BRYONY IN THE MIX AS FAKENHAM HAS A SECOND ATTEMPT AT ITS NEW SEASON START
After heavy rain caused the loss of Fakenham Racecourse’s planned opening meeting of its 2023/24 National Hunt Racing season last week, officials are hopeful they will get the new campaign under way with its six-race Resident Raceday on Wednesday (November 1).
And crowd favourite Bryony Frost looks set to be in the mix for winners following the publication of the initial entries for the six contests.
Frost has had six winners this season from 54 rides and partners three with leading chances, two trained by one of Fakenham’s most successful handlers, Newmarket-based Lucy Wadham.
Brandisova, a seven-year-old mare has scored twice at the north Norfolk course, in February and March, and goes in the 2.45pm Wells Handicap Chase over three miles under Frost. There is plenty of good competition, with Syd Hosie’s Astroman, Tim Vaughan’s Kap Chidley, Jamie Snowden’s Regard and Emma Lavelle’s Zoran all entered along with another from Wadham’s stable, recent Plumpton winner Kadex, under Tom Cannon.
The action starts at 1.40pm with the Sculthorpe Maiden Hurdle. Nicky Henderson’s Call The Dance and Snowden’s Doc McCoy could make their hurdling debuts while those with experience include Stuart Edmunds’ Wise Guy and Snowden’s recent Newton Abbot runner-up Roger Pol.
Grain of Hope, trained by Lavelle, recently won at Ludlow, beating two Edmunds’ trained fillies Majestic Jameela and Limelight, and those three are all entered in the 2.15pm Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal Fillies’ Juvenile Hurdle.
Frost rides her father Jimmy’s Caitlin’s Court in the 3.15pm Burnham Market Mares’ Handicap Hurdle, her mount fresh from finishing second at Newton Abbot earlier this month. One main danger could be the Anthony Carson trained Courtney Silver, fourth at Fontwell a fortnight ago after an earlier success at that track.
Feature race is the 3.45pm Great Ryburgh Novice Chase worth £15,000 for which eight have been entered including Gary Moore’s chase debutant Aviles, Olly Murphy’s En Avant, Alan King’s Gitche Gumee and Deborah Cole’s Magistrato, for whom Chris Ward is booked to ride.
The closing 4.15pm Colkirk Handicap Hurdle is worth £12,500 and Frost could end the day in style on Wadham’s Pretending, the grey filly second of 11 at Cheltenham when last seen in April. Of the other 15 entrants, Jubilee Gold, for Dr Richard Newland, is a course and distance winner with Polyphonic also interesting, for trainer James Owen with Sean Bowen, currently well clear in the jump jockeys’ championship, booked to ride.
