Cheltenham cancel Cross Country Chase at November meeting

The Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham on November 14 has been cancelled due to unraceable ground.

The dry summer saw resources focused on providing safe conditions on the Old course for the track’s opening meeting last month, meaning the ground on the cross country course is currently firm.

Although some rain is anticipated ahead of the opening day of the November meeting on Friday week, it is not expected to be enough to achieve safe ground, with the three-mile-five-furlong contest rescheduled for Festival Trials day on January 24.

Cheltenham’s clerk of the course Jon Pullin said: “It is always disappointing to lose any race or fixture, and the team have worked incredibly hard in very challenging conditions to get the Old course in the excellent condition it is currently in.

“Given the exceptionally dry summer, our priority had to be ensuring the Old course was ready for October’s meeting. We had hoped to turn our attention to the cross country course once rainfall arrived, but with limited rain to date our focus must remain on maintaining safe, consistent ground on the Old course ahead of the November Meeting.

“The forecast suggests we will not receive the volume of rain required to bring the cross country course to a safe standard so we have taken the decision early to allow participants to adjust their plans and allow us to confirm an appropriate replacement race.”

The vacant slot on the Cheltenham card will now be filled by the Unibet Middle Distance Veterans’ Chase Series Handicap Chase, which was originally scheduled to take place at Wincanton on October 26, but that fixture was abandoned.