Winter returns with a vengeance to wreck racing schedule

The loss of both National Hunt fixture on the last Friday of racing before the Christmas break due to snow, heralds the return of the wintry weather that caused such mayhem to the jumps schedule only a week ago, writes Elliot Slater.

Cheltenham betting pundits note that Uttoxeter was the first to give up the ghost when they found themselves unable to remove the frost covers due to the weight of snow that had fallen at the Midlands track in the hour before their second morning inspection. Ascot had been very optimistic about at least staging racing on the Friday of their ‘Long Walk’ and Ladbroke Hurdle fixture, but after a second inspection they too were forced to abandon as temperatures plummeted, the frost didn’t come out of the ground, and a large band of snow swept towards London from the West.

With only a few exception such as Cheltenham’s ‘A.P McCoy’ two-day fixture and the rescheduled Peterborough Chase card at Newbury earlier this week, jumps racing in Britain has been something of a disaster area this December and the picture has been no rosier across the water in Ireland, where thankfully they did manage to run the rescheduled Fairyhouse card earlier this week – even if it was at the fourth time of asking.

Those looking ahead to the cheltenham 2011 tips note that the prospects of any Saturday jumps cards across the nation at Ascot, Haydock and Newcastle going ahead are looking increasingly slim, and with forecasters suggesting that the latest cold snap could be with us for some days, it might well be that the next possible jumps racing will be on Boxing Day when seven meetings, (most notable amongst them the ‘King George’ fixture at Kempton Park), are scheduled to race.

The racing fraternity might well now be looking at one of the longest enforced winter breaks for many years, with the only chance of backing a jumps winner being 4/5 chance AP McCoy in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year on Sunday night!