Ascot Inspecting This Afternoon

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The covers have been down on the track but there has been a really deep frost :xmassnowgrin: overnight which still hasn't moved!


The upside is the forest this morning looked absolutely breathtaking with the lake frozen, and the sun shining through the trees! :rolleyes: I would rather have an unfrozen track to be honest. :D

I hope they do race as I was hoping to go. I'll keep you posted of any further updates.
 
I can't believe they could have raced today, it was officially BASTID freezing this morning, I needed coffee between lots and that's unprecedented. I'm not holding much hope for tomorrow at the moment, which is a shame as it's a good card.
 
They're forecasting 9 degrees for Saturday. Surely there has to be some prospect of the frost coming out of the ground by lunchtime.
 
Courtesy of The Racing Post
Freeze puts Ascot
meeting in jeopardy
by Turia Tellwright
.
EVEN the use of frost covers may not prevent Friday's meeting at Ascot being lost to the cold snap.

Clerk of the course Chris Stickels described the track as unraceable on Thursday and was preparing for another cold night, with a 7.30am inspection planned.

Stickels said: "We are unraceable today, as the temperature got down to about -5C last night and areas of the track have been frozen all afternoon.

"It was freezing until 11am this morning and, if we have a similar night again tonight (Thursday), we won't have a chance tomorrow."

The temperature was again due to drop below freezing on Thursday night, but the outlook is better ahead of Saturday's card.

"They're talking about the temperature getting down to -2C again tonight, but Friday night is due to be frost-free and things are looking much better for Saturday.

"The frost covers have undoubtedly protected the track, as the areas which have been covered are much less frozen than those which have not," Stickels added.

Beneath the covers, the going was described as good, good to firm in the home straight.
 
There's a card scheduled at Ascot for tomorrow as well as Saturday, DO!!

Goober, you're just soft. I was ok - thought the coffee break wasn't especially needed - and I jumped one as well!!!!!!! :P I thought you northern monkeys were 'ard and could operate in anything up to about -20?!?!
 
Precisely!!! So explain to me where the requests for unheard-of coffee breaks between lots came in? Not least when the soft Berkshire bird [who is having to acclimatise, this being the first British winter endured in 5 years] was happy to crack on?! :D
 
Originally posted by Shadow Leader@Dec 21 2007, 12:05 AM
There's a card scheduled at Ascot for tomorrow as well as Saturday, DO!!
Click to expand...
See? That's the kind of thing I don't get to know on account of having to work for a living...
 
I wasn't that cold really SL, I just wanted to impress people on the forum by slipping 'between lots'. I learnt how to do this the other day when you were groaning around on the forum about how cold it was when you were waiting to ride your 'mates recently broken 3yo warmblood' !

Impressively I spoke to Boy Stickels after racing today at Ascot today and he seemed totally unconcerned about prospects of racing going ahead on Saturday. He said the temperature was set to drop to -1 by midnight but that it would start to rise again from then and there should be no problems. Lets see!
 
Yes, lets see as my Dad is working there again tomorrow and the temperature is still likely to dip below freezing!

I would like it to go on record that Uncle Goober did his best to get me thrown out of the Winners Enclosure today. :what: Luckily, I soon realised (and so did security) that he was joking! :D :xmassnowlaugh:

Nice to see SL and Mounty today. It was freezing cold but the mulled wine did just the trick as did Dr. Hart winning the first!! :clap:
 
:xmassnowgrin:

I have to let everyone know that Uncle Goober has already sent me two brilliant photos for Brendan's website to go alongside mine that are mostly out of focus and has the lad, Tom, who led up pulling the strangest face! Thanks, UG! :clap: :xmasrudolf:
 
Courtesy of The RP!

Inspections called for
three jumps cards



by Graham Dench
.




ASCOT, Haydock and Newcastle have all announced inspections for Saturday morning - but all three were hopeful of being able to race.

Chris Stickels, clerk of the course at Ascot, was “surprised but delighted” that Friday's card went ahead after thethreat of frost.

He said: “The ground remains good to firm, good in places, which is what I changed it to before racing, and although they forecast that it could get down to -1C before midnight it should be 2C by dawn, rising to around 7C during the day.

“We've covered the take offs and landings, there shouldn't be a problem but we'll have a look at 7.30am just to be sure.”

Haydock has called an 8am inspection for a fixture that features the Sodexho Prestige Tommy Whittle Chase.

The track was under frost covers on Friday but clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright said: “It's purely precautionary but in the context of a week of frost, it would be prudent to just have a look.”

Officials at Newcastle have called a 7.30am inspection amid the possibility of temperatures dropping below freezing.

Clerk of the course James Armstrong said: “We're absolutely raceable at the moment and we haven't had a frost for the last two or three nights but I'm getting mixed reports of possibilities between -1C and -3C tonight.”
 
Originally posted by uncle goober@Dec 21 2007, 08:06 PM
Impressively I spoke to Boy Stickels after racing today at Ascot today and he seemed totally unconcerned about prospects of racing going ahead on Saturday. He said the temperature was set to drop to -1 by midnight but that it would start to rise again from then and there should be no problems. Lets see!
Click to expand...
Spot on UG!
 
Originally posted by Diminuendo+Dec 22 2007, 12:09 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Diminuendo @ Dec 22 2007, 12:09 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-uncle goober@Dec 21 2007, 08:06 PM
Impressively I spoke to Boy Stickels after racing today at Ascot today and he seemed totally unconcerned about prospects of racing going ahead on Saturday. He said the temperature was set to drop to -1 by midnight but that it would start to rise again from then and there should be no problems. Lets see!
Click to expand...
Spot on UG! [/b][/quote]
Hardly spot on - you couldn't say there were "no problems"!!!!!

Straight after racing yesterday Stickels bullishly announced there was no need for an inspection, even precautionary. By 1830 he had done a u-turn and announced an 0730 inspection. That became a further 1000 inspection which became yet another inspection at 1130 as parts of the track were still frozen and the frost wasn't coming out. The problem area seemed to be on the far side; several people were looking at the track there and the obvious problem area (the final 1 1/2f where the shadow from the stand covers the track) was fine at 1100. The flat track was frozen solid though!
 
SL my response was directed at UG's comment...'Let's see.' I felt that Goober had predicted the problems that arose this morning, without stating so in too many words, if you get my drift. Was I wrong?
I am well aware of the events that took place at Ascot this morning.
 
Nobody at Ascot could believe that Stickels was dumb enough to state there were no problems envisaged and no precautionary inspection would be needed - it was obvious to the stupidest person at Ascot yesterday that there would be some doubts. The temperature dropped rapidly, there was no cloud cover and they didn't bother to put the frost covers down.

Your post read like it could may well have been directed at Stickels' comment, as the entire post was quoted rather than the part in question.
 
It is amazing that clerks can put so much trust in forecast weather and temperatures, to the extent of saying no inspection needed at this time of year. Weather forecasts are way wrong so often and in these cases they only need to be one degree out for a bit longer than expected for it to all go horribly wrong.

It was unneccessary to be so gung-ho about it, and then end up having eleventhirtyses.

Having said that, I felt it was always going to be on, but I have the luxury of only being 25mins away.
 
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