The British Horseracing Authority has unveiled a series of alterations to the Christmas fixture list, with the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow and the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton both delayed by 24 hours.
The Ladbrokes Christmas Festival at Kempton keeps its traditional dates on December 26 and 27, with the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton remaining the Boxing Day showpiece, but the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase has been switched from the King George programme to the day after.
The Coral Welsh Grand National has historically taken place alongside day two of the Kempton fixture but will now be staged on December 28, while the Coral Challow Hurdle card at Newbury has been allocated a permanent date of December 29.
The alterations, which also involve shifting Hereford’s December 8 fixture to December 27, have been implemented to provide four straight days of ITV racing broadcasts and maximise the impact of the Premier jump fixtures held over the festive season.
Richard Wayman, BHA director of racing, said: “The Christmas period is always an important one for our sport, with increased exposure generated by some of the highest profile races in the calendar.
“As we seek not only to retain but grow the sport’s fanbase, we are pleased to approve this cross-industry initiative that will see four consecutive days of high-class racing on free-to-air television.”
View 2 ImagesThe Welsh Grand National has been moved(Image: Getty Images)
Richard Willoughby, ITV Racing Programme Editor, said: “A British Christmas racing festival has long been on our agenda, and we’re delighted to work with the BHA, the racecourses and their respective sponsorship partners to support this new initiative which will undoubtedly enhance the racing calendar over the festive period.”
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Simon Durrant, general manager at Kempton, said: “The Christmas period is synonymous with competitive and compelling sport and British racing has a number of well established and popular meetings for racegoers and fans watching on TV to enjoy.
“Last year the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase grabbed the sports headlines with its four-way photo finish and the changes outlined today help the sport build on such thrilling drama.
“By working together with the racing industry on this we hope to boost the prominence of each of the major events taking place over this period and create an exciting focal point for each day. We’re grateful to everyone involved for their collaboration and looking forward to working with ITV Racing and our sponsors, Ladbrokes, to promote this new concept.”