A fascinating month’s racing both in the county, with Jumping meetings at both Catterick and Wetherby, while Doncaster hosts the traditional start to the new British Flat season on turf. On a national basis, the ‘Olympics’ of Jump racing, the four-day Cheltenham Festival takes centre-stage prior to the start of Flat racing at Doncaster.
The 2015 British Flat season on grass starts with a full weekend’s action on Doncaster’s Town Moor with a two-day meeting on Saturday and Sunday, 28th & 29th. The feature race of the meeting is The William Hill Lincoln Handicap on the opening day. Offering prize money of £100,000 this highly-competitive Heritage Handicap is the first major race of the new campaign on the Flat, with the maximum number of 22 runners sure to take part in this ‘cavalry charge’ over the straight mile.
Yorkshire-based trainers have a good recent record in the race, with Levitate (trained by John Quinn) and Brae Hill (Richard Fahey) winning in 2013 and 2012 respectively; however, last year’s contest went to Newmarket trainer, John Ryan, who sent out Ocean Tempest to land the spoils, ridden by Adam Kirby.
The Lincoln Handicap has been held at Doncaster since 1965 following the demise of racing at Lincoln racecourse the previous year. The origins of the race can be traced back to 1853 at the now-defunct Lincolnshire track.
The main supporting races on a quality Saturday programme at Doncaster are The William Hill Spring Mile (a valuable ‘consolation’ race for those horses entered for, but balloted out of the ‘Lincoln’) and a pair of Listed races – The Cammidge Trophy for sprinters and The Doncaster Mile. Apprentice jockeys take part in the First Round of the ‘Go Racing in Yorkshire’ Future Stars Apprentice Series; it’s the third year of this special series of races for young riders on the Yorkshire courses and which culminates in a Final at Doncaster in November. Malton-based Megan Carberry was the winner of last year’s series.
The action on Sunday at Doncaster includes attractions for children and the feature race is The Doncaster Shield – a Conditions race over one mile and a half.
Catterick’s Jumps season finishes on Wednesday, 4th, and features the course’s only Hunter Chase while there’s action over Jumps at Wetherby on Tuesday, 17th and Friday, 27th ( ‘Wear A Hat Friday’ in aid of Brain Tumour Research).
This month’s Cheltenham Festival epitomises the very best of Jump racing – four days of championship action beginning on Tuesday, 10th. Some of the biggest and most prestigious prizes in Jumping will be competed for over at the famous Gloucestershire venue – a natural amphitheatre for racing over Jumps. Tim Easterby, who trains at Great Habton near Malton, sent out Hawk High to win last year’s Fred winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle for four-year-olds at 33/1.
The Stan James Champion Hurdle is the big race on the opening day of the Festival. The 2011 and 2013 hero, Hurricane Fly is certain to be in the mix again, along with last year’s winner, Jezki. Another Irish-trained contender is Faugheen, who heads the ante-post betting market after his very impressive victory in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park. The New One finished third last year, and he appears to be the best of the British contenders. Wednesday’s Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase could include the last two winners of this contest over the specialist distance of two miles – Sire de Grugy and Sprinter Sacre. On Thursday, it’s the turn of the best staying hurdlers in the business, as they face the starter in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle. The first two in last year’s race, More Of That (a former Wetherby winner) and Annie Power (successful last year at Doncaster) are set to lock horns again.
On the final day of the Festival – Friday – all eyes will be on the ‘Blue Riband’ of Jump racing, The Cheltenham. The current champion, Lord Windermere heads a strong Irish challenge, while British hopes could hinge on Silviniaco Conti – a former winner of Wetherby’s most prestigious race of the season, The bet365 Charlie Hall Chase. Representing the champion trainer Paul Nicholls, Silviniaco Conti threw down the gauntlet for Gold Cup glory when landing the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day for a second successive year.
As far as international racing is concerned, the richest race in the world, The Dubai World Cup takes place on Saturday, 28th. The prize money for the race is a mind-boggling $10 million!