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Many Thanks and Best Wishes!

At the end of our second year of bringing you the latest news and updates on the happenings in British and Irish horseracing, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our growing number of readers for their use of Racingsight as an information source.

In 2010 we will be expanding our coverage of all aspects of the racing industry - So look out for a series of announcements in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we would like to thank you for you patronage, and we wish you all the best for 2010.

Sandown the latest to have pessimistic view.

With sub zero temperatures now forecast to effect the South of England over the next two days, officials at Sandown Park are now said to be taking a more pessimistic view as to whether their high profile Tolworth Hurdle Meeting, due to take place on Saturday 02 January, will be able to go ahead as planned

Naturally, as soon as we have any concrete information, we will be sure to share it with you in this daily news section.

Fairyhouse New Year's Day card lost to waterlogging.

Torrential overnight rain turned the two main courses at Fairyhouse into saturated bog, and the result of today's 11.00 am inspection became another inevitable cancellation - this time being the abandonment of Fairyhouse's popular New Year's Day meeting.

Snow defeats Catterick attempts.

Earlier today, Catterick Clerk of the Course Fiona Needham completed an inspection of the North Yorkshire track, and immediately admitted the prestigious New Year's Day meeting would have to be cancelled due to snow.

"The whole course is covered in a minimum of an inch of snow, and without a negative overnight weather forecast, it would have been impossible to clear the track in time for tomorrow's meeting. So unfortunately, I am left with no option but to abandon the meeting."

Exeter to inspect again.

With prevailing very wet ground possibly being subject to frost overnight, the revised 'all hurdles' card scheduled to be run on New Year's Day at Exeter, is now subject to a further inspection of the course at 8.00 am tomorrow morning.

Ayr confirm cancelllation of Saturday fixture.

Having given their course every opportunity to become raceable, officials at Ayr this morning undertook a final inspection, but with current conditions and a forecast of more frost and snow for the next two days, the decision was made to cancel Saturday's Blue Square sponsered race fixture.

However, Ayr racecourse officials have asked Racingsight to pass on their grateful thanks to all their visitors in 2009, and they are hopeful the weather will relent in time to allow the course to entertain spectators at their next scheduled fixture.

Fakenham hoping to avoid worst of overnight frost.

Ahead of tomorrow's planned New Year's Day meeting, Fakenham is currently reported to be raceable, and with frost covers spread on the most vunnerable sections of the course, officials are now hoping they can avoid the worst of the forecast overnight low temperatures. As a precautionary measure, an inspection of the course is now planned for 8.00 am tomorrow morning.

Punchestowns ready for Dipper experience.

Nicky Henderson has confirmed his World Hurdle runner up Punchestowns is in fine condition ahead of his second run over fences in tomorrow's Dipper Novices Chase at Cheltenham. An impressive victor on his debut as a novice chaser at Newbury in November, Punchestowns would seem to have the best form of the five runners in tomorrow's contest, and his trainer believes,

"Two miles five should suit, and with his experience of the Cheltenham track, he should be ideally placed to maintain his unbeaten record over the larger obstacles."

Main dangers to the likely race favourite would seem to come from the David Pipe trained Seven is my number, and George Charlton's Northern raider Knockara Beau. Speaking about the former, David Pipe said earlier today,

"He is certainly progressing in the right direction, and his recent win was very pleasing, but he will have to imprive again if he is to overcome Punchestowns."

George Charlton is also less than confident about Knockara Beau's chances of defeating Punchestowns in Friday's race,

"He has missed a bit of fitness, as our weather in the North has been so bad, I have had to train him on the beach, but even if he were fully wound up, I think it would be a hard task to defeat Punchestowns on Friday's terms."

Mikael plan still to go chasing.

Although impresssive Cheltenham Festival novice hurdle winner Mikael D'haguenet has not been seen so far this season, trainer Willie Mullins re-iterated today, a novice chasing campaign was still the objective for his talented french import during the Spring months.

"We have had a few niggling problems with Mikael D'Haguenet so far this season, and the current weather is not helping us to solve the problems, but I am still confident he will be involved in some of the major novice chases to be held in the Spring."

Crack Away Jack out for a year.

After initially discovering heat in his off hind, trainer Emma Lavelle has today confirmed a scan of Arkle Trophy hope Crack Away Jack has discovered a problem which will see the promising chaser sidelined for around twelve months. Discussing the situation, Lavelle said,

"It is obviously a major setback, but the horse's health must come first, and providing all goes according to plan, he will be back competing in around a year."

Meade has no fixed plans for Aran Concerto.

Having watched his lightly raced Aran concerto pull up in this week's Lexus Chase at Leopardstown, trainer Noel Meade admits he has few fixed plans for his chaser's next outing.

"After Aran concerto's fall in the Durkan Chase, I told Davy Condon to pull him up if he started to put in a bad jump, hence the reason he pulled up after the ditch in the Lexus. I have to admit he seems to have lost his confidence in his two races this season, and I am now torn between re-schooling him over fences, or giving him an outing over hurdles, either way, it means we have no fixed plans for him at present."