Saturday bonanza planned for ITV with ten races from five tracks - but frost continues to threaten Kempton card

A week after a rare blank for the sport on terrestrial television, ITV Racing is set to offer a Saturday feast of action from five different fixtures from three different countries. 

Of the five meetings Kempton's Lanzarote Hurdle card is most at risk from the weather, with a possible inspection hinging on beating the overnight freezing temperatures which have caused havoc to tracks across Britain and Ireland this last week.

After Sandown and Wincanton were frozen off last Saturday – the two all-weather meetings at Southwell and Wolverhampton later that day were unable to change times due to the make-up of the two-year Premier racing trial – the broadcaster had to pull its coverage.

However, it has made sure all bases are covered this Saturday with ten races across Kempton, Ffos Las, Fairyhouse, Newcastle and Chelmsford live on ITV4 following the loss of Warwick's Classic Chase card on Thursday.

Four of those are due to come from Kempton's Premier card, which also features the Grade 2 Silviniaco Conti Chase. The going is currently soft, heavy in places, but sub-zero temperatures are set to hit the track again on Thursday night and an inspection before raceday is likely.

Speaking on Thursday afternoon, clerk of the course Barney Clifford said: "We were perfectly raceable today, but we're due to get down to -4C overnight and up to 2C in the morning, but then it's going to get down to between -3C and -4C on Friday night into Saturday again.

"It was a pretty volatile forecast on Wednesday night when we were due -4C but only got down to 0C, which was a pretty big swing, but if the weather materialises as it says on Thursday night then we'll more than likely have to announce a form of inspection."

Clifford added: "It's pretty clear on the Met Office radars that we've got no cloud cover, but I didn't want to call an inspection on Thursday because we didn't need one and we need to see what forecast materialises overnight before doing so. 

"Let's hope we get some cloud cover and the frost doesn't penetrate us. We want to give the meeting every chance."

Two races each from Ffos Las and Chelmsford will be shown on ITV4, as well as another all-weather contest from Newcastle and the Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase from Fairyhouse.

The coverage will be from 1-4pm, and if Kempton or any other meetings are cancelled, the show will still proceed as long as there is racing on from the remaining tracks.

ITV Racing's proposed coverage on ITV4 this Saturday

1.15 Ffos Las DragonBet Towton Novices' Chase (Grade 2) 2m3½f
1.35 Kempton Coral Racing Club Join For Free Handicap Chase 2m4½f
1.45 Fairyhouse SBK Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase (Grade 3) 2m1f
2.00 Newcastle Gamble Responsibly BetUK Handicap 1m2f
2.10 Kempton Coral 'Pipped-At-The-Post' And Win Handicap Chase 3m
2.25 Ffos Las DragonBet The Independent Bookmaker Handicap Hurdle 3m
2.42 Kempton Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase (Grade 2), 2m4½f
3.05 Chelmsford bet365 Handicap 1m
3.18 Kempton Coral Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle 2m5f
3.40 Chelmsford bet365 Handicap 6f  

Ffos Las is optimistic its Saturday fixture, which now stages the Grade 2 Towton Novices' Chase rerouted from Wetherby, will beat the weather, with daytime temperatures set to rise.

The going is soft and no inspection is currently planned. Temperatures could dip to -1.5C on Thursday night, but could reach as high as 6C on Friday and possibly 8C on raceday.

Speaking on Thursday afternoon, clerk of the course Tracey O'Meara said: "We've had a lovely day and temperatures reached 6C, and it's been nice and sunny too. We had temperatures of -1.5C on Wednesday night and left a grass frost, and we're expecting something similar overnight into Friday, but we then hope temperatures will rise.

Ffos Las: optimism that Welsh track will beat the weather

"Some forecasts are suggesting we could get up to 7C or 8C on Saturday with some rain forecast in the early hours of the morning. With a bit of luck we hope the forecast comes to fruition."

Fairyhouse was unraceable on Thursday, but temperatures are set to rise and another update will be issued at 3pm on Friday.

The going is standard to slow at Chelmsford, but with temperatures set to dip to as low as -5C on Thursday and Friday night, officials are monitoring conditions. The going is standard at Newcastle and Wolverhampton, which stages an evening meeting.

The Unibet Veterans' Handicap Chase, the £75,000 series final, has once again been rearranged following Sandown and Warwick's cancellations this month, and it will now take place at Market Rasen on Friday, January 17.

Read more here:

Warwick's Classic Chase card cancelled and Kempton could be under threat as freezing temperatures continue to disrupt 

Double blow for Catterick clerk with big meeting cancelled and her Cheltenham Festival winner left in limbo  

BHA announces additional Saturday fixtures at Ffos Las and Chelmsford 

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