No plans to reschedule big British races lost to the frost last weekend

The BHA will not reschedule the races lost on Saturday following the cancellations of meetings at Cheltenham and Doncaster.

They were lost alongside jumps meetings at Hereford and Navan, as well as an all-weather fixture at Newcastle.

Doncaster was scheduled to stage the Grade 2 December Novices' Chase in front of the ITV cameras, while Cheltenham's seven-race card would have included the December Gold Cup and International Hurdle, which on Sunday Paul Nicholls, Nigel Twiston-Davies and Nicky Henderson suggested could be run at Ascot this weekend.

They argued this would not damage the potential line-up for the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle any more than the presence of the unbeaten Constitution Hill, the Unibet Champion Hurdle favourite.

However, those horses aimed at the International Hurdle, such as Epatante, may be forced to take him on at Kempton on Boxing Day after the BHA confirmed it had no plans to reschedule the Grade 2.

The BHA reviews the impact on the programme when rescheduling any lost races and, on this occasion, it argued that there are enough appropriate remaining opportunities this year, particularly during the Christmas period, for the horses unable to run due to cancellations.

While acknowledging losing races is disappointing for participants and customers, the BHA stressed the importance of the potential impact on existing races in the programme, which was of particular concern at Pattern level and when races are being shown by ITV.

Read more:

British weather: No jump racing until at least Thursday as low temperatures continue to bite

Irish weather: Further cards set to fall as freeze grips Ireland but Navan hopeful for Sunday

Punchestown confirms swift rearrangement of John Durkan card

Which tracks are inspecting and how are things looking for the week?

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