Sun gets in Cheltenham eyes
Cheltenham, not for the first time, was plagued by the low-setting sun today as the final two fences of the £55,000 (€83,000) Ladbrokes Trophy Chase had to be dolled off.
The sun had also caused a hurdle to be skipped in the Wragge & Co Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle, but the Grade Three chase was most affected, with four obstacles effectively removed and the final straight becoming a ’Flat’ race.
Several trainers were known to be annoyed by the decision, which led to a notable delay in the scheduled start time of 3.55pm, but Simon Claisse, director of racing and clerk of the course, said: “The jockeys voiced their concerns before the start of the race.
“I already had a member of staff down there and we took the view that it was not safe to jump the last two fences into the sun.
“We have already looked at this issue and tried to avoid running steeplechases between the period of concern, which is from about 2.40pm to 3.40pm, but obviously we will have to assess that again.”
