Prospects for racing at Cheltenham on Saturday, January 26th, are becoming increasingly positive and an inspection is scheduled for 8am on Friday morning. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has agreed with the Cheltenham Executive that Sunday’s shadow fixture will remain in place as a contingency, in the unlikely event that Saturday’s card is abandoned. Once Saturday’s card is given the go ahead, Sunday’s races will be abandoned.

As prize money levels will be reduced on Sunday, trainers will be required to declare for races on both days, by 10am on Friday, January 25th, including Sunday’s version of the Victor Chandler Steeple Chase.

All runners on Sunday will receive Sunday Appearance Money of £100.

Simon Claisse, Clerk of the Course for Cheltenham Racecourse, said:

“None of the weather forecasts give us reason to believe that this option will prove necessary, but with the BHA and Cheltenham teams having undertaken a huge amount of work to get to this stage, it is only prudent to retain Sunday’s contingency plan in case there is some unexpected weather event overnight on Friday.”

The BHA and Cheltenham Racecourse would like to express their gratitude to the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) for their support in staging this fixture.

Alan Delmonte, Director of Operations at the Levy Board, said:

“The Levy Board will provide £163,000 in prize money whether the fixture is on Saturday or Sunday. This includes the additional £40,000 already agreed for the rescheduled Victor Chandler Chase. This decision reflects our view of the importance and quality of the card as a whole, although the fixture would almost certainly yield less on Sunday than it would on Saturday. The initiative would also have the benefit of ensuring a high-quality Sunday race programme, something that, more generally, we are keen to encourage”.

Revised times and total prize funds are as follows:

11:55 03285 The JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial (A Juvenile Hurdle Race) (Class 1)
Revised total prize fund £25,000

12:30 03283 The Murphy Group Steeple Chase (A Handicap) (Class 1)
Revised total prize fund £40,000

01:05 03284 The Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle Race (Class 1)
Revised total prize fund £25,000 C4

01:40 03288 The Victor Chandler Steeple Chase (Class 1)
Total Prize Fund remains £70,000 C4

02:15 03281 The Argento Steeple Chase (Class 1)
Revised total prize fund £80,000 C4

02:50 03282 The Rewards4racing Cleeve Hurdle Race (Class 1)
Revised total prize fund £50,000 C4

03:25 03287 The Steel Plate And Sections Handicap Hurdle Race (Class 2)
Revised total prize fund £20,000

04:00 03286 The Timeform Novices’ Handicap Steeple Chase (Class 2)
Revised total prize fund £20,000