Hereford's Sunday card snowed off

Hereford have been forced to call off Sunday's scheduled meeting after further heavy snow overnight.

The course's general manager Katie Stephens told BBC Hereford and Worcester it was frustrating but they had been left with no option.

"My strategy was to have an inspection on Saturday as I wanted to give it every chance," she said.

"But when you sat down and looked at the forecasts with low temperatures, the snow wasn't going to go very fast."

It was of little compensation to officials at Hereford, but they were not alone in having to abandon their plans for the weekend.

Stephens felt the early decision had been in the best interests of all concerned.

"Sunday declarations for jump racing are always on the Friday so you have got trainers needing to make a decision on 48 hours," she said.

There are trainers who can't get horses into races so it takes a few weeks for things to settle down again

Katie Stephens

"It has just decimated the weekend's action once again.

"Exeter and Kempton were both on this morning, but they have had two centimetres of snow and they are off.

"There was a big race meeting scheduled for Newbury on Saturday and that is also off, so it is so grim at the moment, bordering on depressing."

While next week's weather prospects are much more encouraging, it is clear that it will take some time for racing to get completely back to normal.

Stephens said she knew of trainers who were desperate to run their horses, not least because the Cheltenham Festival is now little over a month away.

"It causes so many problems for the industry," she added. "And that is why the race planners back in London have really got their work cut out.

"They have got to be trying to create more opportunities for these horses to run but, even when racing does resume, you are governed by the usual safety factors.

"There are trainers who then can't get horses into races so it takes a few weeks for things to settle down again," she added.

Herefordshire's racegoers will not have too long to wait for the next action at the course as, weather permitting, there will be a bonus meeting at the course on Sunday 15 February.