Kempton Park’s Lanzarote Hurdle card will go ahead as planned on Saturday afternoon, but Warwick’s Classic Chase meeting has failed to beat the weather.
Despite being passed fit for racing on Friday after managing to navigate a freezing week, the threat of sub-zero temperatures overnight had led to precautionary 8.00am raceday checks being called at both tracks.
Warwick said on X: “Whilst the majority of the track is raceable, the back straight remains frozen in areas. The contingency plan we put in place yesterday, using the outer hurdle line, has frozen under the sheets and is unraceable.
“With temperatures only forecast to rise above freezing by 10am, and highs of only 2C, there will not be sufficient improvement ahead of racing.”
Lingfield 12.40 Diomed Spirit 1.10 Nunc Est Bibendum 1.40 Alasrae 2.10 Midnight Call 2.40 Chloe’s Courage 3.10 Celtic John 3.40 Repertoire
Hereford 1.00 Heva Rose 1.30 Loaded And Locked (nb) 2.00 Aguellid 2.30 Pepe Le Moko 3.00 Bollin Thou 3.30 Jamaicaine 4.00 Pigeon Forge
Wolverhampton 5.00 Zooks 5.30 Tafah (nap) 6.00 All Moonshine 6.30 The Caribbean 7.00 Crown The Future 7.30 How’s The Guvnor 8.00 Eagles Whistle
A field of 17 runners is due to go to post for Kempton’s Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle at 3.17pm, when Dan Skelton, the successful trainer for the past two seasons, will be hoping to complete a hat-trick with A Pai De Nom, a winner three times this season.
The six-year-old faces by far his stiffest assignment to date, however, and several opponents at bigger prices go into the race with a similar chance on the book. Lanesborough and French Ship are two of the more obvious candidates, but the eye-catcher at the early prices is Paul Nicholls’ Fasol (3.17) at around 12-1.
The seven-year-old has won his last two starts with Olive Nicholls, the trainer’s daughter, in the saddle for both victories, and had more than enough in hand at Musselburgh last time to suggest a hat-trick is a distinct possibility.
Kempton 1.30 Dan Skelton’s Precious Man made a fine start for his new stable in a traditionally strong juvenile hurdle at Cheltenham in November.
Fairyhouse 1.40 Henry de Bromhead’s nine-year-old Inthepocket has just five races to his name over fences and looked sure to improve for the run on his belated handicap debut at Navan in December.
Kempton 2.05 With significant doubts over Soul Icon’s stamina and Welcome To Cartries’ consistency, The Doyen Chief looks like the safest option at around 100-30 as he drops back to three miles having been stretched by an extra two furlongs last time.
Kempton 2.40 Kalif Du Berlais, a Grade One-winning novice chaser, was the beaten favourite in the Haldon Gold Cup but the first two home there were both winners next time and the six-year-old should improve for the outing.
