The British horse racing schedule faced a complete cancellation on Monday as all three planned events, including the ‘all-weather’ meet at Wolverhampton, were called off due to adverse weather conditions. The ongoing cold spell has severely impacted the jumps calendar, leading to the abandonment of all meetings up to Thursday due to snow and frozen tracks.
The only domestic betting action on Sunday took place at Southwell, which was a last-minute addition to the programme following the cancellation of the two scheduled jumps cards. Hopes were high for the Wolverhampton meeting on Monday to compensate for the abandoned meetings at Lingfield and Ludlow, but it was also canceled after morning inspections revealed the track covered in snow and frost.
Despite efforts to prepare the track, including rising air temperatures, the ground temperature remained low, preventing the snow from melting. Consequently, the decision was made to abandon the event. Wolverhampton is set to host another fixture on Tuesday, alongside Southwell as the other all-weather option, while the jumps meeting at Musselburgh has been called off.
Wednesday will witness a pause in British jumps action as the scheduled Leicester card was canceled due to frozen conditions. Clerk of the course, Jimmy Stevenson, confirmed the decision, citing record low temperatures and an unyielding frost in the ground.
The last successful National Hunt fixture in Britain was held at Sandown on Saturday, with upcoming cards planned for Taunton and Catterick on Thursday, although Catterick has scheduled an early inspection on Tuesday to assess the track conditions.