Naas set for midday inspection, Ascot looking unlikely for Friday

Thursday's meeting at Naas will be subject to an inspection at midday on Wednesday, with clerk of the course Brendan Sheridan not feeling to optimistic about the chances of racing.

The track is currently unraceable due to heavy frost and with temperatures set to drop to -5c this evening, Sheridan is not hopeful.

"Naas, at the minute, isn't raceable and it doesn't look great, with more freezing fog forecast. It's out of our hands," he told the Racing Post.

Fairyhouse is due to race on Saturday with a seven-race card set for Navan on Sunday, along with Thurles and with temperatures forecast to rise from Friday, officials remain optimistic.

Navan manager Aidan McGarry said: "It's looking positive for Sunday. We can't race today but we should get a significant break on Saturday into Sunday. It's all systems go at present."

In England, Ascot's clerk of the course Chris Stickels believes Friday's meeting is "highly unlikely" to go ahead after calling an inspection for 8am on Thursday.

The Berkshire track is due to host to a high-class two-day fixture, with two Grade Two prizes up for grabs on Friday in the Porsche Kennel Gate Novices' Hurdle and the Howden Noel Novices' Chase.

However, with temperatures still well below freezing on Wednesday morning and little prospect of significant improvement, Stickels is not optimistic.

He said: "At the moment we're minus 2.5C. It often dips lower at this time of day and this is as cold as it has got overnight. It's a fraction colder than we were forecast and we're still frozen in places.

"I don't think the temperatures we're forecast are sufficient really. We're going to require higher temperatures than are forecast for racing to go ahead.

"We've got frozen areas under the covers and frozen areas