Concerns grow at Doncaster as snow threatens to scupper Lincoln meeting

The Town Moor circuit is due to stage the traditional Flat season curtain-raiser, with tomorrow’s card followed by the Lincoln 24 hours later

While there did not appear to be any worries at the start of the week, a changing forecast has suggested the course could be hit by snow at some stage tomorrow night.

“The forecasts have deteriorated a bit for Doncaster, unfortunately, and there is now the possibility of us getting some snow from Friday night into Saturday,” said Duncan.

“The temperatures are not due to rise much at all on Saturday, so there are concerns.

“The forecasts have been changing throughout the week and all we can do at this stage is monitor the situation over the next 24 hours and see what happens.

“As far as Friday’s meeting is concerned, it depends when the snow arrives and how much of it there is. There are concerns about racing at Doncaster on Saturday.”

Though no inspections are planned at this stage, preliminary talks have already been held about restaging the Lincoln if Saturday’s card fails to beat the elements.

Covering the track is also implausible as the snow is likely to damage the covers when they are removed.

As a precaution, Southwell is to stage an additional all-weather Flat fixture on Saturday.

The British Horseracing Authority and the Levy Board have sanctioned a seven-race card because of an unfavourable weather forecast that could hit Doncaster – and the National Hunt cards planned for Bangor, Kelso, Newbury and Stratford.

Meanwhile, the jumping bandwagon continues to switch to next month’s John Smith’s Grand National meeting at Aintree following the Cheltenham Festival.

The latest news is that Malcolm Jefferson’s stable star Cape Tribulation could now miss the Grade One Betfred Bowl after his battling fifth-place finish in the Betfred Gold Cup.

Though the Malton trainer initially nominated the Aintree race as a probable target for Cape Tribulation, he said yesterday: “He’s not certain to go for the Betfred Bowl at Aintree, we’ll have to see how he is. He had a harder race at Cheltenham than I first thought.”

However, a bullish Nigel Twiston-Davies confirmed that The New One, an impressive winner of the Grade One Neptune Investment Hurdle at Cheltenham, will race at Aintree next month ahead of a tilt at the Champion Hurdle next season.

“We are thinking about the Aintree Hurdle, over two-and-a-half miles, as our horse is in tremendous form,” said the in-form trainer.

“Most of the Irish horses will stay away and wait for Punchestown.

“I think we can beat the likes of Zarkandar and others in this country. So why not have a shot at it?”

However, Twiston-Davies did issue a word of caution about the 2010 Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander, the new top weight for the National.

Though it was suggested at Aintree on Tuesday that Imperial Commander will line up in the National, with the trainer’s son Sam replacing the suspended Paddy Brennan in the saddle, Twiston-Davies said some of the horse’s owners still need convincing about the 12-year-old taking his place in the world’s greatest steeplechase and that the Betfred Bowl – the day one highlight – remains a possibility.

Predictably, Peter Bowen’s Always Waining heads the entries for the John Smith’s Topham Trophy – a race staged over one circuit of the National course – as the 12-year-old seeks a remarkable fourth successive victory in the contest.

Meanwhile, Bingley trainer Sue Smith has the option of running Mr Moonshine in the National or the Topham after he finished fourth at Haydock yesterday in a race that was won by McMurrough for the Jefferson stable.

Haydock’s card also saw Crowning Jewel win for Saltburn trainer Keith Reveley and his jockey son James, while Malton-based Danny Cook looks well on course to break his best seasonal total of 25.

His 23rd success of the season came aboard Red Inca for his boss Brian Ellison in the “Fixed Brush” Handicap Hurdle, overcoming a dreadful stumble at the second-last.

Cook, who missed the first half of the campaign with a broken kneecap, said: “It took a while to get going again, a bit stop-start, but Brian has been very loyal and hopefully I can kick on.”

Triumph Hurdle hero Our Conor has been bought by leading owner Barry Connell.

Connell snapped up the Jeremy gelding for an undisclosed sum from the Man About Town Syndicate, though the horse remains in training with Dessie Hughes in Ireland.

Prize money at this year’s Royal Ascot meeting will top £5m for the first time with the Windsor Forest Stakes renamed the Duke of Cambridge Stakes in Prince William’s honour.