Horse Racing

Freeze – Kempton and Ludlow Fixtures On Ice

Ground frost and snowfall have put a stop to this Monday’s (2nd February 2010) planned jump fixtures at both Kempton and Ludlow race course.

Although temperatures are expected to rise above freezing point in the course of the day at both locations, several nights of sub-zero temperatures have left the tracks hard and too treacherous to take chances with the planned competitions.

While the last two winters in the United Kingdom are proving harsher than usual, the frost problem is not a new issue to those involved in the races. Since 2002 over 25% of race meeting cancellations were called due to frost, causing significant losses of revenue for the industry and the bookmaking profession. Between November 2008 and January 2009 32 race meetings met their match in overnight frost and it appears the new winter racing season is facing the same, if not extremer challenges.
The sole surviving race on Monday 2nd February 2010 is the Wolverhampton Fast Cards Flat racing fixture, which stays true to its reputation as an all-weather-event.