LEOPARDSTOWN are confident that tomorrow's big Ladbroke meeting will go ahead as planned. The track has been clear of snow since early in the week and the going at present is yielding. Snow turning to rain, however, is forecast for tonight. Prospects for Sunday's meeting at Navan are also very food.

Today's rearranged Punchestown meeting was yesterday postponed for a second time and will now be held next Monday. Fresh declarations are necessary by Sunday. Snow on the track forced the racecourse executive to postpone the fixture, which was originally scheduled for last Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Turf racing in Britain looks set to resume at Musselburgh today, provided the course passes a 7.30 a.m. inspection.

The same track suffered a late abandonment last Saturday, but clerk of the course Mark Kershaw is confident today's fixture will be able to proceed.

"It has been raining today, we haven't had any frost and the course is raceable, with the temperature rising to 4 C," he said.

"But as there is a slight frost forecast for tonight with the temperature expected to rise to 3-4C during the day and, bearing in mind what happened last Saturday, we will hold an inspection at 7.30 tomorrow morning to keep people posted."

Ascot's clerk of the course, Nick Cheyne, held two inspections of the track yesterday, but on each occasion bore bad news.

Cheyne called off today's card after checking the course at 8.0 a.m. and then abandoned the Victor Chandler card scheduled for tomorrow after a 3.0 p.m. inspection.

"There course remains frozen solid and there is still a light covering of snow," he said. "The temperature is zero and will be dipping below zero overnight, which gives us no hope."

The valuable card at Warwick tomorrow also fell to frost following an inspect ion yesterday afternoon. A spokeswoman reported: "We are completely frozen and the forecast isn't going to help this time."

The prospects for tomorrow's card at Newcastle, however, appear somewhat brighter. "The head groundsman has just been in and he said we are fine at the moment," reported a spokeswoman.

"We could have raced today and, provided the weather stays as it is, we should be all right."