ARCTIC CONDITIONS have returned with a vengeance to play havoc with the racing programme. There was no racing in Britain or Ireland yesterday, and today has already been hit with the loss of Market Rasen’s jumps fixture due to frost and snow.
Although a slight thaw late on Sunday morning offered a degree of optimism at the Lincolnshire venue, the situation was considered untenable following a mid-afternoon inspection.
Today’s other National Hunt card at Carlisle will need to survive an 8am inspection if it is to go ahead. Clerk of the course Andrew Tulloch said: “If the forecast is right we should be okay.
Officials at Wolverhampton are to hold a precautionary inspection at 8am ahead of their afternoon meeting. Though the Dunstall Park all-weather track was clear of snow yesterday, there is a risk of a light fall today.
No problems are envisaged at Tuesday’s extra meeting scheduled for Lingfield. However, that day’s jumps card at Southwell is under threat following four inches of snow yesterday that forced the abandonment of yesterday’s all-weather fixture.
No frost problems are reported on Tuesday at Taunton, where the going is soft – though more rain is forecast.
Meanwhile, Nicky Henderson and Barry Geraghty dominated Ascot on Saturday, with the trainer ending up with a near-17 to 1 four-timer, three of which were ridden by Geraghty, who completed his own quadruple on Monet’s Garden in the feature Betfair Ascot Chase.
Henderson also passed 100 for the season through Finian’s Rainbow, Lush Life, Burton Point and Sprinter Sacre.
Finian’s Rainbow, a 4 to 11 favourite on the back of a highly respectable third in the Challow Hurdle, simply outclassed his opposition in the Hope Safe T-Bar Novices’ Hurdle.
He carried the same colours of Michael Buckley as Lush Life (7 to 2), who overturned 1 to 2 favourite Menorah in the Lomax “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.
This was a chance ride for Ruby Walsh, with Geraghty aboard stablemate Osric.
“Finian’s Rainbow didn’t make any mistakes and Barry was trying to stop going to the front so soon,” said Henderson.
“He obviously won’t run again and he’ll go to Cheltenham as a very realistic candidate.”
He added of Lush Life: “We thought with Menorah in there we were just going to be educating two babies.
“He’s only in the Neptune, but I think Finian’s Rainbow is the owner’s Neptune horse.”
