After a freeze there is a thaw and then often a flood and jump racing is following that pattern, weather permitting.

The Met Office says there is a threat of further snow when a new weather front starts pushing across Britain from Tuesday night but, if that does not get in the way, there are likely to be a flood of major names running on Saturday.

From a betting point of view Ascot’s Victor Chandler Chase is nowhere near as interesting a race as it was when it was run as a handicap. The idea to elevate this race to Grade One  status may have gone down well with certain trainers, seeking a suitable opportunity prior to the Cheltenham Festival, but recent renewals have lacked the week-long media and public interest that was generated by its previous incarnation.

As a handicap it did not preclude quality horses from winning as Well Chief proved in 2005, when the race was re-scheduled at Cheltenham. He beat Thisthatandtother off a mark of 176 which, to put that in perspective, is 2lbs higher than the rating that Denman was running off when he won this season’s Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury. Racing for Change may be a laudable idea but, in this case, turning back the clock might be a better one.

As it is Twist Magic, from the Paul Nicholls yard, heads a list of 10 six-day acceptors for the race. In the absence of stable companion Master Minded, still on his recovery programme from a rib injury, Twist Magic dominates the betting in much the same way because he is 8lbs clear of any of his rivals according to the BHA’s official ratings.   

The officials at Ascot are confident that the weather will not intervene for a race which was not run for the first two years (1987 and ‘88), because of abandonments again in 2003 and 2007 and has also been switched to Warwick (1994), Kempton Park (1997 and ’99) and Sandown (2006) when the original fixtures were cancelled.

The loss of various fixtures due to the recent freeze has played havoc with the plans that Nicky Henderson had for his three Champion Hurdle contenders Punjabi, Binocular and Zaynar.

Punjabi will be the first of the trio out if he runs in the Grade Two sportingbet.com Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock Park, which has been the plan thus far, although there are no six-day entries because the race has been re-opened due to lack of entries.

There is no such famine for the other feature race on the card, the Grade Two Peter Marsh Chase, which has a total of 28 entries headed by Cloudy Lane, who will be attempting to add to his fine record at the course where he has won five of his eight starts.

Elsewhere on the Haydock card top staying hurdler Diamond Harry may make the transition to fences. Having finished six-and-a-quarter lengths third to Big Bucks in the Long Walk Hurdle last month Diamond Harry’s trainer, Nick Williams, had decided that the horse may have reached the ceiling of his potential over hurdles when he said: “It appears the official handicapper would have us spot-on at 165.” 

As a winner of seven of his nine starts Diamond Harry can still be expected to sparkle on the chasing scene and his potential for the RSA Chase could be put on trial if Williams opts to take up the entry for the Grade Two sportingbet.com Altcar Novices’ Chase.

However, this may not be the easiest of initiations as Henderson has also entered Punchestowns, an impressive winner at Newbury on his chasing debut in November, who was only a length a three-quarters behind Big Buck’s in last season’s World Hurdle.

Paul Wheeler