Scotia It`s getting cold in the Scotland.

The UK from SPace

Got to hand it to the guys, they are trying everything to give racing a chance considering the weather conditions.

Southwell to play host to first all-bumper fixture

THE BHA has introduced three new fixtures to next week's programme - including an all-bumper card scheduled on Southwell's fibresand on Wednesday in a bid to help jump trainers.

The other two cards are all-weather Flat fixtures at Kempton on Monday and Lingfield on Tuesday.

The move will be welcomed not only by trainers, but also the Levy Board, which is estimated to have lost more than £2 million in betting levy since the spate of abandonments began in mid-December.


With no jumps racing in Britain and Ireland until next Tuesday at the earliest, and even that looking a forlorn hope with both Leicester and Newcastle already under serious threat, the Southwell initiative - the first time such an event has been staged in Britain - is expected to be well supported by trainers keen to release their potential stars of the future from from the confines of snowbound stables.

Ferdy Murphy was full of praise for the BHA's initiative, saying on Thursday: "The BHA have to be applauded, I think they are starting to go the right way and look at reality, and I think it's wonderful. Anything we can run at Southwell, we will run. It is a fantastic initiative on their part and we will certainly support it."

Musselburgh offers hope for return of jump action

MUSSELBURGH has offered a glimmer of hope that racing can resume on turf at the end of the week as general manager Bill Farnsworth disclosed he would ask to postpone Friday's card and race over the weekend if the track needed more time to thaw out.

Farnsworth has pinned his hopes on a significant rise in temperatures in Scotland from Monday though his optimism is not shared around the rest of Britain as the Met Office forecast further snow would sweep England and Wales and predicted the cold snap could stretch as far as the end of the month.

Monday, January 18 and Thursday, January 21 are 2-1 joint favourites to stage the next day's jumps action in Betfair's market but Farnsworth believes a thaw could start north of the border before then.


"There is a glimmer of hope as temperatures are set to improve fromMonday to possibly 5°C during the day and if we got that we could see things moving, it's just a question of whether it happened quick enough," he said.

"I might ask the BHA if we could postpone the meeting to Saturday or Sunday if we don't think the track will be quite ready on Friday.

"I could also ask if they could give us a replacement fixture and make it twodays but that might cause stabling problems as we would anticipate getting maximum fields. We have options."

The forecast for the week prompted Kempton's clerk of the course Barney Clifford to call an early inspection of its jumps track as there is "no thaw predicted even on the long range forecast for the next 10 days," he said. "We need to put plans in place and decide if we need to transfer to the all-weather or not."

Outlining the weather prospects for the week ahead a Met Office spokesman said: "There is a bit more snow on the way, especially for England and Wales. Snow showers in the south east will get a bit more persistent and develop more or less across England and Wales tonight and tomorrow. It doesn't look like that will necessarily stop and could still be going on Monday. The other factor is it looks like staying pretty cold with temperatures below freezing.

"Looking through Tuesday there is still a chance of a bit more snow and on Wednesday another weather system comes in from the Atlantic and when that hits the cold air it could produce more snow.

"Even looking at a longer outlook there are some signs that it could be slowly warming up towards the end of the month, butit will be a slow warm-up so I wouldn't even be massively optimistic [of a resumption] even from the outlook."

Morning Bob you should be able to get to work?

Optimism grows at Musselburgh with thaw

A FROST-FREE night and daytime thaw on Sunday heightened optimism at Musselburgh that the track could become the firstjumps venue to beat the cold snap by not only racing on Friday, but also holding an additional card on Saturday.

With varying degrees of optimism, the Met Office, Musselburgh boss Bill Farnsworth and Betfair’s markets on Sunday all offered hope jumps fans could this week get their first taste of turf action since Plumpton staged the At The Races Sussex National card on January 3.

All jumps meetings until Wednesday have been abandoned and inspections on Sunday could trigger the cancellation of Thursday’s racing at Catterick and Towcester.

A forecast for snow also means inspections for Monday afternoon’s Flat fixtures at Kempton and Wolverhampton.
However, warmer weather in the Edinburgh area has not gone unnoticed, and on Betfair at 5pm on Sunday it was 4-5 each of two a jumps meeting would take place by Sunday. Saturday, at 2-1, was favourite to witnessa return.

What was scheduled to be a one-day meeting at Musselburgh could yet become a two-day bonanza, raising the possibility of Channel 4 viewers being able to watch jump racing for the first time on a Saturday since Boxing Day.

Farnsworth said on Sunday: “We’re due to have a gradual warming during the week and I’m hoping we might be able to race on Friday, then again on Saturday.

“If things keep movingin the right direction, we have a decent chance of racing. We did have some snow last night, but not a great deal.

“The overnight temperature did not go below 1C and our head groundsman has already told me the track is thawing.

“It looks like we’re one of the few tracks who could be in a position to race, so allowing us to race again on Saturday would be sensible.

“I’ve already spoken to Stuart Middleton at the BHA, and been told they will be emailing all courses on Monday asking which ones might have a chance of staging some jumping on Saturday.”

Warwick, which had hoped to stage its showpiece fixture of the year on Saturday, was described by clerk of the course Andrew Morris as “a long shot to race” on Sunday night.

However, while Kempton’s Williamhill.com Lanzarote Hurdle card could be abandoned on Monday, the track is looking into replacing it with an all-weather programme that could comprise bumpers and Flat races framed specifically for jumpers.

Clerk of the course Barney Clifford said: “The likelihood is that we will be on the all-weather on Saturday, but whether the meeting is for Flat horses or jumpers I don’t yet know. Framing Flat races for jumpers won’t be easy but the discussions are there to be had.”

Summing up the week’s weather movements, a Met Office forecaster said: “There is no sudden thaw or transition to much milder conditions through this week. Temperatures will still be well below normal, but we have lost the really extreme overnight temperatures, the ones that put the very bad frost in the ground.”

Thurles and Naas are the scheduled meetings in Ireland up to Saturday, but prospects for both are grim.

Thurles, due to race Thursday and Friday, remained frozen on Sunday, with racecourse manager Pierce Molony saying: "We were -8C last night and got to only zero during the day.

“We will need temperatures to get to at least +5C over the next couple of days to have a chance of racing."

Naas remained covered in snow on Sunday, racecourse manager Tom Ryan saying: "We would have to be doubtful. We could get more snowtonight, and even if it thaws later in the week it’s going to leave a lot of water and muck on the track."

Anyone depressed about the ongoing freeze could be heartened by news that racing in Australia is also suffering a similar crisis - so much so that Monday’s meeting at Moe in the state of Victoria has been abandoned.

Officials decided the anticipated afternoon temperature of 43C was too extreme.

Find out what the prospects are for forthcoming fixtures in Britain and Ireland with our at-a-glance table

Bob busy Sat?

Additional jump fixtures in pipeline for Saturday

MUSSELBURGH and Fontwell look set to stage additional jump racing fixtures on Saturday.

Musselburgh is very optimistic of its scheduled meeting going ahead on Friday and could host a two-day card.

The BHA confirmed it was in discussion with Musselburgh and Northern Racing, owners of Fontwell, and added that an official announcement could be made on Tuesday.

Musselburgh lost three meetings over the Christmas holidays but racecourse manager Bill Farnsworth is very hopeful racing will get under way on Friday.

Farnsworth said: "A steady thaw is under way and if it continues we are looking good for racing on both days.

"The extra race day will be most welcome for jumps followers who have been starved of action in the last two weeks."

Find out what the prospects are for forthcoming fixtures in Britain and Ireland with our at-a-glance table

Snow starting to melt scotia,Edinburgh was clear yesterday..

Kauto Star heads 27 entered in Gold Cup


KAUTO STAR is one of 27 horses engaged in the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup as entries for the race fell to the lowest level of recent times.

The only horse ever to regain the Gold Cup crown heads a select list of names in the £475,000 Grade 1 contest on March 19, when he will be bidding to emulate Golden Miller, Cottage Rake, Arkle and Best Mate with a third victory.


In the Arkle era entries for the race were even lower with numbers falling to 14, 13 and 18 when he won his three titles in 1964, 1965 and 1966.

Kauto Star, 5-4 with the sponsors for the race, will lead a potent challenge from trainer Paul Nicholls, who is bidding to become the first trainer since Basil Briscoe (1932-35) to win four successive Cheltenham Gold Cups.

His team includes the 2008 Gold Cup winner Denman and What A Friend, who chased home Denman in the Hennessy Gold Cup and then won the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown.

Other notable contenders include Imperial Commander, who took the Ryanair Chase at the festival last season and went down by a nose to Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November, and a potential Irish challenge of eight is headed by the Willie Mullins-trained pair of Cooldine, successful in last season's Grade 1 RSA Chase, and the unexposed Glencove Marina.

The highest profile absentees is John Durkan Chase winner Joncol, who is likely to be aimed at the Ryanair Chase.

Back to normal Bob, sun will be shining in the bookies.

It's back! Lanzarote card heralds restart of season


JUMPING for joy. That is what lovers of chasers and hurdlers will be doing on Saturday when 13 days of sporting starvation comes to an end with Channel 4-televised action at Kempton and Huntingdon.

Since the cold snap kicked in and the lights went out at Plumpton on January 3, a total of 27 consecutive British and Irish jumps meetings have been abandoned with a further four venues deemed unfit for sport on Saturday afternoon.

However, Kempton and Huntingdon, both covered by snow earlier in the week, will on Saturday deliver what British jumps fans have been craving most, while Naas quenches the thirst of the Irish faithful by holding a fixture that includes a Grade 2 novice chase.

But it is Kempton that will attract most attention. It was the Sunbury-on-Thames track that staged the last Saturday jumps card on Boxing Day, and although all-weather action has kept the racecourse busy in the interim, the return of jumpers has been their aim all week.

"The last five weeks have been pretty tough and the team have worked exceptionally hard," said Barney Clifford, Kempton's racing director and clerk of the course.

"We moved mountains to get Wednesday evening's all-weather fixture on, and at that point there seemed absolutely no chance of staging a jumps meeting on Saturday. However, the weather has been volatile and the warmer temperatures have helped us."

Those warmer temperatures have ensured that Kempton can stage seven races - four of them to be shown on Channel 4 - headed by the Williamhill.com Lanzarote Hurdle, a flagship handicap whose two highest-rated runners, Duc De Regniere and Tasheba, both represent Nicky Henderson.

The Henderson camp will also be keeping a close eye on the 2m novice chase in which the giant Mad Max makes his debut over fences in a fascinating five-runner contest that also includes former smart novice hurdlers Dee Ee Williams and Mahonia.

Estatic with the news Scotia,can`t wait for the flat to start...

Odds-on Denman not certain for Leopardstown

LADBROKES have made Denman 1-2 favourite for the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup on February 7. But the Paul Nicholls-trained star is not yet certain to be aimed at the Leopardstown race.

In his column in Saturday's Racing Post, Nicholls pointed out the possible advantages of sending Denman to Leopardstown instead of going for the Aon Chase at Newbury six days later, referring to the greater value of the Hennessy and the fact that it would give Denman almost an extra week before lining up at Cheltenham.

However, the champion trainer also referred to Newbury being "closer to home".

Denman, who won the Hennessy at Newbury under top weight last time, is one of 17 entries for the Grade 1 contest, for which Ladbrokes make Money Trix and Joncol, second and third respectively behind Denman's stablemate What A Friend in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown last month, 4-1 joint second favourites.

Irish Hennessy betting
Ladbrokes: 1-2 Denman, 4 Joncol, Money Trix, 6 Cooldine, Notre Pere, 7 Madison Du Berlais, 14 Le Beau Bai, 16 In Compliance, Rare Bob, Schindlers Hunt, Snowy Morning, 20 Glencove Marina, Made in Taipan, 25 Aran Concerto, J'y Vole, 33 Cara Mara, Casey Jones

Denman jockey decision yet to be made - Nicholls

PAUL NICHOLLS said he was "disappointed" by a report in a Sunday newspaper that Tony McCoy will ride Denman in the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The article, by Jonathan Powell in the Mail On Sunday, quoted Denman's part-owner Paul Barber as saying: "If Ruby Walsh opts for Kauto Star at Cheltenham, we intend to go for the next best jockey, simple as that."

But McCoy was quoted as saying he had received no approach from Barber or Nicholls, and the trainer said on Sunday: "People can speculate as much as they want, but I have made no decision about jockey arrangements for the Gold Cup and I would be crazy to do so with Cheltenham still two months away.

"A football manager does not name his team for the FA Cup final eight weeks before the match and it's no different to my situation. You wait until nearer the day and you then ask two questions: one, who is fit? And two, who is available?"

He went on: "I know what Paul [Barber] said to Jonathan [Powell], and what he actually said was, "We intend to go for the next-best jockey who is available at the time". And how can we possibly know who is available this far in advance?

"Jockeys can get hurt, God forbid; horses can run below form or get injured - so much can happen, and it would be pointless my making a decision about Denman now, based on who Ruby may or may not ride in the Gold Cup.

"I feel under no pressure whatsoever on this matter. I will make an announcement when I feel the time is right and appropriate."

It hasyet to be decided where Denman will make his next appearance. Both the Aon Chase at Newbury on February 13 and the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown six days earlier are under consideration, while the Letheby and Christopher Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham in 12 days' time is also a possibility.

Nicholls stressed: "It's important to keep all our options open."

Twist, Medermit and Harry all cut for Festival

CHELTENHAM clues were expected on Saturday and they came left, right and centre with Twist Magic, Diamond Harry and Medermit just three of the horses whose ante-post odds were chewed up following impressive victories.

Twist Magic, who massively enhanced his reputation with a powerful performance in the Victor Chandler Chase, is now as short as 4-1 from 8-1 to defeat stablemate Master Minded and capture the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase.


The same day's RSA Chase is the target for Diamond Harry, who is just 5-1 from 10-1 with Totesport for the novices' Gold Cup thanks to a solid win on his first outing over fences at Haydock. William Hill and Boylesports offer 7-1.

Double-figure prices are still available about Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle candidate Medermit, who upset defending title-holder Punjabi at Haydock, a success that prompted Ladbrokes to shorten his Cheltenham odds to 14-1 from 20-1.

A ridiculously easy Grade 2 win by Peddlers Cross has earned him a 14-1 first show for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle from Ladbrokes and Totesport, while he is also quoted at just 12-1 for the Neptune Investment Novices' Hurdle by Stan James. Sticking with the novices, Ascot winner Advisor is 14-1 from 20-1 for the JCB Triumph Hurdle with Blue Square.

Later in the day, a newCheltenham favourite emerged in the guise of the Dermot Weld-trained Hidden Universe, whose Leopardstown victory left him as 10-1 market leader for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper with Ladbrokes.

However, Weld was reluctant to commit the grey son of Linamix to the Festival race and hinted that the year-older Elequent Concorde, also owned by Dr Ronan Lambe, is a more likely contender for the contest.