PROSPECTS for St Stephen's Day's 11 race meetings currently hinge on whether forecast frost stays away tonight and tomorrow night, but Kempton's clerk of the course Peter McNeile is confident the King George VI Chase fixture will beat the weather.

Conditions are currently bright and sunny in Sunbury, where the ground is described as good.

And although McNeile concedes the terrain may dry further, he does not foresee frost as a problem 12 months on from when the King George card, in common with the St Stephen's Day's nine other cards, fell to the cold weather.

There are fears that Ayr will lose its St Stephen's Day fixture to the weather for the second year running.

Clerk of the course Mark Kershaw said. "We had quite a lot of frost last night and we certainly couldn't have raced today.

"The forecast is not good, with more frost likely, so we have planned an inspection for 10.00 a.m. on Christmas Day.

"The outlook is not good but we want to give it every chance if there a squeak of racing."

Prospects for other meetings largely depend on how the weather shapes up over the next two days.

At Wincanton, clerk of the course Ian Renton said. "At the moment there is no frost in the ground. But judging by the current forecast, things look pretty dire. We've five degrees of frost forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday nights with temperatures barely rising above freezing during the day.

"But we have to be optimstic and hope that the forecast is totally wrong!"

Huntingdon's racecourse manager Adam Waterworth painted a similar picture.

"If the current forecast is correct then we will struggle to race he said. "The worst of the weather appears to be forecast for Christmas Day night.

"The current plan is to hold a 7.30 a.m. inspection on Boxing Day but we will continue to monitor the situation.

"We could have raced yesterday but today would have been touch and go. We've sheeted up the takeoffs and landings of the obstacles and will do everything we can to race," he said.

A course spokeswoman for Wetherby, which stages the Rowland Meyrick Chase, said. "There has been no frost and the going is good to soft".

. Leading conditional jockey David Walsh gave up his two booked rides at Ludlow yesterday due to a bout of flu. But he will be back in action at Hereford on St Stephen's Day in a bid to add to a seasonal tally of 19 winners which puts him at the top of the claimers' table.

"David did not ride as he was riddled with flu," explained agent Chris Broad. "He is confined to bed and didn't ride out this morning.

"You can tell how ill he is from the fact that he is missing the jockeys' dinner tonight! "But he will be OK for Boxing Day when he will be riding for Martin Pipe at Hereford."

. Land Afar travels across to this country to cross swords again with Danoli in the Denny Gold Medal Chase at Leopardstown on St Stephen's Day.

The Paul Webber trained gelding has come off second best in his clashes with the Irish star in the last two Champion Hurdles, finishing 10th to Danoli's fourth behind Collier Bay at Cheltenham last March.

. Algan, the winner of the King George VI Chase two years ago, was pulled out of the big race yesterday because of the ground. The French hope, whose trainer Francois Doumen has won the event four times before, is not be risked on good going at Kempton considered too fast.