Doncaster will inspect on Wednesday morning ahead of first jumps meeting of year

All set: Doncaster's clerk of the course Paul Barker is confident the track will be able to stage its first jumps meeting of 2024 on Wednesday - but it must pass a precautionary inspection first. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Doncaster clerk of the course Paul Barker is confident today’s meeting will go ahead if the weather forecast is accurate.

There was a slight grass frost on Tuesday morning and with similar temperatures forecast overnight, a precautionary inspection has been called for 8am.

However, Barker reports the course to have been frost-free by 10am on Tuesday and as long as the weather does not differ widely from what is expected, no problems are anticipated.

Town Moor is due to stage a seven-race card starting at 12.20 and Barker said: “We were raceable by 10am today after being a little bit crispy this morning. The forecast is pretty similar for tonight, although it is due to get cooler earlier tonight.

Good to go: Doncaster is set to stage its first jumps meeting of the new year at Town Moor on Wednesday. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

“Because this morning was a little crispy, we felt it was only right that we called an inspection but if the forecast is right, we should be OK.

“We’ve got some really good fields which is great to see. We had a relatively good mid-December fixture and were a little bit quieter on the 29th.

“It’s bizarre really as this fixture did exactly the same last year, we had 90 runners then, so it is obviously one that works really well.”

There is also a precautionary 8am inspection for today’s other jumps card at Leicester.

The British Horseracing Authority says the Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase will be rescheduled for Warwick on Saturday after last weekend’s abandonment at Sandown.