Jun 14, 2024

Ladies Day Race Preview

Friday sees Newton Abbot’s popular Ladies Day meeting when, in addition to the racing, there will be prizes for the best dressed racegoers to be won on what is the course’s only evening fixture of the season.

Gates will open at 3.35pm ahead of the first race, the Janet Denning Fifehead Farms Memorial Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at 5.35pm. Run over two miles and a furlong, this looks to lie between the three previous scorers with wide-margin Fakenham winner Seeyouinmydreams preferred.

This season’s leading trainer Dan Skelton runs Parkin Fine from his three entries and Hard As Nails was another easy winner last time out. Of the others, Dame Sarra, runner-up to Get Sky High on her hurdles debut at Warwick, looks the one most likely to trouble the top three.

Sacre Coeur, the choice from Skelton’s two entries in the evening’s feature race, the Class3 Peninsula Finance Plc Handicap Chase over an extended two miles, looks to have a hard task off top weight, although Tristan Durrell’s claim reduces his burden by 3lbs. Joe Tizzard runs two with Kauto The King, a winner here last September, looking well-weighted on his best form, and War Lord, who is reverting to fences after finishing a close third to Clearance over hurdles last time.

Carrigeen Kampala finished last behind Mermaids Cave on her seasonal reappearance at Cartmel, but a bad mistake at the last flight had put paid to her chances. She is 7lb better off at the weights this time and this dual course winner can turn the tables and take the EBCS Leisure Giddy Up Mares’ Handicap Hurdle. Others to note are Stratford winner Grivetana and Pop The Champagne, runner-up to Get Sky High at Warwick.

Langley Hundred showed the benefit of wind surgery when going down by just a head to Easy Bucks at the last meeting and, although still to win after five outings over fences, must have a good chance of beating his four rivals in the Newton Abbot Novices’ Handicap Chase over three and a quarter miles.

With thirteen runners, the St Austell Brewery Handicap Hurdle looks a wide-open contest, but it may pay to take a chance on Baby Sham, who is 8lbs lower than when winning at Fontwell Park last summer. Stiletto, still to win after 24 starts on the flat and over jumps, was well-supported when running fourth in an amateur riders’ race at Warwick and will be ridden by champion jockey Harry Cobden this time.

Thirteen will also line up for the Peninsula Finance Plc Handicap Hurdle, which is another that’s not easy to unravel. Although King’s Castle will carry top weight in his hat-trick bid, he still looks the one to beat and can confirm the placings with Afta Party from their run here last time. Dual course winner Saddlers Quest would have a good chance on her best form, but still looks a bit high in the handicap, whereas Gavin continues to drop in the weights and could spring a surprise.

Delta Force, trained in Ireland by Charles Byrnes is an interesting runner in the closing newtonabbotracing.com Open National Hunt Flat Race due off at 9.00pm and, unless the newcomers are something special, should make his experience count.