FFOS LAS will stage the Blue Square Tolworth Hurdle, which was due to be run last Saturday at Sandown.
Sandown’s meeting was abandoned due to the icy weather that is gripping the country, but Ffos Las has stepped in to stage the Grade 1 contest, on a card that also features the SIS Live Welsh Champion Hurdle, with defending Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle winner, Punjabi, one of 12 entered. Henderson could also saddle leading fancy for the Tolworth, the unbeaten Oscar Whisky, and the five-year-old is owned by Ffos Las founder Dai Walters.
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Colin Owens, general manager of Ffos Las racecourse, said: “We are serving up a real feast of jump racing on Saturday. It will be fantastic not only for everyone who comes to the racecourse but also those watching Channel 4 Racing. All we need now is a little bit of luck with the weather.”
Clerk of the course, Tim Long, reinforced the view of Owens that Saturday’s meeting will hopefully beat the weather, he said on Tuesday: “We have had some snow today, but it’s thawed and we just have odd bits in places on the course.
“Having the snow is nobad thing at the moment as it offers some protection to the course, we just need temperatures to get up tomorrow [Wednesday] like they have today [Tuesday] so we can clear it.
“It’s forecast to get up to +3c on Wednesday so we’rehopeful of getting the snow cleared then sheeting down either last thing, or on Thursday.”
Long added: “We’re all but raceable on the hurdles course, there’s a couple of patches of frost on the chase course but we still havea fair chance of racing on Saturday and are doing everything we can.”
