After two afternoons at the December international meeting with nearly 2,000 runners in attendance, Cheltenham have been forced to return behind closed doors to get their valuable card on New Year’s Day after Gloucestershire passed Level 2 on Wednesday. at level 3 on Wednesday, according to the government calendar. restrictions to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Tickets for the Jan. 1 date went on sale Wednesday morning, just hours before the announcement that Cheltenham will be in the third tier starting Saturday. Other changes affecting the races included the move from Herefordshire from level 1 to level 2, which would mean that Hereford, previously the only route in the country that could accommodate up to 4,000 spectators, is now limited to 2,000 runners.
The changes, which move several million people to Sussex, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Suffolk at Level 4, will also force the closure of all betting shops in the affected areas, with serious implications for the resulting race revenue stream. of the betting rate after a year in which the sport has already lost revenue by the hundreds of millions of pounds.
Plumpton, which was expected to admit up to 2,000 spectators for its popular Sussex national card in early January, and Fontwell Park, which has a meeting scheduled for Monday, are among the other courses required to return behind closed doors for reviews. Wednesday . The Fontwell card, however, is undergoing an early inspection on Saturday due to a possible reservoir after nearly 90mm of rain on the Sussex track in the last nine days.
Monalee was the only name missing in the ten five-day inscriptions when the final camp for King George VI’s persecution in Kempton was published on Wednesday, however, while Henry de Bromhead’s pursuer has been the victim of the Increased travel restrictions between Britain and Ireland, Robbie Power will be free to return home to mount the Lostin translation in Saturday’s big race.
Power has spent most of the last three months actually living in exile in Britain due to the mandatory rules of personal isolation of travelers between the two countries. After returning home over the weekend, there were initial fears that he might be forced to stay there over Christmas, but his name appeared alongside Lostintranslation and the main rookie pursuer The Big Breakaway, the second favorite. for the first Kauto Star Novice Chase race, on Wednesday morning.
“I was worried for no more than two seconds while talking to Robbie and he said he had ordered it,” Joe Tizzard, son and assistant to Lostintranslation coach Colin, said Wednesday. “Jonjo O’Neill junior would probably have been diverted, but we’ve never had to cross that bridge.”
Lostintranslation was the 15-8 second favorite for King George last year, but showed no usual enthusiasm and was dragged by Power into the final straight. He also ran badly in his most recent start at Betfair Chase in Haydock in November, and is bidding around 7-1 for King George on Saturday behind the Des Obeaux (2-1) and Cyrname (9-) clan. 4), who finished first and second 12 months ago.
“The lost translation needs to recover,” Power said on Wednesday, “but it won’t be the first time it needs to recover. It returned to third place in the Gold Cup last year.” [after the King George].
“I think the terrain is the key for him and it looks like we will have some beautiful terrain in Kempton. He was probably a little flat on the run last year after running into Carlisle and Haydock [in November]. He has to leave behind a disappointing career against Haydock, so I hope he can do that.
The officer going to Kempton Park is good to soft, with “sporadic rainfall” of between 10mm and 15mm expected over the next three days, which could see the terrain change from good to smooth and smooth on the spot on the day. of boxing.
A ground frost is expected for the track on Christmas Day, but there are no current concerns about the meeting to take place and Chepstow is also confident that the Welsh national reunion on Sunday will survive despite persistent rain in South Wales the last days.
Evan Williams’ Secret Reprieve is the 7-2 favorite for the main event of the Chepstow season, which runs this year in memory of Kim Gingell, the daughter of Colin Tizzard, who died of cancer in May .