Enjoy festive treats at next Warwick Racecourse meeting
THERE will be complimentary mulled wine and a mince pie as well as Midlands choir Got To Sing singing carols to greet racegoers at Warwick’s Eventmasters Christmas at the Races tomorrow, Thursday, writes David Hucker.
The £25,000 Actioncoach Invest In The Best Lady Godiva Mares’ Novices’ Chase (Listed Race) over two-and-a-half miles tops the seven-race card and it promises to be a real cracker.
Trainer Alan King saddled Midnightreferendum to finish runner-up in the race last year and this time sends out useful hurdler The Glancing Queen, a winner on her chasing debut at Bangor-on-Dee last time out. Fourth-placed Emmas Joy will be 5lbs better off this time, but will still have work to do to close the gap.
The one who catches the eye is unpenalised Navan winner Kapard, whom Henry De Bromhead sends across the Irish Sea with this season’s leading jockey Darragh O’Keeffe on board.
It all gets under way at 12.20pm with the Agetur (UK) Ltd Juvenile Maiden Hurdle in which French flat winner Saint Riquier, runner-up in his last two starts, could go one better. Saveasea, racing in the familiar colours of The Gredley Family, was outpaced in a bumper at Aintree last month and now makes his jumping debut for Dan and Harry Skelton.
Vazir, out of the Sea The Stars mare Vazira, was a winner on the Deauville polytrack for owner H H Aga Khan, but has since been sold and could be a useful recruit to jumping for trainer Alan King.
The trip is two miles and five furlongs for the Larkshill Engineering Maiden Hurdle in which Our Jet, having just his second run over hurdles could be the answer.
He had Limetree Boy over three lengths behind him in the race won by Hillcrest at Aintree, but faces a real danger in Kyntara, a bumper winner here in February, who ran well after a long absence at Lingfield three weeks ago.
I’m A Starman has been raised 5lbs for his course win in May and now has to shoulder 11-11 in the Alpha Boilers Handicap Hurdle.
He may find it hard to follow up against the likes of Olly Murphy’s Italian Spirit, third despite losing his left-hind shoe here last month, and top-weight Ernesto, runner-up to Solo Saxophone on the flat at Newmarket in October.
Naizagai just failed to reel in Catch The Cuban at Taunton and, with bottom weight to carry, could come out on top in the Champion Compressors Novices’ Handicap Chase and Pemberley, trained by Emma Lavelle, has a good chance to get off the mark over fences in the longest race of the afternoon, the M-Tec Consulting Group Handicap Chase over three miles.
Dan Skelton saddles two of his five entries in the closing Davis Site Security Open National Hunt Flat Race with brother Harry on board Blue Bubbles for the Hales family and amateur Tristan Durrell on Betty Getaway, bred and owned by Judy Cramer and Dan’s father Nick.
Deal Em High will find it tough to carry a penalty for her narrow Newton Abbot win in September, but Walk On High, a beaten favourite on her debut at Chepstow, could put that experience to good use here.
