Agreement has been reached to reschedule the Boylesports.com �International at Ascot on Saturday.

Agreement has been reached to reschedule the Boylesports.com International at Ascot on Saturday.

The Grade Two Champion Hurdle trial, which should have been run at Cheltenham's abandoned meeting last weekend, will have its full prize-money of £200,000.

It will form part of a tremendous trio of top-class hurdle races which will all be shown live on BBC1. Race times have been altered to accommodate the International, which will go off at 1.40pm and be the third contest on a seven-race card.

The BGC Long Walk Hurdle will now be run 30 minutes later than originally planned at 2.10pm, with The Ladbroke at 2.45pm.

"This will be a truly fantastic day's racing and probably the greatest day's hurdling ever seen," said Leon Blanche, head of public relations at Boylesports. "We are happy to offer the full prize-money, as well as the £200,000 bonus for any horse who wins our race and goes on to win the Champion Hurdle at the Festival."

All 11 horses previously entered at the five-day stage will automatically be carried forward to Ascot and the final declaration stage will be on Friday.

Alan King has given reigning Champion Hurdle hero Katchit the green light to take his chance. He was among an original nine-strong field that also included Binocular, the current ante-post favourite for next March's renewal, Crack Away Jack, Celestial Halo, Harchibald and Chomba Womba.

The Barbury Castle handler admits Katchit would have been better suited at Cheltenham, where he has won on five of his six starts, but is nonetheless happy the International has been saved.

"He will definitely take his chance at Ascot," said King. "I think we need to be very grateful to everyone involved for putting the work in and getting this race on.

"Obviously, we would have preferred it to have been at Cheltenham as he loves the place, but I need to get a run into him and I'm quite happy to go to Ascot. He'll work in the morning and we'll just keep him ticking over, as usual."

Ascot chief executive Charles Barnett said: "Our card will exceed £500,000 - a first for jumping at Ascot.It is particularly good news that the BBC have been able to juggle their programme to include the International.

"These things take time to pull together, and we were all keen to ensure that BBC coverage and the full prize-money pot were confirmed before we went public."

Paul Struthers, the BHA media relations manager, added: "It's fantastic news that Boylesports and Ascot have agreed to support the rescheduling of the International, and thanks must go not just to them but also to the other sponsors and the Levy Board for helping to make it possible."