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Additional fixture for Kempton Park.

With the current 'artic blast' due to prevent turf racing taking place for some time to come, the BHA have this afternoon announced an additional all weather fixture for Kempton Park on Monday 11 January.

All weather meetings to inspect tomorrow.

While Wolverhampton have removed all the snow on their all weather track ahead of tomorrow'sfixture, a precautionary inspection has been arranged for 8.30 am tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, Lingfield Park are due to hold an inspection at 6.30 am tomorrow morning to confirm ambulance access to their afternoon meeting can be guaranteed, thus ensuring the meeting can go ahead without breaching the Rules of Racing.

Thursday Lingfield and Kempton all weather meetings cancelled.

Today's all weather meetings scheduled for Lingfield Park and Kempton Park have been cancelled as both tracks could not guarantee ambulance staff could get to and from the courses in the case of an emergency, and under the Rules of Racing, this doubt automatically triggers a cancellation of racing.

Ffoslas admit defeat as snow and frost play havoc.

Optimistic right up until Wednesday afternoon, Ffoslas Clerk of the Course Tim Long today admitted defeat in his attempts to keep Ffoslas on track for its prestigious Welsh Champion Hurdle and Tolworth Hurdle meeting this coming Saturday.

"We have had more snow, and with overnight temperatures predicted to drop well below freezing for the next two nights, the possibility of going ahead on Saturday is remote to say the least. In the circumstances we are reluctantly left with no option but to cancel the meeting."

MCR Hurdle meeting at Leopardstown falls to snow and frost.

Another high profile meeting has been lost to the inclement weather, with Leopardstown today cancelling their MCR Hurdle meeting, (formerly the Pierse Hurdle meeting), as snow and frost has made the Dublin based track unraceable until some kind of thaw sets in.

Snow wipes out Punchestown meeting.

A heavy fall of snow has left Punchestown racecourse covered in a blanket of the 'white stuff', and with hard frosts forecast for the next two nights, officials have made an early decision to cancel the Punchestown meeting scheduled for this coming Saturday 09 January.

Ayr joins the list of cancellations.

After a cursory 11.00 am inspection of an Ayr racecourse which has been in deep freeze since 12 December, the meeting scheduled for Monday 11 January at the Scottish west coast venue was officially cancelled, and joins the long and growing list of meetings now lost to the 'big freeze'.

Taunton also joins the long list.

An inspection of the snow bound track at Taunton took only a few minutes as officials made the early decision to cancel the meeting due to take place on Monday 11 January.

High Heeled moving to Gosden for 2010 flat season.

Purchased out of the Barry Hills yard for 600,000 guineas at the Horses In Training Sales in November, High Heeled is now in the new joint ownership of George Strawbridge and his Racing Manager James Wigan, and the pair have decided to move the four-year-old filly to the John Gosden yard for the 2010 flat season.

Third in the Epsom Oaks in June 2009, High Heeled had an up and down season as a three-year-old, but she did finish it in style when winning the St Simon Stakes by 6 lengths on her final run.

Speaking on behalf of High Heeled's new owners, James Wigan said,

"The filly has been sent to John Gosden for the upcoming flat season, and we expect her to be campaigned in European pattern races of between ten furlongs and a mile and a half."

Mawatheeq ticking over ahead of trip to Dubai.

Marcus Tregonning has today confirmed his progressive Mawatheeq is being kept in 'tick-over mode' using the Lambourn yard's covered two furlong track. Last seen when a fast finishing second to eventual Breeders Cup winner Twice Over in the Emirates Airlines Champion Stakes at Newmarket, Mawatheeq is highly regarded by Tregonning, and the trainer is keen to send his four-year-old to Dubai for the Carnival of Racing in tip top condition. Commenting, Tregonning said,

"We have had around a foot of snow in the area surrounding our yard, but the covered gallop is allowing us to keep our horses ticking over, and Mawatheeq should go to Dubai in good shape."

It is likely Mawatheeq will be joined on his trip to the Gulf by stable mate and Glorious Goodwood winner Finjaaan, with the latter being aimed at races between six furlongs and a mile.

Europe heading straight to Cheltenham.

With Captain Cee Bee falling at the final fence when going well, Sizing Europe was thought by some to be a little lucky to pick up his fourth straight win over fences in the Bord Na Mona with Nature Novice Chase at Leopardstown's Christmas Festival meeting, but today, trainer Henry de Bromhead pointed out,

"Sizing Europe was not asked a question, and I am confident had he been challenged by Captain Cee Bee, he would have found plenty on the run-in. He has now had several races close together in the early part of the season, and with the weather the way it is at present, we intend to use the opportunity to freshen him up, and it is probable his next run will be in the Arkle Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival, but we may even look at the Queen Mother Champion Chase if we feel Sizing Europe is 100%."

Going on to discuss his leading novice hurdler Loosen My Load, de Bromhead said,

"He showed he likes Cheltenham when winning a Grade 2 event earlier in the season, and although he will almost certainly run at the Cheltenham Festival, I am not sure at this stage as to whether he will go for the Supreme Novices Hurdle or the Neptune Investment Managers Hurdle, and I will probably leave it late before I make a final decision on the most appropriate race for him."

Thyestes gamble not effected by current weather.

Footie Facts has been the subject of quite a gamble over the last couple of days for the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park on 21 January, and his supporters will be cheered to know, trainer Robert Tyner reports his Kinsale yard in County Cork has not yet been affected by the snow and frost playing havoc with other training facilities in the British Isles.

On his recent form, Footie Facts already has a good chance of landing the Gowran race, but if he goes into the race with a fitness edge over his rivals, he could even find himself as the favourite for the competitive chase.

Knight muses on Somersby options.

In an interview with ATR today, trainer Henrietta Knight indicated she would have preferred to have given her unbeaten Arkle Trophy hope Somersby a third outing over fences during January, but with the cold weather apparently here for the foreseeable future, the handler confirmed she was now looking for a suitable Cheltenham preparation race during February.

Knight also indicated the two mile Arkle Trophy might be a bit on the short side for her youngster, as she seems sure Somersby will eventually make up into a Cheltenham Gold cup horse.

Kalahari uses the sand for fitness.

With snow and frost preventing trainer Ferdy Murphy from using the gallops at his North Yorkshire yard, today he used the sands at Redcar to help Kalahari King regain full fitness in time for his seasonal debut in a Conditions race at Doncaster in February.

A winner at Aintree after running Forpadydeplasterer close in the Cheltenham Arkle Trophy, Kalahari King has had a series of setbacks in the early partof this season, and just when Murphy was getting him back into top gear, his preparations have been effected by the current artic blast.

However, Murphy believes the beach work out is ideal, as the sand ensures Kalahari King gets a strenuous test, but on a surface which prevents any jarring, and while the snow and frost maintains its grip on Murphy's training facilities, it is likely Kalahari King will return to the sand for his current revised training programme.

Celestial Halo to by-pass Leopardstown.

Owner Andy Stewart today told ATR, with training facilities at Paul Nicholls Ditcheat yard being in deep freeze, although currently holding an entry, he thought it very unlikely Celestial Halo would go to Leopardstown on 24 January for the Irish Champion Hurdle. Elaborating, Stewart said,

"You don't go into a Grade 1 race without being fully fit, and with the cold weather due to be around for at least another week, we could not be sure of preparing Celestial Halo to the fitness levels required to win the Irish Champion Hurdle. It is more likely we will now prepare him for a crack at the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on 20 February, and in many ways, the Kingwell may be the better option to prepare him to go one better than his runners up spot in the 2009 Champion Hurdle."