LEOPARDSTOWN GOLD CUP: LEOPARDSTOWN’S HENNESSY Gold Cup meeting has been re-scheduled to tomorrow week and hopes are high that a Grade One field will still line up for the €200,000 centrepiece.

A blanket of frozen snow yesterday morning meant a 7.30 inspection became little more than a formality, and the decision was taken to cancel tomorrow’s scheduled triple-Grade One card.

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) later confirmed the meeting will now take place in eight days, with the Navan fixture originally set for the 15th moved forward to Monday the 16th.

The Navan card has three graded races in it, including the Ladbrokes Boyne Hurdle, but HRI’s director of racing, Jason Morris, said yesterday: “It is vitally important to retain Leopardstown’s Hennessy Gold Cup meeting on a day when the maximum possible crowd can attend.”

Leopardstown are offering free admission on Sunday week for all Navan members.

The Leopardstown manager, Tom Burke, reported yesterday that the trainers of the British entries for the Hennessy, including champion Paul Nicholls, whose Neptune Collonges had been ante-post favourite, as well as Jonjo O’Neill (Exotic Dancer) and Nick Mitchell (The Listener), had indicated their willingness to him to travel to Ireland next week instead.

“All of them were pleased we are re-scheduled and suggested they would come next week,” he said.

“It is bright here today, but there is no thaw and the forecast is for very cold weather. In fact, the snow could help us now and protect the ground from some of the frost that is being forecast,” Burke added.

“Next week doesn’t look too hectic either, we are being told, so we will have to take things as they come.”

Barry Simpson, racing manager to Robert Ogden, confirmed Exotic Dancer will run next week: “Despite the weather he has missed no work and he will go for the Irish Hennessy next week.”

The end result is a blank weekend for racing in Ireland, with today’s scheduled fixture for Naas having been called off on Thursday.

The next dates in the Irish programme are for Fairyhouse next Tuesday and Wednesday, but prospects don’t look great for the Ratoath track either, with the course reported to be waterlogged.

“There will obviously have to be an inspection, probably on Monday,” a spokesman said.