Racing hit hard by big freeze

THE cold weather was the real winner over the weekend as sub-zero temperatures continue to play havoc with National Hunt racing.

Plumpton's meeting yesterday, featuring the At The Races Sussex National, survived a second inspection but the news was not so positive elsewhere.

Lingfield and Wetherby, the two National Hunt fixtures scheduled for today, were abandoned following inspections yesterday. Leicester's meeting tomorrow will need to pass an 8am inspection today but that looks unlikely, while the prospects of any turf racing on Wednesday look bleak as inspections at Hexham and Southwell have already been planned for 7.30am and 12pm respectively today and Ludlow's meeting on Thursday is subject to a check at 2pm tomorrow.

The only action today is at Wolverhampton, where If I Were A Boy is napped to land the 4.05.

Conditional jockey Johnny Farrelly was glad Plumpton's popular Sussex National fixture got the green light yesterday. He made the most of a suspension to David Pipe's stable jockey Tom Scudamore with a double that included the 20,000 At The Races Sussex National. It is not long before Farrelly loses his 3lb claim but a few more rides like his effort on Master Overseer in the three-miles-five-furlong feature should ensure he remains in demand.

Master Overseer (9-2) is now unbeaten in three handicaps this season but is hardly the most fleet-footed of individuals and it was simply a combination of his stamina and the determination of his pilot that saw him deprive 100-30 favourite Tarquinius in a terrific finish. Pipe said: "He's not the quickest but he keeps galloping and it probably wasn't soft enough for him. He only gets going after about three miles really."