Tingle Creek switched

Sandown's Saturday card has been lost to the cold snap but the Tingle Creek Chase will be saved and staged at Cheltenham next week.

Sandown's Saturday card has been lost to the cold snap but the Tingle Creek Chase will be saved and staged at Cheltenham next week. Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper inspected at 1500 GMT on Thursday and with snow on the track and no prospect of improvement in the forecast, was forced to call it a day. Friday's meeting at Sandown was called off earlier. Cooper said: "Unfortunately it hasn't improved and, if anything, it's actually marginally worse as we've had a few snow flurries. "We have five inches of snow on the track at the moment and that is going to stay there until Saturday at least. "It's due to warm a bit from Saturday but everyone at the course is of the opinion that it will be not enough, soon enough." British Horseracing Authority officials are now working to move the Tingle Creek to another venue. "I believe Cheltenham next weekend is the obvious and intended new home of the race at this stage," Cooper added.