The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has today confirmed that the three Steeple Chases scheduled to take place at Carlisle’s fixture on Sunday 14 December have been abandoned and replaced by two additional Hurdle races.

The decision to abandon the chases has been made in agreement with the BHA Inspectorate due to areas of false ground present on the Chase course at Carlisle.

Entries for the additional races will close at 12noon tomorrow (Thursday), with declarations taking place along with the rest of the card on Friday morning.

The fixture will now consist of six races, permitted to divide to seven.

Harry Phipps, Clerk of the Course at Carlisle, said:

“Following consultation and agreement with the BHA Inspectorate, the Chase races scheduled for Sunday have been abandoned due to saturated ground resulting in areas of false ground, following significant rainfall throughout November (154mm) and December (55mm to date).

“The latest forecasts suggest rain will return by Friday, with particularly heavy rain Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning, which will accentuate the problem.

“The Inner Hurdle course has been raced on once this season and as a result offers significantly more fresh ground.”