Plenty for racegoers at Warwick this month
AFTER its successful two-day Winter Festival in November, Warwick has two fixtures to look forward to this month, starting today (Thursday) with the Eventmasters Christmas at the Races meeting, reports David Hucker.
Highlight of the afternoon is the Listed eventmasters.co.uk Lady Godiva Mares’ Novices’ Chase, worth £30,000, which will be run over two-and-a -half miles. With last year’s meeting being abandoned, the race was switched to Wincanton where Arclight and Marsh Wren, who had put up an impressive weight-carrying performance at Warwick's previous meeting, fought out an exciting finish.
Course winner Telepathique is stepping up in grade, but this front-runner is determined and will take some catching although, on official ratings, has a lot to find on You Wear It Well who mixed it with some of the best over hurdles last season and was runner-up on her chasing debut at Bangor-on-Dee.
Warwick, which shares the afternoon jumps stage with Taunton, kicks off its bumper eight-race card at 11.55am with the Larkshill Engineering Juvenile Maiden Hurdle over two miles in which Character Testing, a last flight faller on his latest run at Catterick, could put his experience to good use.
The Heat Your Home With Alpha Maiden Hurdle has been divided and Lambourn trainer Nicky Henderson looks to have a good chance in both divisions with the well-bred As The Fella Says, winner of an Irish point-to-point, in the first and Aintree bumper winner Bear Market in the second.
Skycutter, runner-up to Rambo T over the course last month, tops the weights in the £10,000 M-TEC Engineering Solutions Novices' Handicap Chase two miles. Rambo T is trained by Olly Murphy and he may provide the winner again in the shape of Damarta.
There is a competitive-looking field of eleven for the Out The Daw Handicap Hurdle over two miles and five furlongs in which Mr Hope Street could overcome a big rise in the weights for his win last time. He is trained by Dan Skelton, surprisingly without a winner at the Festival, who passed a century of winners for the 10th season in a row with a treble on Friday.
He added to his score with another treble on Saturday which included a win by promising novice chaser L'Eau du Sud in the Grade 1 Betfair Henry VIII Novices' Chase, to take his total to 105 but, although stable star Protektorat was beaten by the progressive Djelo in Huntingdon's Grade 2 Trustatrader Peterborough Chase on Sunday, he landed the closing race to make it seven wins in all over the weekend.
Heard That could follow up his recent course win in the longest race of the afternoon, the Francesca Garrad Handicap Chase over three miles and Worcester winner Tormund Giantsbane sets the standard in the closing Wrights Of Campden Open National Hunt Flat Race although will have a tough task giving weight to some potentially smart rivals.
The Got2Sing Choir will be singing festive favourites and there will also be a Christmas market. Gates will open at 10.25 am, one and a half hours before the first race.
