Noble Yeats' vaccination not processed and verified in time to qualify Grand National winner for Sunday's Fleur De Lys Chase at Lingfield; day one of the Winter Million Festival abandonded due to 'hard frost' with two races moved to Sunday's card
Tuesday 17 January 2023 18:42, UK
Grand National hero Noble Yeats will miss his intended appearance at Lingfield this weekend after it emerged he does not qualify for Sunday's Fleur De Lys Chase.
The Emmet Mullins-trained eight-year-old provided amateur rider Sam Waley-Cohen with a fairytale success in the Aintree spectacular last year, on what proved to be his final ride.
Noble Yeats was pulled up on his reappearance at Auteuil, but has since impressed in winning a Listed prize at Wexford and Aintree's Many Clouds Chase, with the latter success in particular thrusting him into the Cheltenham Gold Cup picture.
Connections identified the £165,000 Fleur De Lys Chase as a suitable next port of call - but it was confirmed on Tuesday that he will not be able to line up as the horse's vaccination record is not compliant with the Rules of Racing.
A BHA spokesman said: "The BHA can confirm that Noble Yeats is not qualified to take part in the Fleur de Lys Chase (Class 2) at Lingfield Park on Sunday, as the horse's vaccination record is not compliant with the Rules of Racing.
"Vaccinations must have been administered, uploaded to the Weatherbys App and verified by a veterinary surgeon before the close of entries to avoid a horse being NQd. In the case of Noble Yeats, this process was not completed in time, meaning the horse is not qualified to run.
"This change to the Rules of Racing came into effect this month, following a 12-month transition period to allow trainers to adjust to the changes to the vaccine booster intervals. The BHA and IHRB have taken a co-ordinated approach to its implementation."
The opening day of the Winter Million Festival on Friday has been abandoned due to "hard frost", with two of the card's most valuable races switching to the final day on Sunday.
With temperatures dropping to as low as -6C on Tuesday morning, ground staff at Lingfield have ruled that there is insufficient time for recovery.
The £110,000 Sovereign Handicap Hurdle and the £50,000 Class 2 Handicap Chase will be moved, with the racecourse still hopeful of improvement in conditions before the end of the week.
