Future bleak after freeze takes its toll

Sedgefield tomorrow appears the brightest prospect of any National Hunt racing being staged over the next few days following the abandonment of Leicester's Tuesday card, writes Paul Fielder.

The County Durham venue was fit for racing today but a precautionary inspection will take place at 8am with frost forecast during the night.

Wednesday's fixtures at Fontwell and Musselburgh both hinge on inspections tomorrow morning with both courses unraceable today.

Fontwell appears to have little hope of going ahead with the track already frozen.

Clerk of the course Ed Arkell said: "We are having an inspection at 8am tomorrow. We are frozen with another hard frost due."

Musselburgh will inspect at 9am tomorrow with two more nights of frost forecast before raceday.

The situation is so bleak that snow caused today's Wolverhampton all-weather meeting to be abandoned.