THE early days of the New Year are unlikely to bring a resumption of normal racing service.

Only Catterick, due to race tomorrow and New Year's Day, holds out serious hopes of being able to stage jumps racing over the next few days as the sport remains firmly in an icy grip.

A plethora of inspections, followed by the inevitable abandonments, have left racing fans to survive mainly on a diet of all-weather sport since St Stephen's Day.

But only a deterioration in the weather is likely to cause serious problems for Catterick.

James Sanderson, the course manager, said: "We would have been able to race every day since Christmas. We are not even planning an inspection because there is nothing to inspect.

"In the end, it will just depend on what the weather is like in the 12 hours before the meeting. Some snow is forecast and there could be a frost between -1 degree C and - 4 degrees C."

Exeter's New Year's Day fixture has already succumbed to the frost, while inspections are planned at the other four jumping courses due to race that day - Cheltenham, Leicester, Windsor and Uttoxeter.

The situation is no better for Thursday's two jump fixtures at Ayr and Market Rasen where inspections are already planned for tomorrow.

An all-weather meeting is now scheduled for every day this week.