Jump racing is bogged down in one of its worst winters as heavy rain wipes out a catalogue of fixtures.

The abandonment of Thursday's card at waterlogged Sandown is the 88th of the National Hunt season to be called off.

Warwick's meeting on Saturday, which promised to be its best of the year, is subject to an inspection at 1500GMT on Thursday.

And although an extra 12 cards have been laid on across the UK between February and April in a bid to compensate, the weather is causing the sport a �6m headache.

The Horseracing Betting Levy Board has said betting is down three per cent due to abandoned meetings - costing racing's tax collectors an estimated �3m.

A similar amount in prize money is thought to have been lost.

Levy Board racing executive David Bradshaw told BBC Sport Online: "It's been a wretched winter.

"A sustained run of abandonments is very disappointing for betting, the levy, the horseracing industry, owners and trainers."

With more than two months of the season left, the total of 102 fixtures lost in the 1985-86 season looks set to be surpassed.

Even when the meetings go ahead, trainers' plans have been ripped up as they wait to run horses which prefer good, as opposed to soft, ground.

Festival

Bookies are suffering, with missed revenue from the cancelled meetings.

Cheltenham Racecourse, the home of National Hunt racing, has seen more than 15 inches of rainfall since October, up nearly a third on the same period 12 months later.

There have even been claims the town has suffered its wettest period for more than 250 years, prompting the possibility of heavier ground than normal for its three-day festival in March.

But the place which is really under the weather is poor old Plumpton in saturated Sussex.

In just one night in October, more than four inches of rain fell.

Clerk of the course David McHarg said: "According to a recording station down the road, Plumpton is officially the wettest place in the UK.

"If you are an outside sport you are dependent on the weather. It's been very difficult for us. We've lost four days' racing.

"These winter race days are designed to help the national product in the betting shops, to earn money, to help us in the summer when we don't race.

"If there's no racing , there is no opportunity for making profits for further investment."

The course has been allocated an extra fixture on 27 March in addition to its planned meetings on 26 February and 12 March.

But �25,000 has already been spent on improving drainage, and officials at the course - which nestles below the South Downs close to the town of Lewes - can only hope the weather improves.

"As we speak, the forecast is for the first five consecutive dry days since the start of October." said McHarg.