Frost is again causing disruption to the fixture list, with Carlisle’s meeting today already called off – the 60th this jumps season to be lost to the weather – and inspections planned for today’s card at Chepstow at 7.30am and tomorrow’s Newcastle meeting at 1pm today. Frost is again causing disruption to the fixture list, with Carlisle’s meeting today already called off – the 60th this jumps season to be lost to the weather – and inspections planned for today’s card at Chepstow at 7.30am and tomorrow’s Newcastle meeting at 1pm today.
At Chepstow, a chilly weather report has prompted an inspection. “The forecast is for it to be a clear, cold night with a sharp frost,” the acting clerk of the course, Jeremy Martin, said. “It could get as low as -5C tonight and that would put us in doubt.”.

There are now 57 days to go before Istabraq goes for a staggering fourth Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and 46 remaining reasons why he cannot do it. There are now 57 days to go before Istabraq goes for a staggering fourth Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and 46 remaining reasons why he cannot do it.
The latter was the number of horses declared yesterday to take on the pride of Ireland in hurdling’s Blue Riband and perhaps the most surprising among them was Best Mate, Henrietta Knight’s stable star, who is also as short as 2-1 with Coral for the Independent Arkle Chase the same day. The Arkle remains the preferred target for Best Mate, who is unbeaten in two starts over fences.”The intention is to run Best Mate in the Arkle,” Knight said yesterday “I’ve entered him in the Champion Hurdle as security. He hasn’t done anything wrong so far but if anything went wrong with his jumping – heaven forbid – I would have something up my sleeve.”The six-year-old runs next at Sandown at the beginning of February.

“The horse is very well and goes for the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase,” Knight said. “I’ll also enter him at Doncaster a few days earlier just in case Sandown looks like being off. I desperately want to get a run into him before Cheltenham.”Istabraq’s owner, J P McManus, also has Youlneverwalkalone and Grimes on standby for the Champion, while the Ballydoyle horse’s trainer, Aidan O’Brien, will once again saddle Theatreworld.Youlneverwalkalone also holds an entry for the Stayers’ Hurdle, as do other leading Champion Hurdle aspirants Barton and Hors La Loi III, last year’s runner-up.The longer race has also attracted Bacchanal and Limestone Lad, who filled the first two places last March, though the former is also a prime consideration for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase on the Wednesday following two successes over the larger obstacles.Istabraq will provide a guide to his wellbeing in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday, when he will face a maximum of seven rivals. It was at that track that the nine-year-old fell for the first time in 25 races over hurdles last month.