One of the big meetings of the season at Wetherby takes place this Friday and Saturday (November 1 & 2) – a top-quality two-day programme over Jumps. The highlight is the course’s richest race of the season on Saturday, The bet365 Charlie Hall Chase, which for the fifth consecutive year offers prize money of £100,000. Total prize money on offer for the meeting has been increased to a record £259,500.
Leading contenders of the Jumping game are set to be in action at Wetherby as the current season over Jumps starts to move up several gears. Sponsored for the eleventh year by leading sports bookmaker, bet365, Saturday’s Charlie Hall Chase is a Grade 2 contest over three miles and one furlong and is recognised as one of the most important and informative early-season races for top chasers as they set out on the long road to the Cheltenham and Grand National Festivals in the spring. The race commemorates the local Champion Hurdle-winning trainer, Charlie Hall who recorded a remarkable 169 winners at Wetherby from his base at nearby Towton. In all, he trained 584 winners over Jumps, plus some 100 winners on the Flat. He passed away in 1977, aged 75.
Probable contenders include the 2011 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Long Run, Cape Tribulation (trained at Malton by Malcolm Jefferson and the winner of The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase at Wetherby on Boxing Day), Grand Crus and Dynaste representing Somerset trainer, David Pipe, Unioniste from the yard of former champion trainer, Paul Nicholls, the Irish-trained Benefficient (winner of The Jewson Novices’ Chase at last season’s Cheltenham Festival) and one of last season’s leading novice chasers, Harry Topper.
This prestigious race has been won by some of the best chasers over the years, among them Wayward Lad, Burrough Hill Lad, Forgive ‘N’ Forget, Celtic Shot, Barton Bank, One Man, See More Business, Grey Abbey, Our Vic, Deep Purple, Nacarat and last year’s winner, Silvianaco Conti, who went on to land major races at Haydock Park and Newbury, before competing in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Saturday’s seven-race programme begins at 12-45 p.m. and a classy card also includes a pair of valuable hurdle contests – The bet365 Hurdle (a Grade 2 race for staying hurdlers whose ultimate target could be The Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival) and The OLBG.com Mares’ Hurdle – a Listed race for fillies and mares. The hugely-talented but enigmatic Tidal Bay won the former race last season, and is likely to be in the line-up again; another possible contender is At Fishers Cross, unbeaten in all of his six races last season, which culminated in Grade 1 Novice Hurdle victories at both the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National Meeting.
The action on Friday begins at 1-10 p.m. and the afternoon’s twin highlights are a pair of Listed races. The Weatherbys Hamilton Insurance Wensleydale Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle is a contest for precocious three-year-old hurdlers, while The bet365 Handicap Chase is held over the extended two and a half miles. The longest race of the afternoon is The bet365.com Handicap Chase over three miles and one furlong.
‘New Beginnings’, the Yorkshire-based enterprise that seek to provide a safe, secure and supportive environment for former racehorses will have former Wetherby specialist and great favourite with racegoers Mister McGoldrick in attendance on Saturday.
Also on Saturday, there’s a free shuttle bus service between Wetherby Bus Station and the racecourse starting at approxiamately 11-00 a.m. and then operating every 20 minutes up to the first race, concluding an hour after the final race at 4-05 p.m.
On Saturday, former Yorkshire-based Jump jockey, Niall Hanitty will be giving paddock commentaries prior to each race.
Musical entertainment is provided in the Paddock Enclosure on Saturday by both the Endeavour Band and LA Jazz (the former also perform on Friday) whilethe giant screen, situated opposite the stands, is in operation both days, with an additional screen located by the parade ring during the meeting.