Cheltenham prospects look bleak

THE freezing weather, which has claimed Cheltenham's last two fixtures, is closing in on the track yet again putting One Man's Gold, Cup warm up tomorrow in jeopardy. Although the ground is currently frost free and race able, temperatures have dropped with worse to come and the prospect of snow tonight.

Yesterday's abandonment of the meeting at Huntingdon and inspections called to determine the fate of racing at Doncaster and Lingfield today, the prospects for Cheltenham, due to stage the Pillar Property Chase and Cleeve Hurdle, are not encouraging.

The course has not staged any racing since December 8th and tomorrow's meeting is the last before the National Hunt Festival. Clerk of the course Philip Arkwright said "At the moment there is no frost and the course is perfectly traceable. But very cold weather is forecast and the prospects hinge on the severity of the frosts we get during the next two nights."

One Man, due to get his eye in round Cheltenham in the Pillar Property Chase, is not due to from Cumbria until early tomorrow morning.

But Germany's champion jump trainer, Christian Von der Recke, could face a difficult dilemma as his two runners have to set out at four o'clock tomorrow morning.

Von der Recke hopes to saddle Telasco, a Champion Hurdle entry, in the Cleeve Hurdle and Reveillon in the four year old hurdle.

Speaking on the Racing Channel yesterday he said Reveillon won two races over hurdles in Germany and we then sent him to Paris where he was the first ever German, three year old hurdler to win. He should go close on that form.

"Telasco was second in a 20 runner field last time and that was very good form. I think these two will be the first ever runners from Germany over jumps in Britain. I'm really looking forward to it.

Recke has full confidence in his jockey Klaus Hviid. "He has ridden over winners on the Flat including in the Derby in Denmark and over 100 over hurdles too" he said.

Mysilv, a inner at Haydock last weekend, is also engaged in the Cleeve Hurdle but trainer Charlie Egerton will not make any decision about running the mare until today.