Cancellation of Horseracing fixtures due to frost
Fans of horseracing all over the world are in for another disappointment as the subzero temperatures, resulting in layers of frost, that occurred overnight make usage of the tracks at Chepstow and Catterick an arduous and nearly impossible task. Thus, officials
were left with no choice but to abandon Friday’s fixtures at both tracks.
Records of the overnight temperature at Chepstow show it to be as low as -4C while the clerk of the course, Keith Ottesen’s report adds that frost had gotten under the covers at the track and left a finer layer on the track, rendering it useless for races.
“A lot of the track was covered with fleece but the frost made it under the covers. Given the maximum we can expect is 2C in the afternoon we had no realistic option but to abandon it,” Ottesen adds, also disappointed by the condition of Chepstow and the
consequent abandonment of fixtures here.
Catterick suffered even worse temperatures, of which the lowest was recorded as -8C, making the difference of temperature between the two courses 4C. As expected, any fixture preparation here was abandoned.
The inspection at Catterick was planned for 8 a.m. but the clerk of the course, Fiona Needham rescheduled the check to an earlier time, foreseeing the inevitable closing off of the frozen track here.
She was reported as saying that the temperature at Catterick reached -8C overnight and climbed only a single degree even as the clock read 6.15 a.m., making the early morning temperature -7C. She also mentioned that the track had been frozen solid, thus
forcing the officials at Catterick to make the tough decision of cancelling any fixtures until further notice.
Towards the end of 2010, the Big Freeze that came over most of Europe claimed almost all major and minor horseracing events that were scheduled to take place in most of November and all of December, depriving the fans of the sport and all those involved
in the horseracing business of quality racing.
Now that the new year has arrived, the Big Freeze was thought to have almost come to an end in the region though heavy rainfall had also caused the postponement of some significant horseracing events in both Ireland and Britain. However, reports of frost
and fleece are leaving enthusiasts of the sport with doubt about the end of the Big Freeze and with no other choice but to wait for milder temperatures to take over so that they can once again enjoy races.
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