Ascot has moved to scotch speculation that should Friday and Saturday’s scheduled meetings be lost to the inclement weather, they could switch the cards to Sunday or Monday.
The two-day card includes a pair of Grade Two contests, with the Porsche Kennel Gate Novices’ Hurdle and the Howden Noel Novices’ Chase on Friday, and the Grade One Howden Long Walk Hurdle on Saturday.
However, the prospects for both cards to get the green light are receding, with frost in the ground and no sign of a thaw before the weekend.
Clerk of the course, Chris Stickels, said: “Moving the meetings to Sunday or Monday is not on our radar.
“People don’t know how the intricacies work. It is really complicated in order to get that kind of thing done. Also, we now have snow forecast for Sunday morning.
“What happens in this situation is the Grade One races tends to get moved, so the BHA will reschedule that if they feel it is required.
“But as we speak, the forecast doesn’t look very promising for racing on Friday. The weather needs to be better than is currently forecast.”
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