The blanket of frost and snow that has covered much of the country since before Christmas may have brought large smiles to skiers, curlers and skaters who have taken to Scotland's mountains and lochs. But spare a thought for horse racing's owners, trainers, jockeys, stable staff and punters who have been on starvation rations over the festive season and into the new year. It's more than a month since we had a race meeting in Scotland with Musselburgh, Kelso and Ayr having gone through the formality of holding inspections before putting up the "abandoned" signs. In Kelso's case, they didn't even need to hold an inspection as 16 inches of snow on the course meant they could not even see the track! To be fair, horse racing isn't the only sport to suffer but, unlike football and rugby, which in many cases can rely on undersoil heating to get their fixtures played, racecourses cannot contemplate the cost of putting pipes around an entire circuit. Kempton did put down covers and saved their Boxing Day card; Sandown tried the same method a few days later but it wasn't enough to rescue their meeting.  Organisers hope there will be a thaw at Musselburgh for Friday |
Tracks such as Wolverhampton, Southwell and Lingfield have been able to stage flat racing on their all-weather surfaces but that simply isn't enough for lovers of the National Hunt game who live for the thrill of seeing horses soar over fences and hurdles. The stats make chilly reading, with more than 50 meetings (that is more than 300 races) around the country lost since mid-December at a cost to the racing industry of more than £3m in betting turnover. Those with long memories reckon this is the worst winter for horse racing since 1963, and we are still in January. But as the mercury starts to climb slowly towards the other side of zero, it could be down to Musselburgh to get the show back on the road. Prospects for Friday's meeting are described as "very optimistic" despite the track still being frozen in places. And the even better news is that racing's rulers - the British Horseracing Authority - have given Musselburgh permission to race again on Saturday, turning it into a two-day meeting.  | Eighty per cent of the track is fine and we've been forecast rain and wind with temperatures rising to +6C Musselburgh general manager Bill Farnsworth |
So, the East Lothian course will be set to welcome runners from all over the country as trainers take any opportunity to get a much-needed outing into their horses with the Cheltenham Festival just a few weeks away. Top trainer Nicky Henderson says he'll consider sending runners to Musselburgh from his Lambourn yard - that's a round trip of more than 800 miles - if he is certain the roads north are clear. According to Musselburgh's general manager, Bill Farnsworth, he's "hopeful" of racing on Friday and "very hopeful" of getting Saturday's meeting on. "Eighty percent of the track is fine and we've been forecast rain and wind with temperatures rising to +6C," he said. "There's not too much extra effort required to put on a second day." Farnsworth puts the cost of a lost meeting at anything between £30,000 and £60,000 and although courses do insure against the prospect, it's still a huge financial blow to lose a fixture. Saturday, therefore, would be a welcome bonus. The two days at Musselburgh might just give us the chance to catch a glimpse of a future big-race winner. Let's just hope the big freeze turns into the big thaw.
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