 Best Mate (left) won last year's King George VI Chase |
Kempton officials have denied a report that they have axed plans to abandon jump racing. National Hunt racing at the course, which stages the King George VI Chase, has been under threat after Kempton's owners admitted last year that they were considering installing an all-weather track.
The Sun newspaper claimed on Tuesday that the all-weather plans had been deemed too expensive and that jump racing would thus continue but Kempton's managing director Julian Thick said a verdict had not yet been reached.
"Our position is quite clear. We've been considering a range of options for Kempton and no decision has yet been made," said Thick.
"We're talking to a lot of people and the options are still on the table, some of those include jumping and some don't."
When the plans to abandon jumping for an all-weather surface were first mooted last year, they were roundly condemned by most of the racing world.
The plan's supporters claimed that the King George, which is the mid-season championship for the sport's top staying steeplechasers, could be run elsewhere.
But opponents argued that this would change the nature and importance of the race, which in terms of prestige is second only to the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
MMIX
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