Down Royal fixture postponed to next weekend

Gerri Colombe will have to wait an extra week to start out on the Cheltenham Gold Cup trail after Down Royal’s two-day meeting on Friday and Saturday was postponed by seven days to now take place on November 10th and November 11th.

Gordon Elliott’s talented stayer is the second-favourite for Gold Cup glory following a fine novice chase campaign last term and was due to step into open company in the feature Ladbrokes Champion Chase, where rivals could have included established stars Conflated, Envoi Allen and Minella Indo.

However, with Down Royal currently unraceable, the decision has been made to shift the whole meeting back in the calendar with fresh entries for the meeting set to close on Monday and Tuesday.

Down Royal clerk Tracey O’Meara said: “We have just taken another look at the track and consulted with the river agencies within the locality. The situation here is that we’ve been informed the river Lagan will continue to rise over the next 48 hours which will not enable the standing water on the course to subside.

“We were hoping for a more positive outcome when we started work on the track this morning to remove the water, but the situation with the river Lagan leaves us with no option but to make the difficult decision to cancel both Friday and Saturday as the track will simply not be ready in time.

“We were giving the meeting every chance but have made the decision at the earliest possible opportunity with the industry and public in mind.

“We are pleased to say that everyone is in a position to reschedule the fixtures for Friday 10th and Saturday 11th of November and the forecast into next week looks to be more favourable. Fresh entries will close on Monday for Friday and Tuesday for Saturday.”

Meanwhile, jockey Jim Crowley is feeling “very confident” about Mostahdaf’s chances in the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Saturday night.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained five-year-old is poised for what is likely to be his final outing at Santa Anita before he embarks on a career at stud.

His services will surely be well sought after given his most recent performances have been career bests, in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and Juddmonte International, two of the most prestigious 10-furlong races anywhere in the world.

He was due to run in the Champion Stakes at Ascot two weeks ago, but after John Gosden initially gave him the go-ahead having walked the track, a downpour midafternoon meant he did not race and was rerouted to California.

Crowley was not on board for his most recent outing at York as he was serving a whip suspension, with Frankie Dettori stepping in. And he is very excited about being reunited.

“The first time I’ve sat on him here was this morning and I’m very happy with the way he felt. He moved great in an easy canter for a circuit. He will probably go a little bit quicker tomorrow,” said Crowley.

“He was very well behaved and behaves himself better when he’s abroad than at home. He has plenty of pace, and you can park him up anywhere. I’m very confident.”

Mostahdaf is currently favourite for the race, which is due off at 9.50pm Irish time, with Aidan O’Brien’s star Auguste Rodin the second favourite.