Kempton Park’s Lanzarote Hurdle card continues, but Warwick froze

Kempton Park’s Lanzarote Hurdle card will go ahead as planned on Saturday afternoon, but Warwick’s Classic Chase meeting has failed to beat the weather.

Despite being deemed fit to race on Friday after managing to survive a freezing week, the threat of sub-zero temperatures overnight had led to precautionary checks being carried out at both circuits at 8am on race day.

Warwick said of

“With temperatures not expected to rise above freezing until 10am and highs of just 2 degrees Celsius, there will not be enough improvement before the race.”

A field of 17 runners will head to the post for Kempton’s Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle at 3.17pm when Dan Skelton, the successful trainer for the past two seasons, hopes to complete a hat-trick with A Pai De Nom, a winner three times this season.

However, the six-year-old faces by far the toughest task yet, and several opponents at higher prices enter the race with similar odds on the books. Lanesborough and French Ship are two of the more obvious candidates, but the standout among the early prizes is that of Paul Nicholls. Beans (3.17) around 12-1.

The seven-year-old has won his last two starts with the trainer’s daughter Olive Nicholls in the saddle for both victories and had more than enough in hand last time out in Musselburgh to suggest a hat-trick is a possibility.

Kempton 1.30 Dan Skelton’s Precious human being made a good start for his new stable in November at a traditionally strong youth hurdle at Cheltenham.

Fairytale house 1.40 Henry de Bromhead’s nine-year-old In the bag has just five races to his name over fences and looked certain to improve ahead of his late handicap debut at Navan in December.

Kempton 2.05 With major doubts about the staying power of Soul Icon and the consistency of Welcome To Cartries, The Doyen head it seems the safest option around 100-30, dropping back to three miles after being stretched an extra two furlongs last time.

Kempton 2.40 Kalif du Berlais, a Grade One-winning novice fighter, was the beaten favorite in the Haldon Gold Cup, but the first two at home were both winners next time and the six-year-old would need to improve for the outing.