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/ Timeform / 13 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
"The first three races of a seven-race card will be on Channel 4."
Sponsors Betfair have made entry to Newbury's rescheduled meeting on Friday free to all racegoers, making it quite probably the best free day's racing ever...
Last weekend's 'Super Saturday' fixture had to be abandoned after an inspection on Friday morning due to snow on the track, but the British Horseracing Authority reached an agreement with Newbury, Betfair, the Levy Board and Channel 4 Racing to restage the superb card.
Betfair have added further prize-money to the card to ensure the Betfair Hurdle will remain the most valuable handicap hurdle race in the UK, as well as making access for punters free to see the likes of Long Run.
Betfair spokesman Tony Calvin said: "When we first announced that we were taking over the sponsorship of the Totesport Trophy and re-named the meeting 'Betfair Super Saturday', we wanted to make a statement and the newly-titled Betfair Hurdle became the UK's richest handicap hurdle.
"To maintain that race description at Friday's rescheduled meeting, we today actually had to increase the money we put into the original sponsorship package, maintaining original prize money levels for the race of £152,500."
The Betfair Super Saturday Chase, better known as the Game Spirit, will kick off the rescheduled seven-race card at 12:15 this Friday.
Exciting novice Sprinter Sacre has been re-entered for that race, while his Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning stablemate Long Run has been re-entered in the Betfair Denman Chase, and luckily for racegoers, Nicky Henderson suggested over the weekend that both will go to post on Friday.
He said: "I do want Sprinter Sacre to have another run and I think Long Run is better with a run.
"It would be another week to Newbury and we're getting closer (to Cheltenham) but I think he'd run again.
"We need to run the horses and depending what exactly they put on, I'd hope we'd be supporting it with the same sort of team."
The BHA confirmed that the Betfair Hurdle, the Betfair Denman Chase and the Betfair Super Saturday Chase would be saved, along with the Scilly Isles' Novices' Chase, already rescheduled from a meeting abandoned at Sandown.
A BHA press release read: "Following the abandonment of racing at Newbury on Saturday, the British Horseracing Authority, in conjunction with the Levy Board, has granted Newbury a replacement fixture to be staged on Friday 17 February.
"The major races lost from Saturday's card will be rescheduled, including the previously rescheduled Scilly Isles Novices' Chase.
"The first three races of a seven-race card will be on Channel 4."
The original entries for the Betfair Hurdle Race will stand and entries for all of the other six races can be seen at: www.timeform.com/free
Newbury managing director Stephen Higgins said: "It is important that the key races that were due to run last Saturday are replaced.
"Therefore it's with thanks to the BHA, the Levy Board and our sponsors Betfair that we are pleased to announce that we will be able to stage them a week today.
"We hope to attract a quality card, with the Betfair Hurdle still valued at £152,500 making it the UK's richest handicap hurdle, as well as Gold Cup winner Long Run still being an intended runner and with free entry we encourage racegoers to come to Newbury on Friday and enjoy a great days racing."
Champion trainer Paul Nicholls voiced his agreement, saying in his Betfair blog: "Losing Newbury was a big blow - but at least it has been softened by the news that the whole meeting has been transferred to Friday, live on Channel 4.
"So fair play to all concerned in making this happen.
"And it is especially pleasing to see that the Betfair Hurdle retains its original prize money of £152,500 and will still be run as Europe's richest handicap hurdle, despite the race being run on a Friday.
"Last year (when restaged) it was run for a fraction of that, with the winner only getting just over £34,000.
"As long as they are all fit and well, then all the horses I was going to run at Newbury will turn out on Friday - and that includes Zarkandar (Betfair Hurdle).
"I would not be overly-concerned if a lot of my horses had to go straight to Cheltenham - I can get them fresh, fit and well at home - but it is a different story for horses that haven't yet run this season. So Zarkandar will run."
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