The British horse racing calendar has been thrown into disarray as an unrelenting cold snap continues to grip the nation, forcing the cancellation of multiple fixtures and leaving racegoers and trainers alike anxiously watching the skies. Yet, amid widespread uncertainty, Wolverhampton’s all-weather meeting stands as a rare beacon of hope. The West Midlands track, typically reliable during winter’s worst, faces a crucial inspection at 9:30am on Monday, January 5, 2026, but remains optimistic that racing will proceed despite a forecast of light snow.
It’s been a tough week for turf racing across Britain and Ireland. The cold weather has left courses frozen and unfit for competition, with Lingfield and Ludlow the latest casualties. Both meetings were abandoned for Monday after early inspections on Sunday confirmed the worst. As officials at both tracks found conditions too treacherous, the decisions were made well ahead of time, sparing trainers and punters unnecessary travel but disappointing many who had hoped for a return to action.
Wolverhampton, however, is clinging to optimism. Clerk of the course Fergus Cameron struck a confident note on Sunday afternoon, saying, “We’re 100 per cent raceable at the current time, and on the back of the forecast without any snow we wouldn’t anticipate any problems. However, in view of the fact that there’s the potential for snow and temperatures will be very slow to rise, we just felt we should give people a heads up.” According to Cameron, a light band of snow is expected between 5pm and 10pm on Sunday, but it’s not likely to be enough to threaten the meeting. “At present we remain very confident,” he added, echoing the hopes of many in the racing community.
For now, Wolverhampton’s card is the only one scheduled to go ahead on Monday. Lingfield and Ludlow’s cancellations leave a blank slate elsewhere, and the knock-on effect is being felt throughout the week. Tuesday’s meeting at Musselburgh was called off as early as Saturday, with officials citing frozen ground and no prospect of improvement. It’s a pattern repeated across the country: Chepstow, Plumpton, and Naas all abandoned their Sunday fixtures due to similar conditions, despite the best efforts of ground staff and frost covers.
The challenges are not limited to Britain. In Ireland, Naas was due to stage the Grade 1 Ballymore Novice Hurdle on Sunday, but heavy frost forced officials to postpone the card. The meeting has now been rescheduled for Friday, January 9, giving trainers and connections a slim window to regroup. Irish racing at Clonmel, scheduled for Thursday, faces its own test, with temperatures as low as -3C forecast into the early part of the week. A thaw is expected to set in by Wednesday night, but ground conditions remain a concern.
Looking ahead, the prospects for jump racing in Britain are tentatively improving. The deep freeze is expected to ease in the second half of the week, with Thursday, January 8, marked as a likely date for the resumption of turf action. Hopes are high that Taunton will be able to host racing on Thursday, with clerk of the course Robert Bellamy expressing cautious optimism. "We’re not rock-solid and if the forecast is correct I’d be hopeful of racing. There’s improvement after tomorrow. It could be 3C to 5C on Wednesday and Thursday," Bellamy reported. In an unusual twist for January, he added, "I’ve been clerking for a while and to think of watering on January 5 or 6 is bonkers, but I think I’ll have to just to keep the moisture in the top of it."
Exeter is also eyeing a return to action on Friday, January 9. Clerk of the course Jason Loosemore said, “I’m pretty hopeful. We’ll be frozen going into Tuesday night but from there on it looks warmer and wetter. Any welcome rain will push the frost out of the ground in double quick time and if the forecast is right, we should be fine.” At Huntingdon, where the Chatteris Fen Hurdle is set for Thursday, trainee clerk Katie Margarson has seen her pessimism replaced by hope. "On Thursday we could have 9C overnight. That could well save the day. We’re probably going to be frozen in places up to Wednesday, then there are 7mm of wintry showers about on Thursday, which will help as well. I’m optimistic we’ll be on now," she commented.
Not every course is so lucky. The North Yorkshire Grand National meeting at Catterick, scheduled for Thursday, looks doubtful. Fiona Needham, clerk of the course, acknowledged, "Realistically, it’s looking doubtful. We’ve been unraceable since our meeting on New Year’s Day. The problem is it’s got in deep now and coming out won’t be a 24-hour thing." The depth of the frost has made recovery slow and uncertain, a sentiment echoed at several other venues.
The uncertainty extends to the weekend’s marquee turf fixtures. Kempton, Warwick, and Wetherby are all scheduled to stage important meetings on Saturday, January 10, but the weather could still play spoiler. Kempton’s Brian Clifford summed up the mood: “We’re not sure how things will play out at this stage. We’re currently unraceable and the forecasts keep changing. It was pretty cold here but Sandown nearby was quite lucky with the forecast on Saturday. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Warwick, home to the Classic Chase, faces similar challenges. “We were lucky to race on New Year’s Eve and we’ve had freezing conditions ever since, so we haven’t had a window to cover the track. It’s going to be -3C/-4C at night until Thursday, then it looks like warming up in the second half of the week, with rain forecast for Thursday and Friday. We’re hopeful we’ll recover in time for Saturday but we’ll need a favourable forecast,” said clerk Nessie Chanter. At Wetherby, Jonjo Sanderson noted, “It could be nip and tuck. By Wednesday it will be fairly permafrost, so to speak, then on Thursday it could warm to 4C/5C and if we get a bit of rain it might help advance it.”
As the racing community waits for the thaw, the schedule for the week remains in flux. Monday’s only potential action is at Wolverhampton, pending the results of the morning inspection. Tuesday brings more all-weather cards at Southwell and Wolverhampton, while Wednesday’s fate depends on early inspections at Leicester and continued monitoring at Kempton and Lingfield. Thursday and Friday could mark the return of jump racing, provided the forecasted improvement in temperatures materializes.
For now, all eyes are on Wolverhampton. Will the all-weather surface once again prove its worth and deliver some much-needed racing action? With the rest of Britain’s racing landscape frozen in suspense, the answer will come with Monday morning’s inspection and, perhaps, a bit of luck from the weather gods.
