Freezing Weather Forces Kempton's Lanzarote Card Ahead, Warwick Postponed
Kempton Park's eagerly anticipated Lanzarote Hurdle card has been given the green light to proceed as planned on Saturday afternoon. However, Warwick's Classic Chase meeting has fallen victim to the harsh winter weather, with the track remaining frozen in areas and unable to support racing.
The threat of sub-zero temperatures had prompted precautionary checks at both tracks, but Kempton Park was deemed fit for racing after a thorough assessment. In contrast, Warwick's situation proved more intractable, with the back straight freezing further and rendering the outer hurdle line unusable.
Warwick officials confirmed that while much of the track is still raceable, the frozen sections would not be passable by 10 am, and therefore, racing was deemed unfeasible. Temperatures were only forecast to rise above zero in the morning, making further improvement impossible.
The Lanzarote Hurdle card will feature a field of 17 runners, including Dan Skelton's A Pai De Nom, who faces his toughest challenge yet in this handicap event. The six-year-old looks like an eye-catcher at odds of 12-1 with Fasol, who boasts two recent victories and has been ridden to success by Olive Nicholls.
Skelton is hoping for a hat-trick, but the field is packed with contenders, including Lanesborough and French Ship. Other notable runners include Kalif Du Berlais, a Grade One-winning novice chaser who should improve on his last outing.
Kempton Park's eagerly anticipated Lanzarote Hurdle card has been given the green light to proceed as planned on Saturday afternoon. However, Warwick's Classic Chase meeting has fallen victim to the harsh winter weather, with the track remaining frozen in areas and unable to support racing.
The threat of sub-zero temperatures had prompted precautionary checks at both tracks, but Kempton Park was deemed fit for racing after a thorough assessment. In contrast, Warwick's situation proved more intractable, with the back straight freezing further and rendering the outer hurdle line unusable.
Warwick officials confirmed that while much of the track is still raceable, the frozen sections would not be passable by 10 am, and therefore, racing was deemed unfeasible. Temperatures were only forecast to rise above zero in the morning, making further improvement impossible.
The Lanzarote Hurdle card will feature a field of 17 runners, including Dan Skelton's A Pai De Nom, who faces his toughest challenge yet in this handicap event. The six-year-old looks like an eye-catcher at odds of 12-1 with Fasol, who boasts two recent victories and has been ridden to success by Olive Nicholls.
Skelton is hoping for a hat-trick, but the field is packed with contenders, including Lanesborough and French Ship. Other notable runners include Kalif Du Berlais, a Grade One-winning novice chaser who should improve on his last outing.