Leopardstown’s Dublin Festival looks set to go ahead but British trainers are starting to consider alternative plans for some of their Cheltenham Festival candidates
It was as close to a racing certainty as you will ever get that Thursday’s jumps meetings at Wincanton and Fakenham would succumb to the cold weather and the prospects are worrying for National Hunt racing both on Saturday, with Musselburgh’s pre-Cheltenham Festival card having already succumbed on Thursday lunchtime.
Sandown’s clerk of the course Andrew Cooper described the outlook for the Esher course’s Saturday fixture as “challenging but not a lost cause” in a tweet on Thursday morning, stating: “Coldest night of the winter @Sandownpark at -6.7. Frozen in places, including under these shaded covers. Will lift this pm in advance of forecast 2cm snow. Will update Friday morning. Clearly challenging but not a lost cause.”
Coldest night of the winter @Sandownpark at -6.7. Frozen in places, including under these shaded covers. Will lift this pm in advance of forecast 2cm snow. Will update Friday morning. Clearly challenging but not a lost cause. pic.twitter.com/92G8adL9Vm
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Wincanton 1.25 Southfield Stone 1.55 Broughtons Rhythm 2.25 Danse Idol 3.00 Myplaceatmidnight 3.30 Magic Saint 4.00 Caid Du Berlais 4.30 Eritage
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