "It's good news in the end. It's been an interesting morning, we've never had one quite like this before.
"When we came in this morning at 6am it was 3C and we thought 'happy days, we're on'.
"Then temperatures plummeted to -1C, so it fell four degrees between 6am and 8am. That left us with a white frost everywhere and it just crusted some of the bits that have been raced on.
"We still thought we'd be OK and we were pretty optimistic, and then we came out at 10am and the sun was there, but there was cloud in front of it and we were starting to get a bit worried.
"Trainers and jockeys came out at 11am and it still wasn't raceable, but we went to look at the last hurdle at 11.30am and it had changed a lot in that half hour.
"That gave everybody enough confidence to give it the go-ahead."
