Cheltenham threat
AIDAN COLEMAN will partner Santini in tomorrow’s Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham – if the Trials Day card passes today’s 2pm inspection.
The rider replaces Nico de Boinville on last season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up as he is required for Shishkin at Doncaster.
Simon Claisse, clerk of the course at Cheltenham, said: “At the moment we’re raceable but we’ll have to miss out a few fences – the first down the hill and the third last.
“We’ll need a lot of help from the weather in terms of the forecast being wrong and not getting as much rain as we’re seeing in the forecast.”
The British Horseracing Authority will not make any decisions about rescheduling Trials Day until the outcome of today’s inspection is known. Doncaster’s two-day meeting goes ahead today despite heavy rain in the area. Clerk of the Course Roderick Duncan said: “It’s not been raining as heavily as forecast.
“There’s not enough certainty for me to be over-concerned yet, and not all forecasts are saying that, but that is the only caveat at the moment.”
Next Saturday ITV Racing will broadcast two races from the first day of the Dublin Festival at Leopardstown and six the following day, along with four races from the Cheltenham Festival Trials day at Musselburgh.
Following the loss of recent fixtures, jumpers’ bumpers will take place at Lingfield on Monday and Newcastle on Tuesday.
Wolverhampton will also stage an additional meeting on Sunday.