ALLO ALLO … IT LOOKS LIKE A PRE-CHRISTMAS TREAT FOR FAKENHAM RACING FANS
It’s beginning to look a lot like a highly competitive day of action on Tuesday when Fakenham Racecourse stages its pre-Christmas seven-race fixture.
Feature race is the 2.40pm Sky Bet Female Jockeys’ Chase worth £20,000 which local supporters will be hoping can go the way of Allo Allo.
The seven-year-old gelding is owned by the Fakenham Racing Club and has already won twice over hurdles at the north Norfolk track as well as scoring over the bigger obstacles at Bangor.
Last time Allo Allo, trained by Stuart Edmunds, was pulled up at Fakenham but this time it is hoped he can recapture earlier good form, on Tuesday under seven-pound conditional rider Elizabeth Gale.
There could be plenty of quality opposition with Venetia Williams having entered grey gelding Georges Saint, recently third at Ffos Las while Christian Williams has entered Jony Max, a four-time chase winner including a success at Fakenham in November.
Scene One, with Bryony Frost booked to ride for Lucy Wadham, made it a winning chase debut at Fakenham in November while Lily Pinchin, who has tasted so much recent success at the course, returns to ride Dr Richard Newland’s Yccs Portocervo, the grey third at Fakenham in October before winning twice at Uttoxeter.
If ground conditions remain soft, the 1.40pm Sky Bet Stayers’ Chase over three miles and five furlongs could be a real test. Venetia Williams has entered Eceparti, twice a Chepstow winner recently while Wadham has Kadex, second behind Jony Max at Fakenham in November and Dr Newland has Rostello, a recent Hexham scorer.
The other chase on the card is the 12.40pm Mares’ Chase in which Wadham has entered Brandisova, whose only previous chase success was at the course in March. A rival could be from Nick Gifford’s stable. He has booked James Davies to ride River Tyne, second each time in her last five starts.
Davies and Gifford team up with Eliza Dolittle in the 1.10pm Mares’ Novice Hurdle. The mare was third behind Crem Fresh at Fakenham in November and that mare, trained by Barry Brennan, has also been entered for the two-mile contest.
Action starts with the 12.10pm Nar Valley Bloodhounds Maiden Hurdle in which Olly Murphy has entered Kilbarry Hill, twice a recent runner-up while there are 16 initial entries for the 2.10pm hurdle in which Nigel Twiston-Davies returns with Sergeant Wilson, a February winner at Fakenham and a recent Newbury runner-up.
The finale at 3.10pm has Murphy’s Exeter winner Wolfspear among the entries for the three-mile handicap hurdle contest in which David Pipe has entered an interesting possible rival in Ben Lily.
