TODAY’S meeting at Folkestone has been abandoned because of snow.

Officials had no alternative but to call off the fixture after they brought forward their inspection from this morning to yesterday afternoon.

‘‘We’ve got two inches of snow on the course and it is now below freezing,’’ said clerk of the course Andy Waitt. ‘‘We are forecast minus three overnight and we are not due to have any sun until about 12 o’clock tomorrow, so it’s not likely to thaw at all.

‘‘We had two to three hours of sun on it this afternoon and it barely thawed.’’ Freezing temperatures decimated the New Year programme.

Yesterday’s jumps meetings at Exeter and Fakenham were abandoned following early morning inspections while Cheltenham’s quality card was long in the balance.

Frost put paid to any hopes of racing at Exeter and Fakenham.

Exeter clerk of the course Barry Johnson inspected the track at 8am and found it to be unraceable with little chance of adequate improvement before racing.

He said: ‘‘We have abandoned. It got down to minus four last night, it’s still under freezing now and the sun has not come up.

‘‘The forecast is for plus two but it wouldn’t be enough for us to race.’’ It was a similar story at Fakenham, where clerk of the course David Hunter also held an 8am inspection.

He said: ‘‘We have had to abandon. The temperature got down to minus 1.7 last night and we’re only plus 0.3 now.

‘‘The forecast is for a maximum of plus one to one and a half degrees which just does not give us confidence that the frost would lift from the exposed areas of ground in time for racing.’’ Prospects are mixed for today with Sandown calling a 7.30am inspection.

Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper admits the course is facing an uphill battle to stage the fixture, which is due to feature the Grade One Blue Square Tolworth Hurdle.

He said: ‘‘We will have a look. We have not had as sharp a frost as feared last night and temperatures did not drop below zero until 6am, although we did have a light dusting of snow.

‘‘We are expecting a maximum of two or three with minus three forecast overnight and plus two or three tomorrow.

‘‘We have covered the area in front of the stands and on the hill as they are the first to freeze, but 95 per cent of the course is not covered.’’ Folkestone have called an inspection for 7.30am.

Although clerk of the course Andrew Waitt reports the track to be raceable at present, he is concerned by a cold overnight forecast.

Looking further ahead, Ludlow clerk of the course Bob Davies has called a Tuesday inspection ahead of Thursday’s meeting.