Saturday 2 January 2010

Second Inspection At Sandown


Sandown's high-class card featuring the Blue Square Tolworth Hurdle will have to pass a second inspection at 10am.

Officials at the Esher venue checked at 7.30am after temperatures fell to just below freezing until midnight, with cloud cover for the rest of the night meaning it was just above freezing.

Although the track is currently unraceable, daytime temperatures are forecast for highs of plus three to four.

Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper told Sky Sports News: "We didn't get a severe frost, not anywhere near what we might have got. It never got any lower than about minus one, and since 1am it has hovered just above freezing.

"We're now in that interesting stage when daybreak comes in, and temperatures have dropped a little since I got here at 5am. We will have another look at 10am - it certainly would have been very premature to give up at 7.30am.

"A large proportion of the track is raceable, there's just a few places mildly frozen in bits. I don't think we'd have to see a massive improvement to be on.

"It would be very nice to make a decision at 10am. No-one likes getting involved in these drawn out mornings, but this is a high-class card and I think most people in the industry do understand we have to give it a chance if there is a chance."