FOR the second time in two weeks the Welsh Grand National could be cancelled due to the weather.
Saturday’s rearranged race is under threat from forecast snow and freezing temperatures in the Chepstow area.
And that news has forced officials into calling another inspection.
Clerk of the course, Libby O’Flaherty will inspect conditions at 2.30pm on Friday afternoon.
Tomorrow’s meeting at Taunton has already been cancelled. Saturday’s racing at Wincanton and Fairyhouse must also pass an inspection with Exeter’s Sunday fixture also under threat.
O’Flaherty said: “We’ve called a precautionary inspection because from midday until mid-afternoon on Friday we’ve got snow forecast.
“We’re currently raceable. The course is completely covered and we’ve got great grass cover. There’s a little bit of leaf frost this morning, but there’s no frost in the ground.
“We could get one centimetre of snow (on Friday), we could get 10 or we could get nothing at all.
“We’re just managing expectations.”
The fixture list has been decimated in recent weeks with the cold snap taking a toll.
Cheltenham’s New Year meeting was another high profile casualty as heavy rain meant the track was waterlogged.
A number of the races from that card have been moved to this weekend at Kempton and Wincanton.
A bumpers for jumpers card has been added to the fixture list tomorrow at Newcastle to try and give trainers a chance to run some horses.
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