Betfair Official Blog

11 October 2008

12.45pm: Alan Dudman and David Cleary kick the weekend off. As well as live commentaries from Ascot, Bangor, Chepstow and Musselburgh, we'll be keeping you up to date with all the results from Hexham and Fairyhouse.

6.30pm: Wolverhampton's first race is at 6.50pm. The evening team of Chris Barnett and David Stewart will take you through all the action.

Ascot

Type: Flat

First Race: 1.10pm

Notable Jockeys: Ryan Moore - leads the championship race with over 165 winners

Top 10 riders: Richard Hughes 2nd, Champion rider Jamie Spencer 4th, Jimmy Fortune 7th, Dane O'Neill 8th, Phillip Robinson 9th.

William Buick - joint leader of the Champion apprentice race.

Frankie Dettori rides for his employers, the powerful Godolphin stable.

Notable Horses: Three horses go for a hat-trick of wins in the first race at 1.10pm they are Amour Propre, Magic Cat & Blades Princess.

Two horses looking to make the progression from Handicaps to Group company in the 1.45pm are Stewards Cup winner Conquest and Ayr Gold Cup winner Regal Parade.

3.30pm Quai D'Orsay, Sans Frontieres and Taameer all won on their debuts - at least two of them will lose their unbeaten record here.

Feature Race: ladbrokes.com Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) 2.20pm

Admission: Premier: £25, General Admission: £15. Children: Free

Other Information: Willmott Dixon Day featuring Ascot Food Fair. The second annual Ascot Food Fair takes place today. Racegoers are able to race and shop, purchasing locally produced items from county suppliers. Over 30 stands will be located on the Plaza Lawns selling cheeses, speciality breads, cakes, ciders, wines, pasta, preserves, flowers, game and much, much more. A Shop & Drop facility will be available for customers to leave their purchases while they enjoy the racing and pick them up at the end of the day.


Bangor On Dee

Type: Jump

First Race: 1.50pm

Notable Jockeys: Tony McCoy - perennial Champion Jump Jockey

Sam Thomas - 2008 Gold Cup winning rider of Denman rides for champion trainer Paul Nicholls

Timmy Murphy - 2008 Grand National winning rider.

Conditional rider, Jonjo Milczarek brother of respected flat jockey Kirsty

Notable Horses: Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle winner Breedsbreeze makes his chase debut in the 4.00pm race

Feature Race: toteswinger Handicap Steeple Chase at 2.25pm

Admission: Paddock: £17, Course: £8. Children under 15: Free

Other Information: totesport Day is the final Saturday race meeting at Bangor-on-Dee for 2008 and will be one of the busiest days of the year at the course.

There will be a free bus from Wrexham General Station to the racecourse at 12.20pm.


Chepstow

Type: Jump

First Race: 1.25pm

Notable Jockeys: Richard Johnson, 2nd in Jump Jockey Championship & only 1 of 4 jockeys to ride over 100 winners in the previous season.

Tom O'Brien - 7th in the jockeys championship and nephew of the all-conquering Irish trainer Aiden O'Brien.

Ruby Walsh Champion Irish jockey and previous winner of the Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Robert 'Choc' Thornton rode over 100 winners last season & won the Champion hurdle

Notable Horses: A horse with a different kind of earning potential is set to run in the 4.15pm, with his owner Alan Peterson donating any winnings from I Hear A Symphony before the end of the year to the Welsh National Opera, of which he is a long-time supporter.

Cheltenham Festival winner and recent Champion Hurdle gamble Crack Away Jack makes his season reappearance at 2.00pm.

Alan King seems to target the 3.40pm race with his best horses having won it for the past two seasons with Champion Hurdle winner Katchit and Triumph Hurdle runner-up Franchoek - look out for his Tuanku this time. He takes on Wake Board who looked a classy sort when making a successful British debut for Gold Cup winning owner Harry Findlay.

Feature Race: £50,000 Realtime Radio@williamhill.co.uk Hurdle

Admission: Premier: £22, Grandstand & Paddock: £17. Children under 16: Free (must be accompanied by an adult. Senior citizens and NUS card holders: £5 discount; one carer is admitted free of charge with a disabled badge holder.

Other Information: National Hunt racing returns to Chepstow Racecourse on Saturday.


Hexham

Type: Jump

First Race: 2.15pm

Notable Jockeys: Denis O'Regan, stable jockey to Howard Johnson & local owner Graham Wylie

Notable Horses: Striking Article (2.15pm) last ran in the Grade 1 Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Lord On The Run (3.20pm) won this race last year.

Feature Race: Solar Signs Handicap Chase 3.20pm

Admission: Club enclosure: £15, Paddock: £10, Paddock Senior Citizen: £8, Children under 16: Free (must be accompanied by an adult)

Other Information: Hexham will feature one of the most important fixtures on the calendar when two of the North East's leading shopping centres, MetroCentre, Gateshead and Eldon Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne join forces to sponsor the seven race card.


Musselburgh

Type: Flat

First Race: 2.10pm

Notable Jockeys: Paul Hanagan - 6th in the champion jockey title race

The increasingly popular young apprentice of the moment, David Probert who is joint leader of the champion apprentice title race

Micky Fenton, a Classic-winning rider, having won the 1,000 Guineas with Speciosa

Notable Horses: Dual Group 1 winner Reverence runs at 3.15pm. He takes on recent Portland Handicap winner Hogmaneigh, and Cheveton who was 5th in that contest but had won his previous five races.

Acropolis (2.40pm) was 4th in the 2004 Arc De Triomphe and takes on Lost Soldier Three who has won a Listed race and been placed in a Group contest.

Nanton (3.45pm) was agonisingly beaten into second place in the valuable Cambridgeshire Handicap at Newmarket last Saturday and seeks compensation today.

Feature Race: National Express York Sprint Cup (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) 3.15pm

Admission: Admission: £20. Children: Free

Other Information: National Express York Sprint Cup Raceday


Wolverhampton

Type: All Weather Flat

First Race: 6.50pm

Notable Jockeys: Chris Catlin - champion jockey on the all-weather surface

Dane O'Neill - lies 8th in the champion jockey title race

Liam Jones - the rider from Liverpool is having his best season in the saddle

William Buick - joint leader of the Champion apprentice race makes the journey up from earlier rides at Ascot.

Notable Horses: The remarkably consistent Matterofact (6.50pm) has won or been placed on 10 of her last 12 starts.

Seventh Cavalry (7.50pm) has another attempt at breaking his maiden tag though he has been trying hard - in 10 attempts he has been 2nd or 3rd eight times.

Trainer John Best looks keen to win the 8.20pm race as he has four horses entered - Dakota Hills, Black N Brew, Trusted Venture and Nala.

St Trinians and Internationaldebut (9.20pm) are both trying to achieve a hat-trick at the expense of the other.

Feature Race: Free Bets @ freebets.co.uk Handicap 9.20pm

Admission: Premier: £20, Grandstand: £12. Children: Free.

Other Information: Soul Night which features superb soul band E-maculate, plus disco, and race goers will either need to purchase a dining package or Premier +entertainment badge to enjoy the after race entertainment.

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