GRAND DAY OUT
NATIONAL HUNT racing will return to Britain at Lingfield Park this afternoon – provided a forecast thaw sees the Surrey venue pass an 8am inspection.
Fakenham yesterday became the eighth consecutive British jumps fixture to fall to the freeze since racing over obstacles took place at Southwell last Wednesday.
But Lingfield clerk of the course Stephanie Wethered is confident the final day of the track’s Winter Million – Friday’s turf meeting was cancelled before the all-weather took centre stage yesterday – will go ahead as scheduled.
The eight-race programme features the comeback of Venetia Williams’ Cheltenham Gold Cup hope L’homme Presse in the Fitzdares Fleur De Lys Chase and Wethered said: “We’re having a precautionary inspection at 8am just to give one final assessment, but we’re very pleased with how it’s looking out there. We’re forecast 2C overnight. It’s looking quite positive that we’re not going to see those freezing temperatures come back again.”
The two Winter Million jumps cards will move from Lingfield to Windsor from 2025. Windsor, which last hosted jumping on a fulltime basis back in 1998, will join forces with Ascot to present the Berkshire Winter Million Weekend.
Oh So Grand faces a step up in class after justifying 11-8 favouritism in the BETMGM Winter Oaks Fillies’ Handicap at Lingfield yesterday. “Hopefully she can be a Group filly for the summer when we get her on turf,” said Simon Crisford, who trains the length-and-a-half winner in tandem with his son Ed.
“Every race, she’s been on an upward curve. She’s got something about her.”