HAYDOCK Park is ringing the changes to some of its most important National Hunt races as Britain's horse racing fixture list undergoes its biggest overhaul in modern times.
The racecourse is one of the busiest in the country, with 31 meetings throughout the year on the flat and over jumps.
With BBC Grandstand planning to give horse racing enhanced status, Haydock Park will cement its centre stage position on Saturday afternoon television next year.
Racecourse general manager Adam Waterworth said: "In 2004, we're maintaining the vast majority of our traditional fixture dates, but we are moving some significant jump races to achieve a much greater media profile."
The 'Peter Marsh meeting', which features the Cheltenham Gold Cup trial the Peter Marsh Chase, as well as the Red Square Champion Hurdle Trial, and Long Distance Hurdle, moves forward a fortnight to Saturday, January 10.
The date of the three-mile Tommy Whittle Chase moves forward to Saturday, December 4.
Explained Adam: "Running the Tommy Whittle at the start of December will re-establish it firmly as one of the most important prep races for the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day".
In the last couple of years the Tommy Whittle Chase has attracted star entries, but previously its fields of runners had occasionally been adversely affected by being just ten to 14 days before the Kempton showpiece.
In addition to these changes, Haydock Park gains a new Saturday evening meeting on April 24, dropping a Saturday afternoon fixture that was usually run at the end of March.
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