Clonmel passes inspection but Warwick track frozen

Clonmel racecourse passed an inspection early on Thursday morning but the afternoon meeting at Warwick has been abandoned due to a frozen track after a sharp dip in temperatures hit Ireland and the UK.

The first of seven races at Clonmel goes off at 12.05pm with the ground currently soft, soft to heavy in places.

There'll be a precautionary inspection at Navan on Friday at 12pm ahead of Saturday's meeting.

A precautionary inspection had been called at Warwick by clerk of the course Tom Ryall for 8am on Thursday morning, but that was brought forward.

Just after 7am Ryall and his team of staff were able to make an early call as temperatures had dropped to a bitterly cold minus 7.4C overnight, meaning there was very little chance of a thaw occurring given the maximum daytime temperature predicted was just 2C.

Racing goes ahead at Taunton, where, despite the mercury dropping down to around minus 2.5C, the forecasted 4/5C for after daybreak means there is little concern.