England v Scotland: courses take different tack over World Cup final

Jump racing is ready to make way and clear the decks on Sunday if England have a World Cup final showdown with France or Belgium.

At least that is the case in England, but the racing show will go on across the border in Scotland hand in hand with the football.

While Stratford and Southwell plan to finish their meetings if England reach the final, which kicks off at 4pm, Perth would merely adjust its race times so that only two contests would be run while the match is being played.

If England beat Croatia on Wednesday, Stratford will move its meeting, scheduled to start at 2,10, forward to 12.30, with a 3.35 last race and the World Cup final shown on screens at the track after racing.

Southwell would also move forward its meeting, which has a scheduled first-race time of 2.20 and 5.35 finish, to avoid a clash – currently the teams in Russia would be coming on to the field as Southwell runs a selling hurdle at 3.55. Should England make the final the first race will be at 12.15, with the finale at 3.25.

Perth is keen to acknowledge and support England in the World Cup final should Gareth Southgate's team make it, but racing will be tweaked, not revised, for the course's popular family funday.

Chief executive Hazel Peplinski said: "Racecourses and the BHA have been speaking to each other and come up with a plan.

"We're taking less radical steps than the other racecourses as it's our family day and we don't think it would be fair to ask families to turn up at 9.30 or 10 – gates open at 11.30 – but we'll be really into it if England get to the final, which we all hope they do.

"The football will be on the big screens with only two races run while the final is being played – a third race is timed to coincide with half-time."

If the Auld Enemy win through to the final, Perth would start ten minutes later than scheduled at 2.10, with revised timings so that the sixth race would be run at 4.55, during half-time. The last would be at 5.30 instead of 5.15

There is no radical alteration to racing on Tuesday and Wednesday when the semi-finals are played, with Brighton showing the France v Belgium match on racecourse screens during its evening meeting on Tuesday. At Uttoxeter the same evening the football will be shown on screens in the betting hall.

Bath and Kempton clash with England's semi-final on Wednesday. Barney Clifford, Kempton's clerk of the course, said: "We'll be showing the game on all the screens around the course and there will be a dedicated football bar which has a big screen on the wall."

Bath has a giant screen to show the football, and the course reminds people it is offering £10 entry, including a free first drink, if tickets are booked before the day.

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