Fairyhouse and Doncaster frozen off

Racing: This afternoon's meeting at Fairyhouse has been cancelled due to a frozen track

Racing:This afternoon's meeting at Fairyhouse has been cancelled due to a frozen track. Officials were resigned to their fate following two unsuccessful morning inspections.

Cliff Noone, Irish Turf Club press officer, said: "The temperatures have not risen enough and certainly won't rise in time.

"They checked the course again at around 10.30am and although it was bright, it was still very, very cold."

Doncaster's Sky Bet Chase fixture has also been abandoned for the same reasons.

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With overnight temperatures having dipped to minus 2C, clerk of the course David Williams was forced to draw stumps following a second inspection at 10.30am.

Williams reported: "The frost is sadly not moving at all.

"We're only plus 1.5C and there is no sign of a thaw - the temperature hasn't risen this morning, as was predicted.

"It's not thawing out in the really exposed areas so we've had to abandon."

Doncaster annual badge members will be granted free admission into Saturday afternoon's fixture at Uttoxeter.

This afternoon's big National Hunt fixture at Cheltenham has been given the green light following a second inspection at 10am.

Frost covers were deployed over the entirety of the course, but overnight temperatures dropped to a shuddering minus 7C.

Clerk of the course Simon Claisse initially staged an 8am precautionary inspection, at which stage the meeting appeared in serious doubt.

Conditions have shown breathless improvement throughout the morning, however, which enabled officials to deliver the good news following a second check at 10am.

"We're on," declared Cheltenham director of communications Andy Clifton.

"The temperature has risen enormously throughout the morning, which is obviously fantastic news."

Cheltenham Festival Trials day is the final meeting at Prestbury Park before the main event in March.

The going is currently soft.