Three more meetings lost

Sunday afternoon's meeting at Plumpton and Monday's fixtures at Ludlow and Taunton have been abandoned.

All the venues employed covers to try to save the courses, but successive nights of freezing temperatures have left officials with little option.

Clerk of the Plumpton course Mark Cornford said: "We've had the frost protection covers down and they do a job, but after two very cold nights the frost has worked its way in there.

"Some parts of the track are not too bad but I pulled the covers back this morning and in areas where we are lacking some grass, it was seriously frozen.

"There is no way this is going to thaw in time for racing so we have had to abandon."

Ludlow clerk of the course Bob Davies added: "On parts of the track last night temperatures got to as low as minus 10 and the frost is in the ground two inches.

"We would want 48 hours of good temperatures to get the frost out now and although it might not be as cold tonight, it is irrelevant as it is still going to be round about freezing. We had no chance for Monday's meet."

Taunton officials had been hopeful ahead of their inspection but the frost was far worse than expected.

"It's bad news I'm afraid. We had minus five and a half degrees overnight and the forecast is for plus one at best today, so we have no chance," said clerk of the course Michael Trickey.

"We had covers down on the take-offs and landings and there was even frost underneath those."

There will an 8.15am inspection on Monday to decide whether Tuesday's Leicester card can go ahead, although conditions are unlikely to be fit for racing.

Tuesday's meeting at Sedgefield will also have to pass an 11.30am inspection on Monday, with the County Durham venue currently unraceable.

The track was hit by freezing temperatures last night and with conflicting forecasts for the next 24 hours, clerk of the course Charlie Moore felt it prudent to take a look.