The British Horseracing Authority has announced that the Clarence House Chase has been rescheduled for Cheltenham’s Festival Trials Day meeting next weekend.
Just like 12 months ago, Ascot’s card on Saturday was frozen off but the Grade One highlight has been saved.
It was due to feature a heavyweight clash between Jonbon and El Fabiolo, but with the BHA confirming the race will be run for £105,00, a reduction in prize-money of £70,000, it appears El Fabiolo will stay closer to home
Simon Munir, who owns El Fabiolo along with Isaac Souede, told Sportinglife.com: “Unfortunately, with Ascot cancelled due to the weather, the rearranged Clarence House will most probably take place next week on January 27.
“We have decided that El Fabiolo could run at the Dublin Racing Festival on February 4 without the need to travel over to England.”
The Clarence House has been called off three times in the last 11 years due to the weather, with Sprinter Sacre (2013), Un De Sceaux (2017) and Editeur Du Gite (2023) triumphing in rearranged contests at Cheltenham.
Jonbon is likely to be there, with his trainer Nicky Henderson telling ITV Racing before the announcement: “We had discussions yesterday which happened very quickly when Ascot was administered the last rights, one might say, before 4pm.
“We’re very keen to go there. We’re very keen to run, when you have a horse ready for this Saturday, you couldn’t afford not to be near a big peak.
“I was genuinely looking forward to the race on Saturday and it’s sad that it is not going to happen. Whether it might happen next weekend now, I don’t know.
“It looks like there will be a reduction in prize money, but we intend to be there.
“This was going to be a great clash at Ascot. Both teams were well prepped. We were quite bullish, now we’ve got to wait another week when a lot of things could go wrong. One week won’t make a difference but two weeks probably would, as we want to build him back up for March.”
New entries will need to be made for the race before noon on Monday.
Other races that have been saved following the recent spate of abandonments are the Grade Two Mares Warfield Hurdle (from Ascot) and the Grade Two Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle (from Haydock), which will both now be staged at Doncaster next weekend, the Warfield on Sunday and the Rossington Main on Saturday.
The Listed Alan Swinbank Mares Bumper is being rescheduled for the next Market Rasen fixture on Tuesday, February 6.
Tom Byrne, BHA head of racing and betting, said: “When rescheduling, there are often questions regarding the reduced prize-money values the races are subsequently run for.
“Where a race is added to a pre-existing card at a different racecourse, there are usually significant challenges for that new venue, including the limited time to secure sponsorship support, changing ITV coverage and existing prize-money commitments.
“Therefore, a combination of additional Levy Board and BHA prize-money funds are utilised to support the Racecourse Executive contribution and entry fees to run these races at as high a value as possible. This is usually below the original value due to the limited nature of those additional central funds.”
Godolphin won the Group Two Cape Verdi at Meydan yet again – but not with the filly many expected, as Silver Lady held off her stablemate English Rose.
Both fillies are trained by Charlie Appleby but English Rose, the mount of William Buick, was a red-hot favourite given she headed into the contest on the back of winning both her starts at Newmarket and Kempton.
Silver Lady also won a Newmarket maiden but since then had run in Pattern company without success, with a third place in a Listed race at York on her second start the best she had managed in three subsequent outings.
She appeared to be regressing with racing, having finished last of 11 on her latest outing, but the daughter of Sea The Stars was rejuvenated by Mickael Barzalona.
Brought with a run with over a furlong to run, she took over from Shining Jewel and Hugo Palmer’s Stenton Glider, but English Rose was a persistent challenger on her outside.
Silver Lady managed to hold on, however, prevailing by a neck, with Stenton Glider fending off Nibras Angel for third.
Appleby was winning the race for the fifth time in six years, while Barzalona said: “She has a bit of temperament but I took her down steady and she settled well.
“During the race, the first part was pretty rough but when I found my position, she was able to take a big breath and she picked up well.
“I could feel my filly was not getting tired but William came pretty easily beside me. I think my filly showed a good attitude, I think the Balanchine will be next.”
Joint-owner Simon Munir has indicated El Fabiolo is unlikely to run in a rearranged Clarence House Chase.
With Ascot’s meeting on Saturday frozen off, talks are ongoing about rescheduling the Grade One feature, with Cheltenham’s Trials day meeting next weekend seemingly an obvious destination.
The Willie Mullins-trained El Fabiolo was due to meet with Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon in what was being billed as one of the races of the season, but racegoers now seem set to have to wait until the Festival in March for a third clash between the pair.
Munir, who owns El Fabiolo with Isaac Souede, told Sportinglife.com: “Unfortunately, with Ascot cancelled due to the weather, the rearranged Clarence House will most probably take place next week on January 27.
“We have decided that El Fabiolo could run at the Dublin Racing Festival on February 4 without the need to travel over to England.”
The Clarence House has been called off three times in the last 11 years due to the weather, with Sprinter Sacre (2013), Un De Sceaux (2017) and Editeur Du Gite (2023) triumphing in rearranged contests at Cheltenham.
Editeur Du Gite took home £52,280 for his troubles last year and Patrick Mullins, assistant to his father, believes any reduction to the original Ascot winner’s pot of £98,472 would make the €88,500 Ladbrokes Dublin Chase a more logical choice.
He told ITV Racing: “It will have to be discussed, but if it’s a case of it being half the prize money and it’s a week later, it might make more sense to go to the DRF.
“It hasn’t been completely decided yet, but I would have thought, especially for only half the money, a better option might be the Dublin Racing Festival, perhaps.
“We were very happy with him, he worked really well at the Curragh on Tuesday. Paul (Townend) rode him last week and he was very happy with him as he doesn’t usually get to ride him at home.”
Ben Brookhouse has not lost faith in his star bumper performer Brechin Castle, who is set to warm up for a trip to the Cheltenham Festival with an outing at Newbury next month.
A £165,000 recruit from the Irish point-to-point field, the six-year-old bolted up on his debut under rules at Sedgefield before successfully transitioning to Listed class at Cheltenham in November.
He met with defeat for the first time when filling the runner-up spot in another Listed event at Ascot before Christmas, but was far from disgraced in finishing second to Dan Skelton’s exciting mare Let It Rain, to whom he was conceding 11lb.
“I think it was one of his best runs, to be fair,” Brookhouse said of his Ascot performance.
“We were giving 11lb to the winner and when she won it wasn’t a massive surprise to me because I did think she was the one to be worried about, because of the weight we were giving her.
“We gave 4lb to everything else and gave them a good beating, it was just giving 11lb to the Skelton horse that proved too much for us.”
Next on Brechin Castle’s is the Betfair Bumper, the finale on Newbury’s Betfair Hurdle card on February 10, and Brookhouse would relish a rematch with Let It Rain should it happen.
He added: “He had a small break over Christmas and New Year out in the paddock with his rugs on and the plan would be to go to Newbury in February in preparation for Cheltenham.
“He seems in great order for his break. He put on weight and didn’t lose any muscle or anything. He just did exactly what we wanted him to, which was refill the petrol tank.
“If we bump into the Skelton horse at Newbury she is not a four-year-old anymore, so she won’t get the four-year-old allowance, and she’ll have a 4lb penalty for winning a Listed race, so all of a sudden that 11lb we gave her is nigh on non-existent.”
Brechin Castle is a 33-1 shot for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in March, and while he will undoubtedly have to contend with a formidable Irish contingent come the Festival, a return to winning ways at Newbury may well make him Britain’s leading candidate for the Grade One contest.
Brookhouse said: “He’s got course form at Cheltenham, he’s had plenty of racing and plenty of experience. You could argue he’s exposed, but all he can do is beat what’s put in front of him and the only chink in his armour was he was beaten trying to give 11lb to a nice filly.
“Weight stops train, let alone horses, so we can’t blame him for that. He was giving 4lb to several other horses who at the time were considered the best young bumper horses in the country and I don’t want to sound confident or cocky, but he was pulling away from the third at the finish and he wiped the floor with them.”
Grade One winner My Drogo is set to revert to hurdles, with a run over the smaller obstacles at Exeter pencilled in for next month.
Dan Skelton’s charge has already tasted plenty of success over timber and was unbeaten during his novice hurdling campaign, which ended when securing top honours at Aintree in 2021.
It was thought he would prove even better once tackling fences, but a long injury absence which began early in his novice chasing season meant life over the larger obstacles never really took off.
He returned from 687 days off the track in Aintree’s Old Roan Chase in the autumn but, having finished down the field, connections have bided their time before now deciding to switch back to hurdles, where he will try three miles for the first time in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle on February 11.
“He’s actually really well,” explained Skelton.
“He wasn’t quite right through November, nothing legs or tendon related, he just wasn’t really firing. We were just bearing with him and he’s now come back to something much more like what we have seen before.
“He will go to Exeter on February 11 for a three-mile handicap hurdle. We’re going to go back over hurdles with him and that’s when we will hopefully see him. We’re just going to get him back out and see how we go.”
Simon and Ed Crisford hold a strong hand as they go in search of back-to-back victories in Lingfield’s BetMGM Winter Oaks Fillies’ Handicap on Saturday.
The father and son operation claimed the £100,000 contest with Al Agaila 12 months ago and likely big-race favourite Oh So Grand has plotted a similar course to the Winter Million Festival event by landing the Winter Oaks Trial over track and trip last month.
Jack Mitchell was in the saddle for both that triumph and a previous success at Newcastle and resumes the partnership, as his mount now seeks to build on her impressive all-weather record.
Meanwhile, the Gainsborough Thoroughbreds team have a more than handy second string to their bow with Twirling, who has won two of four starts at a mile and now steps up in trip with Ryan Moore in the plate.
Simon Crisford said: “Both Oh So Grand and Twirling are in good form and we have been very happy with their preparations for this race.
“Both of them will need to run career-best figures to feature, but we are hopeful that they are capable of doing that.”
Oh So Grand is the highest rated in the field, but only 2lb behind her is recent Wolverhampton scorer Miss Bluebelle, who bids to quickly double up for handler Marcus Tregoning.
The five-year-old received a 7lb rise for a facile three-length victory at Dunstall Park and, although having a career-high mark to overcome, her handler is optimistic of a bold showing.
“She’s come out of her race (at Wolverhampton) well and is in good form,” said Tregoning.
“That was only a week ago but she has come out of it very well and we won’t worry about that. She has a good draw and we will hope for the best.
“It’s a fairly open race and hopefully she will run really well.”
John and Thady Gosden’s Queen Regent has just over a length to find with Oh So Grand on their meeting in the Winter Oaks Trial and is now tried in first-time cheekpieces representing big-name connections, while no one arguably arrives in better form than Storymaker, who has been unbeatable of late.
It was not until the 15th race of her career that Storymaker got on the scoresheet but that opened the floodgates for George Boughey’s four-year-old, who will be bidding for a fifth-straight success.
“She’s been an amazing filly for us and it’s incredible really, she raced 14 times last year and the penny didn’t drop, but she’s just gone bang, bang, bang, bang now – and she’s a filly in form,” said Sam Hoskins, racing manager for owners Hot To Trot Racing.
“She should get the trip and has won round the track. It’s a much better race and worth £100,000 and we’ve got to support races worth that amount of money.
“She’s in top form and enjoying it and I know George feels she is not showing any signs of exertion – she’s looking great. She has got a chance and the rider Tommie Jakes is good value for his claim. Hopefully, she will run a really good race.”
A decision has yet to be made on whether “unknown quantity” Gentlemansgame runs in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup.
Grade One-placed over hurdles, the Mouse Morris-trained eight-year-old has only had three chasing start, but has won two of those – including Wetherby’s Charlie Hall Chase, in which he beat last year’s King George winner, Bravemansgame.
The Robcour-owned gelding was being prepared for Leopardstown over Christmas when he would have met Willie Mullins’ Galopin Des Champs before a setback intervened. However, that clash could still happen pre-Cheltenham at the Dublin Racing Festival.
“If he runs anywhere he’ll go to Leopardstown for the Gold Cup,” said Morris.
“If not he’ll just go straight to Cheltenham. Touch wood at the minute he’s well.
“It was just a stone bruise, but it went right up his foot. He wasn’t out of training for too long which was great.
“He worked at Punchestown the other day and he worked well.
“He’s still still the unknown quantity really, he hasn’t run against Galopin Des Champs yet.”
Bravemansgame will now skip the Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury and head straight for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham.
Champion trainer Paul Nicholls had mooted after his good effort in defence of his King George crown the nine-year-old could take in the Grade Two contest, where he would have clashed with Shishkin once again.
However, the Ditcheat handler has decided he does not need to run last year’s Gold Cup runner-up again and will freshen him up in an attempt to go one better than last year in the blue riband.
“Bravemansgame is having a little break and we are definitely going straight to Cheltenham now,” Nicholls told Betfair.
“We had been talking about going to the Denman Chase, but we’re not going to do that.
“I spoke to Bryan (Drew, owner) in depth and Clifford (Baker, head lad) and we’re going to go straight to Cheltenham so he’s having an easier little time, along with Stage Star, who’s come out of his Cheltenham race fine. I don’t want to get on with them too soon.”
Nicholls also confirmed Hermes Allen on course for the Scilly Isles Chase at Sandown on February 3, while Rubaud will run in either the Unibet (International) Hurdle at Cheltenham next week or the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on February 17, rather than carry top-weight in the Betfair Hurdle.
Saturday’s Peter Marsh Chase card at Haydock has been called off due to a frozen track.
Clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright had called an 8am inspection on Friday, but he was able to make an earlier decision after another cold night in Merseyside.
He said: “We got down to minus 3C overnight, so we were still going backwards last night. The track is frozen now and will still be frozen tomorrow afternoon.
“We’ve run out of time, we’ve got to the point where there’s no hope so we had to make a decision.”
Ascot’s Clarence House Chase card has also been cancelled due to the cold weather, leaving Taunton as the only possible British jumps card on Saturday, although the track must pass a noon inspection first.
Lingfield and Wolverhampton will race on the all weather on Saturday, with the first-named venue due to host jumps racing on Sunday as the third day of the Winter Million Festival.
The first day of National Hunt action was abandoned due to a frozen track and clerk of the course Stephanie Wethered has called a 2pm inspection for Saturday to measure progress in the anticipated thaw.
She said: “We saw lower than forecast temperatures overnight – we were forecast minus 4C but got down to a low of minus 8.69C and at 7.30am, we were still sitting at minus 8.5C.
“We are forecast highs of 4C today and then minus 3C overnight, followed by sunny spells and 6C tomorrow. The overnight temperature into Sunday is forecast to be 2C with some patchy rain.
“We’ve called an inspection for 2pm so we can assess the progress.”
The bumper eight-race Lingfield card is set to feature the Fitzdares Fleur De Lys Chase, with the Download The Racing App Lightning Novices’ Chase transferred from Friday’s cancelled card.
Fakenham are also scheduled to race over jumps on Sunday, with a 3pm inspection called on Saturday to evaluate their prospects.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced that Barbadian all-rounder Raymon Reifer has been cleared to resume bowling his slower balls and cutters after remedial footage of his action was sent to and cleared by Loughborough University.
Reifer, Barbados Pride’s left-arm seamer, was reported by the match officials during the CG United Super50 Cup match between Barbados Pride and Windward Volcanoes on 25 October at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy. In accordance with the procedure for suspected illegal bowling actions, the match footage was sent to Loughborough University for an opinion report. The report determined then that an illegal action was used to bowl the cutters and slower balls.
He was suspended from bowling those specific deliveries during the 2023 edition of the CG United Super 50 Cup and was adjudged by the same body to be using an illegal action following an initial report from the Barbados Pride match against the Windward Islands Volcanoes on 25 October 2023.
Now cleared, Reifer has been named in the Barbados Pride squad for the first three matches of the West Indies Championship, which is due to begin in early February and run until late April.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced the 2024 West Indies Championship schedule, confirming the expansion in the number of participating teams and rounds for the premier four (4)-Day competition.
After a winning performance in the Headley-Weekes tournament in 2023, the West Indies Academy are all set to make their debut in the West Indies First-Class season, along with the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) who are making a return, re-joining the tournament after a few years’ absence.
The 2024 West Indies Championship is set to begin in February, with the opening three rounds spanning from 7 to 24 February. In the first block of games, matches will take place in two Host Countries: St. Kitts and Nevis at two venues, Warner Park and the Conaree Cricket Centre, and in Jamaica, at three venues, Sabina Park, Kensington Cricket Club, and Chedwin Park. The second block of matches resume on 13 March, with the fourth and fifth rounds scheduled to be held in Trinidad and Tobago at the Queen’s Park Oval, the Diego Martin Sports Complex and the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground at UWI Spec, and in Antigua and Barbuda at the Coolidge Cricket Ground. The tournament will then restart after Easter with the final two rounds from 10 to 20 April with matches in Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
The competing eight regional teams fighting for the Headley Weekes Trophy over seven (7) rounds of matches are – defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles, Barbados Pride, Combined Campuses and Colleges, Jamaica Scorpions, Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, West Indies Academy and Windward Islands Volcanoes.
The 2024 West Indies Championship will have a significant increase in prize money with the winning team receiving US$250,000, while second-placed team will receive US$100,000.
Johnny Grave, CWI Chief Executive Officer said: “We are pleased to announce the schedule for the upcoming West Indies Championship and welcome two new teams and an expansion in the number of matches. With significant upgrades taking place at all the host venues for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June and additional improvements being made to the National Stadium in Grenada and Windsor Park in Dominica, we are using nine venues across Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda and Trinidad & Tobago. The eight teams will be fighting hard for the Headley Weekes Trophy and the new prize money of US$250,000 available to the winning team. All the games will be shown live on our YouTube channel, with live ball-by-ball scores on our website so that fans around the region and world can watch and follow the competition unfold over the next three months.”
The West Indies Championship will run from 7 February to 20 April. Fans can stream all the matches live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel and access live ball-by-ball scoring here in the match centre.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
West Indies Championship 2024
7 to 10 February:
Jamaica Scorpions vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - Sabina Park, Jamaica
CCC vs Barbados Pride - Chedwin Park, Jamaica
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs West Indies Academy - Warner Park, St. Kitts
Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force - Conaree Cricket Centre, St. Kitts
14 to 17 February:
Jamaica Scorpions vs CCC - Sabina Park, Jamaica
Barbados Pride vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - Kensington Cricket Club, Jamaica
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Guyana Harpy Eagles - Warner Park, St. Kitts
Trinidad &Tobago Red Force vs West Indies Academy - Conaree Cricket Centre, St. Kitts
21 to 24 February:
Jamaica Scorpions vs Barbados Pride - Sabina Park, Jamaica
Windward Islands Volcanoes vs CCC - Chedwin Park, Jamaica
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Trinidad &Tobago Red Force - Warner Park, St. Kitts
West Indies Academy vs Guyana Harpy Eagles - Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG), Antigua
13 to 16 March:
Trinidad &Tobago Red Force vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
CCC vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes - Diego Martin Regional Complex, Trinidad
Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Barbados Pride - Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground at UWI Spec (UWI SPEC), Trinidad
West Indies Academy vs Jamaica Scorpions - CCG, Antigua
20 March to 23 March:
Trinidad &Tobago Red Force vs Barbados Pride - Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Jamaica Scorpions - Diego Martin Regional Complex, Trinidad
Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - UWI SPEC, Trinidad
West Indies Academy vs CCC - CCG, Antigua
10 to 13 April:
Jamaica Scorpions vs Guyana Harpy Eagles - Sabina Park, Jamaica
CCC vs Trinidad &Tobago Red Force - Chedwin Park, Jamaica
Leeward Hurricanes vs Barbados Pride - UWI SPEC, Trinidad
West Indies Academy vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - CCG, Antigua
17 to 20 April:
Jamaica Scorpions vs Trinidad &Tobago Red Force - Sabina Park, Jamaica
CCC vs Guyana Harpy Eagles - Kensington Cricket Club, Jamaica
Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - UWI SPEC, Trinidad
West Indies Academy vs Barbados Pride - CCG, Antigua
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It is a proud moment in time for one of the most accomplished Caribbean teams in Concacaf history, as five-time Concacaf Champions Cup finalists Robinhood of Suriname are back in the prestigious tournament for the first time since 1994.
Though it has been 30 years since Robinhood last graced the tournament, this will be the club's 18th appearance overall, with a new generation of players, led by midfielder Renske Adipi, aiming to carve out a legacy of their own on this occasion.
Adipi, steered Robinhood to the mountaintop in both the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield and Concacaf Caribbean Cup. He was named Best Player in the Caribbean Cup.
The 24-year-old scored a goal, contributed an assist, made eight steals, three clearances and completed more than 83 percent of his passes in the tournament.
Adipi and his Robinhood teammates recently returned to training following a well-deserved break and are busy preparing for the Champions Cup which gets under way with Round One action next month.
“This is a team with a lot of young players, but we trained hard, the coach worked very hard with us so we could reach a level at which we could compete in the Shield and the Caribbean Cup,” Adipi said in an interview with Concacaf.com.
“For Robinhood as a team, it means that we are back at the level we had in previous years in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. We are very proud to be back at the international Concacaf level and proud to be back in Champions Cup,” he added.
As Caribbean Cup champions, Robinhood will start the tournament in the Round of 16 where they will face the winner of the Round One contest between Costa Rica's Herediano and two-time Concacaf champions Toluca of Mexico.
While Robinhood's players are just now returning to the training field, the coaching staff has already been studying the club’s potential opponent.
“Our coaching staff is already busy analyzing Toluca and Herediano, so we will be prepared for whichever team we play,” Adipi shared.
On that note, Adipi reflected on last year's campaign which will forever live in the minds of Robinhood's players, coaches and supporters alike, even more so as their impressive double Caribbean triumph has etched the club's name in the annals of Suriname's sporting history.
Adipi recalled how the team registered big wins in the Shield, and later took that momentum all the way to the Caribbean Cup title.
“At the start of the Shield, we were a little nervous, but when the tournament started after the first game, we grew into ourselves and grew in the tournament, and we became champions. When we entered the Caribbean Cup, we were surer of ourselves. We played a good tournament and also became champions of that event. For the fans they enjoyed it very much and they have not stopped celebrating it. They were great fans in the games, even though it was late at night," he said with a smile.
Robinhood’s Caribbean conquest and Champions Cup qualification was timely, too. On the horizon is the beginning of a new professional league in Suriname, so no doubt Robinhood’s appearance in this year’s Champions Cup will bring plenty of eyes to the country's football and, by extension, its development.
“We know that not only are we playing for Robinhood, but we are also playing for the country of Suriname. It is a very important moment so that Robinhood can have prestige in this tournament, because we are going to start a professional league in Suriname. This is a welcomed moment that everyone can now see the level that Surinamese football has,” Adipi ended.
Saturday’s BetMGM Clarence House Chase fixture at Ascot has been abandoned due to a frozen track.
The Berkshire circuit was due to host a seven-race card, with the Grade One feature set to stage a mouthwatering rematch between old foes El Fabiolo and Jonbon.
However, a third clash between the pair will not take place this weekend, with the track deemed unraceable following a 4pm inspection Thursday and further freezing temperatures forecast.
A statement from Ascot posted on X, formerly Twitter, read: “The BetMGM Clarence House Chase Raceday has been abandoned.
“Temperatures dropped to minus 6C overnight into Thursday and the track is still frozen in places at 4pm under the covers.
“Given the forecast remains for sub-zero temperatures over the next two nights there is no prospect of improvement before raceday on Saturday.”
An inspection has also been called ahead of Saturday’s meeting at Haydock, with officials set to check on conditions at 8am on Friday.
Clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright admits the card, which is headlined by the Sky Bet Peter Marsh Chase, needs a “miracle” if it is to go ahead.
“We’ve not had a great day and the frost hasn’t even got off the running rail, so we are not looking great,” Tellwright said on Thursday afternoon.
“We will wait to see if the thaw starts early but there is no indication of it, so I think we will be put out of our misery in the morning.
“We just need to pray there is a miracle and the thaw starts in time.”
Friday’s meeting at Market Rasen was called off following a noon inspection, with the track frozen after temperatures dropped to minus 8C overnight.
Taunton’s meeting on Saturday is subject to an inspection at noon on Friday.
West Indies Women's cricketers Anisa Mohammed, Shakera Selman, Kycia Knight and Kyshona Knight have confirmed their retirement from international cricket. All four players recently communicated their decisions to Cricket West Indies (CWI).
Mohammed and Selman, both served as vice-captain during their careers which spanned 20 years and 18 years respectively. Mohammed made her debut for the West Indies Women in 2003 at the age of 15 against Japan Women in an ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in the Netherlands. Her last match was against Australia Women in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in March 2022.
She played 141 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 117 T20 Internationals (T20Is). She took 180 ODI wickets, with a career best of 7-14 against Pakistan. Additionally, she tallied 125 T20I wickets and in 2016 she became the first cricketer (male or female) to take 100 T20I wickets. She also has the distinction of being the first West Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in a Women’s T20I and was a member of the West Indies Women’s team, which won the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India in 2016.
Mohammed, in her announcement, said the last 20 years of her career have been truly amazing.
“I have enjoyed every single minute of it. The highs and the lows. I believe the time has come for me to step away from the game and allow the young players to live their dreams as I have lived mine. I was privileged enough to step onto the field wearing my maroon 258 times in my career. I have represented West Indies in five (5) ODI World Cups and seven (7) T20 World Cups. To my fellow teammates, thank you for all the love and respect shown to me during my time with you. You'll have made my journey a memorable experience. I would also like to thank WI, coaches, managers, and medical staff for believing in me and always ensuring I was in the best possible place to represent the West Indies. To my fans, it has been an honor representing you over the last 20 years. The love, support, encouragement, and respect from you'll gave me the motivation to keep doing what love most," she shared.
Selman, who started her international career against Ireland Women in Dublin in 2008, quickly established herself as a key member of the West Indies Women’s team. She played 100 ODIs taking 82 wickets and 96 T20Is where she took 51wickets. Selman was also a member of the 2016 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup winning squad.
In a heartfelt statement, Selman pointed out that the goal of her journey was to inspire others.
"This marks my final bow after 18 incredible years. I am proud of playing with and against legends, and lucky to have dismissed a few. My aim was always to inspire and assist others in their dreams. I owe immense gratitude to God, my supportive family and friends, and to CWI, my teammates, and the medical and management teams for their unwavering guidance. To the fans, your support has been my motivation. As I transition to the next phase of my career, I look forward to continuing to share my passion for the game in new ways," she said.
The Knight twins, Kycia and Kyshona made their debuts for West Indies Women in 2011 and 2013 respectively.
Kycia, a left-handed wicketkeeper/batter holds the record for the most dismissals in Women’s T20I innings with five, as well as the most stumpings in an innings of four, and tied for most catches in an innings also with four. She played 87 ODIs and amassed 1327 runs, complemented by her 70 T20I appearances in which she scored 801 runs.
Kyshona played 51 ODIs in which she scored 851 runs. That goes with her 55 T20Is appearances and 546 runs.
The Knight sisters in a joint statement said the memories of their respective journeys will be cherished. Both were also a part of the successful West Indies women's team that won the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup.
“As this marks the end of an enjoyable and amazing journey, we would like to take this time to thank our family, friends, teammates and supporters for the continued love and support throughout the years. None of this would’ve been possible without the support and love from you guys, and for that we are forever grateful. Lastly, thank you to CWI for the opportunities granted and memories that will be forever cherished," they said.
Meanwhile, CWI’s Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe paid tribute to the four cricketers.
“Anisa, Shakera, Kycia and Kyshona have had all made significant individual impacts on women’s cricket the West Indies and the world. Their dedication, skill, and sportsmanship have not only elevated our team but also captivated cricket fans worldwide. Their legacies, as members of the title-winning ICC Women’s T20 World Cup squad of 2016 and individual milestones, will continue to influence and guide future generations to aspire to wear the Maroon," Bascombe noted.
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