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Replacement fixtures announced for Leopardstown and Punchestown.

Horse Racing Ireland, (HRI), have today announced the Punchestown card due to take place tomorrow, 09 January but cancelled due to the effects of snow and frost, has been re-arranged for Wednsday 20 January.

Furthermore, the Leopardstown MCR Hurdle meeting, which was due to take place on Sunday 09 January, but was cancelled due to lying snow, has been moved 'en bloc' to Saturday 23 January, and the races due to take place at the original 23 January Leopardstown meeting are now moved to a meeting to be held on Wednesday 27 January.

More all weather replacement fixtures announced.

With the weather forecasters now suggesting the current artic blast could be augmented by winds from Siberia, and could now last for at least another seven days, the BHA have taken the decision to announce more replacement all weather racing fixtures.

The latest new meetings to be staged at Lingfield Park on Thursday 14 January, and Southwell on Friday 15 January 2010.

Mixed fortunes for today's all weather fixtures.

Following a 6.30 am inspection, today's all weather card at Lingfield goes ahead. With overnight temperatures only dropping to a relatively balmy -3 degrees, and with ambulance facilities guaranteed for this afternoon's meeting, officials breathed a sigh of relief as early this morning they confirmed their afternoon meeting would go ahead as scheduled.

However, despite removing all the snow from their artificial surface, Wolverhampton were unable to remove globules of compressed ice from their polytrack, and therefore, they reluctantly decided to abandon this afternoon's twilight meeting.

Wolverhampton cancellation a setback to Sir Gerry.

Connections of 2007 Gimcrack winner Sir Gerry had intended to give their five-year-old a run at Wolverhampton this afternoon in preparation for his campaign in the Dubai Carnival of Racing, but the cancellation of the meeting leaves them with the problem of deciding whether they will seek an alternative race in the next few days, or deciding to send Sir Gerry straight to Dubai without his planned preparation race.

Northern fixtures announce early cancellations.

With a foot of snow already covering its High Gosforth Park venue, and more snow forecast for the weekend, Newcastle have confirmed the meeting due to be staged on Tuesday 12 January is now cancelled.

Further north , Kelso have around sixteen inches of snow on their track, and with more snow and frost forecast, officials at the Borders venue have today cancelled the meeting scheduled for Wednesday 13 January.

Scoop Six in jeopardy as all weather tracks call inspections.

Due to the cancellation of all national hunt turf meetings for tomorrow, Totesport had switched the six legs of the Scoop Six bet to races on the all weather tracks at Lingfield Park and Kempton Park, but with snow now forecast to fall in the South of England again tonight, Lingfield and Kempton racecourses have announced they will inspect at 6.30 am on Saturday morning, and only if the courses pass the respective inspections will the Scoop Six wager be guaranteed to go ahead.

Totesport and Channel 4 banking on all weather race cards.

With no turf based racing in Britain tomorrow, Totesport and Channel 4 are both hoping the all weather meetings at Lingfield and Kempton go ahead as planned.

Channel 4 are due to cover 8 races in their traditional Saturday afternoon racing programme - 4 from Lingfield and 4 from Kempton - while the Morning Line programme at 8.00 am will analyse the various races with the usual pundits being joined by successful all weather trainer Jim Boyle.

With no winners of last week's Scoop Six bet, Totesport confirm their is a roll over Win Fund of £64,314 and a roll over Bonus Fund of £60,578. To get in line for a potential pay out of around a quarter of a million pounds, you must first find the winners of the following six races:

Leg 1 - 2.10 pm Lingfield Park.

Leg 2 - 2.25 pm Kempton Park.

Leg 3 - 2.55 pm Kempton Park.

Leg 4 - 3.10 pm Lingfield Park.

Leg 5 - 3.25 pm Kempton Park.

Leg 6 - 3.55 pm Kempton Park.

More all weather fixtures added to British racing schedule.

We advised in yesterday's news section an additional all weather meeting had been approved by the BHA for Kempton Park on Monday 11 January, but with the artic conditions set to continue for some time, the lack of national hunt turf racing means the BHA have today authorised two more all weather fixtures for next week.

An additional fixture will now take place at Lingfield Park on Tuesday 12 January, and Southwell will host an extra meeting on Wednesday 13 January. The Southwell meeting is specifically aimed at helping the national hunt industry, as it will feature six Bumper Races for national hunt horses, and will feature races for varying types of horses over distances of two miles and one mile six furlongs.

Leicester to check on Saturday.

Despite confirming he will take a look at his course at 3.30 pm tomorrow, Leicester Clerk of the Course Jimmy Stevenson admits, with a layer of snow currently covering his racing circuit, he is very pessimistic as to the chances of going ahead with the meeting scheduled for Tuesday 12 January.

Monday inspection called at Doncaster.

With nine inches of snow currently covering the Town Moor course at Doncaster, the chances of next Wednesday's fixture taking place are remote to say the least, but Doncaster Clerk of the Course David Williams has decided to take a cursory inspection of the South Yorkshire track at noon on Monday 11 January.

Catterick to hold Monday inspection for next Thursday's fixture.

With a covering of nine inches of snow on her course, and with a forecast of more snow and frost over the weekend, Catterick Bridge Clerk of the Course Fiona Needham is already thinking next Thursday's meeting at the Yorkshire course looks very unlikely, but she has decided to carry out a full inspection on Monday to ascertain as to whether racing will have to be cancelled for the third time in as many weeks.

Nicholls gives American Trilogy outside chance for Champion Hurdle.

In an interview today, Paul Nicholls stated his belief that last season's County Hurdle winner American Trilogy could have an outside chance of winning this season's Champion Hurdle if his charge gets a couple of outings prior to the Cheltenham Festival. Nicholls commented,

"He is certainly a talented and progressive horse, and he proved in last year's County Hurdle he likes the hurly burly of Cheltenham Festival races. We have had a few problems getting him prepared for this season, but he is now one hundred per cent, and If the weather relents enough to allow us to give him a couple of preparation races prior to Cheltenham, I think he could be a good outside chance for the Champion Hurdle."