Jun 20, 2025

Race preview: Tuesday 24th June 2024 (Ladies' Day)

David Hucker
Racing correspondent

Tuesday sees the return of Newton Abbot’s popular Ladies Evening with three style competitions to add to the seven-race card that gets underway at 5.57pm, with music in the Paddock Suite from DJ HayleyBlue to round the evening off.

Course winner Feel The Pinch, who tops the weights in the the opening Proper Job Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, has been dropping down the handicap and will have the assistance of former champion James King. Another experienced jockey, Zac Baker, rides multiple course winner Clearance, but he could have his work cut out as Clearance refused to line up at the last meeting. Roadshow was beaten a long way at Warwick and is going into handicaps for the first time with Olive Nicholls in the saddle.

All eight entries have been declared for the Celebrate Racing Staff Week Juvenile Maiden Hurdle, the first race of its type at the course this season, of which two have jumping experience. One is Return With Gold, twice a winner on the flat, but tailed off on his hurdles debut at Hexham. Jumping newcomers include Blue Tempus and Silk And Steel, who both come from powerful yards, but have shown little in their flat campaigns.

If reproducing his Warwick form, Byzantium looks the one to beat in the Happy 80th Birthday June O’Dwyer Novices’ Hurdle. A course winner over fences,Time To Bite is an interesting runner, but he is coming back from a fall in his last race and had not been placed in 12 previous hurdle starts.

Privilege ran well behind Stinginhisstep over course and distance at the end of May to suggest that he could be up to winning the Tammy Whitbread 50th Birthday Celebration Novices’ Limited Handicap Hurdle. Stiletto, the only ride of the evening for champion jockey Sean Bowen, was sent off favourite when finishing a long way behind Byzantium at Warwick on his first run for trainer Sophie Leech and has still to win after 30 starts.

Course winner Great d’Ange has to give weight to all his rivals in the St. Austell Brewery Handicap Chase, including to Limerick Leader, who was beaten a neck by Culligran over course and distance at the beginning of the month. Slievegar looked the likely winner at Warwick with two fences to jump, but found little when Eightytwo Team mounted a renewed challenge on the run-in.

With eleven runners, the EBCS Leisure Giddy Up Handicap Hurdle is the most competitive on the card. Trainer Paul Nicholls runs Keel Strand, well-supported when beating Knights Affair over the course last time, in preference to an earlier race. Wind surgery seemed to work for Borderline when a good third to the progressive Al Sayah here and Danzini has had a break, but is well weighted on her best form.

Illogical Logic could be hard to beat in the closing Korev Handicap Chase, although is 6lbs worse off with Radharc Na Slaine compared to their run here earlier in the month. Prior to his Warwick win, Eightytwo Team was beaten by Ann d’Arabie at Huntingdon and they are weighted to finish together.