Events / Andrew Hughes / 14 September 2008 /

Andrew Hughes talks us through the highlights of the racing week.

Rain, rain, rain. The showers, deluges and downpours that have made a soggy mockery of the second half of this flat season have also helped add more fertiliser to the Polytrack proliferation.

My esteemed Betfair colleague Wayne Bailey already touched on this in an excellent article last month (https://betting.betfair.com/horse-racing/betting-strategy/allweather-racing-the-beauty-of-repetition-210808.html) but with Great Leighs finally up and running, Ffos Llas on the horizon and the first ever Breeders Cup meeting to be held on Polytrack this autumn, how long before another major British course follows Kempton on the sandy path to financial stability?

For all that hooves on turf is the aesthetic heart beat of racing, in difficult times, racecourses can ill afford to let their profits gurgle down the drain too often.

Previewing the week's racing amidst such meteorological uncertainty is like, well trying to forecast the weather, but with that disclaimer out of the way, here, Neptune willing, is what the next seven days have in store for racing fans.

Sunday 14th September

A busy Sunday begins at the Curragh with the prestigious National Stakes, a race of the highest pedigree, boasting the likes of Teofilio, George Washington, Refuse to Bend and Hawk Wing in its roll call of winners. It is backed up by the Soloway Stakes, a Group Three mile featuring a mix of improving handicappers, unexposed three year olds and those found wanting at a higher level. There's also the Listed Blenheim Stakes for two year olds and a cracking stayers race, the September Handicap.

Meanwhile at Longchamp, the build up to the big day continues with three recognised Arc trials. The Prix Vermeille for fillies and mares and the Prix Foy for older horses have a mixed record as indicators for the big race, but they are not be missed and you should pay even closer attention to the best Arc trial of all, the Prix Foy, restricted to three year olds.

Goodwood's Sunday card features a couple of nice races. The Select Stakes is a Group Three with a rich tradition run over ten furlongs and there's also a six furlong Class Two event in which some familiar sprinting handicappers go to post.

Great Leighs doesn't usually get a mention here but today's meeting has a clutch of solid looking Class Two handicaps. In a card apparently designed for the immortal Father Jack, look out for the Cider Handicap (ten furlongs) the Maderia Handicap (fourteen furlongs) and the Port Handicap (two miles).

Thursday 18th September

The ever-popular Ayr Gold Cup meeting makes a modest beginning, the highlight of the opening day's card being the Kilkerran Cup, a 0-100 handicap run over ten furlongs likely to attract a decent enough field.

Friday 19th September

Day Two at Ayr and the obligatory Ladies day is dominated by two races. The Silver Cup is the consolation race for those who don't make the cut for tomorrow's showpiece and will be closely studied for draw clues. There is also the South Ayrshire Cup, a five furlong dash for the speedier two year olds.

A classy day's racing at Newbury features the Arc Trial Stakes over eleven furlongs, in truth no longer much of a trial as such, but an interesting contest worth looking at nonetheless. There is also the Dubai Duty Free Cup over seven furlongs and a couple of conditions races, with the Haynes, Hanson and Clark Stakes for two year old colts of particular interest to those looking to spot a star of the future.

Saturday 20th September

First run in 1804, the Ayr Gold Cup is the richest sprint handicap in Europe, featuring a huge field and much frenzied betting action. The support acts aren't bad either, with the Group Three Firth of Clyde Stakes for two year old fillies, the Doonside Cup over ten furlongs and the Ayrshire Handicap, a 0-100 contest for some decent milers.

There's another great card at Newbury, headed by the Mill Reef Stakes, one of the better two year old Group races. There is also the International Airport World Trophy, a five furlong contest likely to feature a sprinkling of top sprinters and the John Smiths Stakes, a typical Saturday betting handicap, with a big field tackling the galloping ten furlongs.

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