Gearing up for popular racecourse event
WARWICK hosts one of its most popular meetings of the year on New Year's Eve when the seven-race card, sponsored by Poundland, gets underway at 12.20pm with the Poundland Novices' Handicap Hurdle, reports David Hucker.
This is followed by the EBF Mares' 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle and the feature race of the afternoon, the £10,000 Poundland Conditional Jockeys' Veterans' Handicap Chase over three miles.
This offers an interesting combination of experienced horses, who must be at least nine years old, and inexperienced jockeys setting out on their careers.
There are two more steeple chases with the Poundland Handicap Chase over two and a half miles and the Poundland - Proud To Support Warwick Racecourse Handicap Chase over the minimum distance of two miles.
The longest race of the afternoon is a qualifier for the Challenger Stayers' Hurdle Series over three and a quarter miles and the card concludes at 3.30pm with the Happy New Year from Poundland Open National Hunt Flat Race.
As well as the grandstand enclosure, there will be a centre course party enclosure with includes an outdoor tiered grandstand, a variety of food and bar concessions and live music playing throughout the afternoon and after the last race.
Alcester-based Dan and Harry Skelton were the combination to follow at the pre-Christmas meeting, landing a treble, including Cherie d'Am in the afternoon's feature £30,000 race. This took Dan's total at the course this season to seven and he now leads Nigel Twiston-Davies and Olly Murphy by three. For Harry, his total of six wins sees him leading Sean Bowen and Sam Twiston-Davies by three in the jockeys table.
Nationally, Dan tops the leading trainer table with twice the number of winners as his mentor Paul Nicholls and, importantly for the championship title, £500,000 more in prize money. Next highest trainer numerically is Murphy and it is no surprise that Bowen, his stable jockey, is the one going head-to-head with Harry Skelton at the top of the riders table.
