While British racing is suffering with sub-zero temperatures that have frozen racetracks and has lead to the worst rate of abandonments since 1963, Australian horseracing is suffering quite the opposite. Racing in northern Victoria has been suspended because temperatures are considered too hot, with the hottest nights in 100 years. In some areas around Melbourne temperatures reached 43C (109F) and two horseracing meetings were suspended.

Back to Britain, Musselburgh is still hopeful that it will able to host its jump event, though chances seem to have slightly decreased. On the other hand, Fontwell will be used on Saturday but only if Warwick and Wetherby are abandoned.

untingdon remains as the only certain possibility for Friday and optimism is high. According to Andrew Morris, who is the clerk of the racecourse in Huntingdon and also in Warwick, Huntingdon has a good and reasonable chance of racing and a much better chance than Warwick.

“It's strange that I've had countless calls about Warwick but no one has even checked on Huntingdon until now. It's been quite enjoyable, out of the limelight, and although I'm not confident we'll race, we most certainly haven't written it off,” Morris commented. He also said the racetrack has no snow and no further frosts are expected.

According to Morris, the British Horseracing Authority denied his request to defer the Huntingdon fixture until Saturday. The BHA argued that they preferred to leave things as they were since there were other horseracing courses that could race on Saturday.

Fontwell manager Phil Bell commented the track still has three inches of snow and they are waiting for rain to shift the snow. However, since the BHA requested courses that had a more than 50 per cent of chance of racing, Fontwell is still a possibility.

Warwick will be inspected in the next few hours and Kempton is preparing to switch to an all-weather bumper card. In the middle of this scenery, Musselburgh remains as the major hope for turf action this weekend. The racetrack had also been suggested by Nicky Henderson as the place to move the Welsh Champion Hurdle.

Henderson expected to run champion Punjabi last Saturday at the Welsh Champion Hurdle and he was against the decision of the British Horseracing Authority not to support the rescheduling of the Welsh competition.