Yorkshire Jockeys Horse Racing

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Doncaster’s principal meeting over Jumps, the two-day Sky Bet Chase Meeting this Friday and Saturday (January 24 & 25), features the most valuable race of the Jumping season on Town Moor – The Sky Bet Chase on Saturday – which offers prize money of £75,000. It’s the likely target for last season’s Grand National winner, Auroras Encore (trained near Bingley in West Yorkshire by Sue Smith), as part of his preparations to defend his crown at Aintree on April 5. This major race is complemented by a trio of Grade 2 races on Saturday afternoon, along with a valuable handicap chase making the amount of prize money on offer during the day in excess of £200,000.
 
The Sky Bet Chase is a Handicap and Listed race over three miles and was first held at Doncaster in 1948 as The Great Yorkshire Chase. A quality turnout is expected for Saturday’s renewal, including potential Cheltenham Festival and Grand National contenders. Possible runners in the big race, along with Auroras Encore could be Sam Winner, Court By Surprise, Hadrian’s Approach, Unioniste and recent Doncaster winners, Mart Lane and Night In Milan.
 
Saturday’s seven-race card starts at 12-25 p.m. and the three Grade 2 races are The OLBG.com Doncaster Mares’ Hurdle (a £36,500 contest over the extended two miles), The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (a £27,500 race for staying hurdlers over the extended three miles historically known as the River Don Novices’ Hurdle) and The Racing Post Lightning Novices’ Chase (a contest over the extended two miles with prize money of £30,500). The latter race could include the 2012 champion hurdler, Rock On Ruby.
 
The £22,500 TRM-Excellence In Equine Nutrition Handicap Chase over the extended two miles is also featured on Saturday; the opening race is The Sky Bet Handicap Hurdle, while the afternoon’s concluding race is a contest on the Flat for young horses about to begin their careers over Jumps, contested by fillies and mares and supported by both Park Hill Hospital Doncaster and The European Breeders’ Fund.
 
Sky Bet, one of the U.K’s leading horseracing, gaming and sports betting companies sponsor at this meeting for the twelfth year and support all seven races on Friday including the feature race, a Handicap Hurdle contest over the extended three miles. Racing on Friday starts at 1-10 p.m.
 
After racing on Saturday, there’s live entertainment available for all racegoers on the ground floor of the Lazarus Stand by renowned Coldplay tribute band, ‘Coldplace’.
 
The giant screen, situated opposite the main stands will enable racegoers to see all of the action. A shuttle bus service will be in operation from the railway station.
 
  • There’s also live entertainment and a free Cheltenham Festival preview available to racegoers after racing on Grimthorpe Chase Day – the final day of the Jumps season at Doncaster on Saturday, March 1.