Gerri Colombe's return on hold as heavy rain forces Down Royal to postpone Champion Chase meeting

Down Royal's Champion Chase meeting has been postponed and rescheduled for November 10 and 11 after heavy rain left standing water on the track.

The course was hit by 25mm rain overnight into Wednesday, with other parts of Northern Ireland flooded, which had left it unfit for racing. The two-day fixture had been due to begin on Friday with the Ladbrokes-sponsored Grade 1 highlight slated for Saturday.

However, with the nearby River Lagan set to rise over the next 48 hours, officials were left with no choice but to postpone the meeting by a week with the track having little chance to be ready.

Tracey O'Meara, IHRB clerk of the course at Down Royal, said: "We have just taken another look at the track and consulted with the river agencies within the locality. The situation here is that we've been informed the River Lagan will continue to rise over the next 48 hours which will not enable the standing water on the course to subside.

"We were hoping for a more positive outcome when we started work on the track this morning to remove the water but the situation with the River Lagan leaves us with no option but to make the difficult decision to cancel both Friday and Saturday as the track will simply not be ready in time.

"We were giving the meeting every chance but have made the decision at the earliest possible opportunity with the industry and public in mind. We're pleased to say that everyone is in a position to reschedule the fixtures for Friday, November 10 and Saturday, November 11 and the forecast into next week looks to be more favourable. Fresh entries will close on Monday for Friday and Tuesday for Saturday."

Gerri Colombe: due to reappear in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal, now rearranged for next week

The Champion Chase is expected to be this season's starting point for leading Cheltenham Gold Cup fancy Gerri Colombe, while stars including Minella Indo and last year's winner Envoi Allen were also among the entries.

Following the cancellation of Wexford meetings last Sunday and Monday due to waterlogging, Horse Racing Ireland has announced there will be a replacement jumps meeting at Wexford on Friday, November 17.

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