Fixtures given cool reception

English racing round-up: Officials at Cheltenham are not expecting any problems ahead of today's first stage of its two-day New Year meeting as long as the local weather forecast is accurate.

"We had no frost last night whatsoever and we are looking all right, clerk of the course Simon Claisse said yesterday. "There is a forecast of minus one or minus two tonight and that does not cause us any real concern.

"We are on fresh ground, we have not raced on it since the end of April with the exception of the chute. All take-offs and landings are covered with frost covers anyway as are any other vulnerable bits."

At Warwick, where racing is also due to take place today, plans were scrapped to inspect the track yesterday afternoon.

However, temperatures were forecast to dip below zero last night and so a precautionary inspection was called for 7.30 a.m. this morning.

Severe frost has caused the abandonment of today's meeting at Catterick and prospects are not looking good for tomorrow's New Year's Day fixture at the North Yorkshire track. "We got down to minus seven last night on top of a minus five on Sunday night," clerk of the course Jonjo Sanderson said yesterday.

There is no inspection planned at today's other jumps meeting at Fontwell. "The Met Office say it might get to zero or we might get away with it so we should be all right," clerk of the course Geoff Stickels said. "If they are wrong then we could be in trouble."

Officials at Exeter are very hopeful that it will be a case of third time lucky for their meeting scheduled for tomorrow.

"We will be delighted to be back after two years," a spokesman said yesterday. "We lost the meeting last season following three inches of rain overnight and the previous year frost was the problem."

Prospects are good for Friday's jump meetings at Ayr and Folkestone. However, Newcastle's meeting on Saturday, which features the Cantor Mobile "Dipper" Chase, is subject to an inspection at noon on Friday.