Both of today's cross-channel National Hunt meetings have been called off due to the freezing temperatures overnight.
Both Ayr and Newcastle called precautionary inspections early this morning but the tracks were forced to abandon their respective cards due to frost. Ayr was the first to go after a 6.30am inspection showed the course to be unraceable.
"We had a frost of minus four in the air over night and minus five on the ground," said clerk of the course Anthea Morshead. "The Met Office tell us it's going to drop a couple of degrees further in the next three hours and won't get above freezing until later this morning.
"That leaves us with no hope unfortunately, so we have had to abandon."
Newcastle was then called off an hour later after a 7.30am inspection. Temperatures there also dipped well below freezing and clerk of the course James Armstrong had to cancel the fixture. "We have had to abandon. It's still minus five at the winning post and it's even colder on the far side of the track," he said.
"Temperatures are not forecast to get get much above freezing until midday and although 75% of the track gets direct sunlight which would help, there are parts of the track in shade."
The only surviving fixture today is on the all-weather at Southwell.
Temperatures also fell below freezing there last night but clerk of the course Fergus Cameron does not foresee any problems at the track. "We had temperatures down to minus five overnight but the sun is coming out now. We are working the track, but not to any great depth, and we are not anticipating any problems at the moment," he said.
The going at Southwell is described as being on the slow side of standard.