BELLE Montrose, the 40/1 complete outsider of a field of eight, stormed home to win Fakenham’s £50,000 Gamble Plant (Norfolk) Ltd Queen Boudicca Mares’ Chase on Sunday.

A winner at the course in October, but disappointing at Huntingdon since, the bottom weight stalked the leaders before being sent to the front by Kevin Brogan to win by more than a length.

“She’s not very big but I kept her on the bridle as long as possible and she jumped very straight. She has won here before and clearly, it’s a case of horses for courses,” said the winning jockey.

Trainer Sam Drinkwater was at Windsor so missed the seven-year-old’s third chase success from eight starts.

Miss Cynthia, from Dan Skelton’s stable, was the fortunate winner of the £25,000 Fakenham Skips Mares’ Handicap Hurdle when favourite Princess Keri unseated Ned Fox at the final flight.

Always ahead, the Evan Williams trained mare unseated Fox to leave Miss Cynthia a 13/2 winner for jockey Tristan Durrell.

No-one deserved it more than Durrell, who survived a crashing fall in the opening contest and was recording his 25^th winner of the season.

“She was staying on but wouldn’t have won but for Ned being unseated. You take your good fortune in this game,” said Durrell.

Durrell and Skelton went on to complete a double when Little Wren landed the Wensum Farmers: Making Progress and Working Together Chase at 9/2. Durrell sent the chase debutant to the front from the flag and stayed on to win by 10 lengths.

Thirty minutes later it became a Durrell and Skelton 180/1 treble as Eastern Fire, at 13/2 won the closing Racing TV Open Maiden Bumper beating Willie Mullins’ favourite, Lultimaton.

There had been no dream debut for 19-times Irish champion trainer Mullins when his 4/11 favourite, his first ever Fakenham runner Clay Pigeons, was beaten in the Book Your Skips Online Maiden Hurdle.

Clay Pigeons was unable to overhaul the Ollie Murphy trained gelding King Jon Oliver under Robert Dunne, returned at 5/2. It was the horse’s first run for Murphy since leaving Lorna Fowler’s stable in Ireland.

There was drama in the opening Racing TV Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle when favourite Lusso Milan suffered a crashing fall, leaving trainer Alex Hales to record a one-two.

The 9/1 outsider Belcamo under Toby McCain-Mitchell, reeled in stablemate Lord of the Glance after the final flight to record his first hurdles success at the 12^th attempt.

Another outsider, Getaway With You, looked like making all in Clive’s Handicap Hurdle, but after the final flight, 15/8 favourite Apieceovfortune stormed home under Paul O’Brien for trainer Pam Sly.

Friday’s planned Gamble Plant New Years Raceday at Fakenham was called off due to frozen ground.

An inspection had been planned for 7.30am on Friday (January 2) but a decision to abandon the meeting was made early with the course not fit for racing following freezing overnight temperatures.

“The real thing that got us is the effect of the wind chill factor. It’s dry and cold. The wind chill factor is minus five or six and that has got the frost into the ground,” said Fakenham’s Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course, David Hunter.

“The day temperature for Friday is due to dip to minus one and only get to a maximum of two degrees later. There was not a chance of it being safe, proper ground so it was called off earlier than the planned inspection to let people know,” he added.

Pre-purchased tickets for Friday’s meeting will be refunded.

The next scheduled fixture at Fakenham is the Boudicca Finals Day on Sunday, January 18.

Provided the racecourse survives potentially frosty conditions, its Gamble Plant New Years Raceday on Friday (January 2) looks like providing at least three trainers with real chances of landing Fakenham’s coveted Double Up Bonus.

A precautionary inspection takes place at noon on New Year’s Day (Thursday) when hopefully the seven-race Friday card will get the go-ahead.

One of those trainers looking for a couple of successes is Neil King. The Wiltshire-based handler looks to have targeted the two £15,000 hurdle contests on the card.

In the 1.20pm Book Your Skips Online Maiden Hurdle, King has Jack Quinlan booked to partner Victors Spirit. The gelding will make a hurdles debut following two bumper runs in which he finished second. A couple of weeks ago the gelding also ran on the flat at Wolverhampton.

Main rivals are Dan Horsford’s Sedgefield runner-up Eddie My Eagle and Jack Andrews’ mount, The Den Master, having a first run under rules for Tom Ellis.

King has Breezethroughlife, again under Quinlan, in the2.20pm Gamble Plant Norfolk Hurdle. The five-year-old won at Fakenham in October and was recently a Doncaster runner-up.

Rivals include two from Stuart Edmunds’s stable, Bluegrass and Kelijoe. The former, under Murray Dodd, is a previous Fakenham scorer while Charlie Hammond rides Kelijoe, a Doncaster winner mid-December after finishing second at Fakenham in October.

Yorkshire trainer Jessica Bedi looks to land the opening two contests. In the 12.20pm Racing TV Mares’ Novice Hurdle, she runs Somebodycomegether, a Catterick winner last time. Pam Sly’s Apieceovfortune looks the main danger.

Bedi then has Uncle Al in the 12.50pm Sandcliff Cromer Chase, the seven-year-old a winner at Sedgefield before running sixth at Catterick on Sunday. Trainer Tom Gretton’s Crac De Megaudais looks a threat under Robbie Dunn and Gretton, who operates from Worcestershire, is another trainer with good chances on the card.

In the four-runner Queen Boudicca Last Chance to Qualify Mares’ Chase at 1.50pm., Gretton has Overabottleofred, an April Huntingdon winner although Sarah Humphrey’s Jacks Touch, a runner-up a Fakenham’s pre-Christmas meeting also holds high hopes.

Gretton runs One Last Glance in the 2.50pm Racing TV Chase, the gelding a recent Wetherby second. Annie Nail, second at Fakenham’s last meeting, Stamina Chope, a recent Leicester third, and Christian Williams’ Illogical Logic, are also involved.

The closing 3.20pm Gamble Plant Amateur Jockeys’ Hurdle could go to Olive Nicholls on the Nick Gifford trained Eliza Doolittle, a recent Plumpton runner-up.

NB: A precautionary inspection will take place at noon on Thursday, January 1.

Fakenham racecourse kicks off 2026 on Friday (January 2) with its Gamble Plant New Year’s Raceday seFt to provide the usual competitive action.

Many of the trainers who regularly taste success at the Norfolk course have runners entered on the seven-race card which features two £15,000 hurdle contests.

Neil King often sees his horses fare particularly well at Fakenham and he has entries in both of those contests. In the 1.20pm Book Your Skips Online @Fakenhamskips.co.uk Maiden Hurdle, King has Victors Spirit making his hurdling debut. The four-year-old was twice second in bumpers at Newton Abbot and Stratford in the autumn and recently had a spin on the flat at Wolverhampton.

An hour later, in the 2.20pm Gamble Plant Norfolk Ltd Handicap Hurdle, King has Breezethroughlife with Jack Quinlan booked to ride. The five-year-old gelding won at Fakenham in October, and returns having finished runner-up at Doncaster earlier this month.

The same contest has two entries from Stuart Edmunds’ stable in the shape of Bluegrass and Kelijoe. Edmunds loves going for the Fakenham Double Up bonus and either Bluegrass, a former course winner, or Kelijoe, a recent Doncaster scorer following a Fakenham second in October, could figure.

Should Edmunds be successful he will have his fingers crossed for a double by virtue of Innisfree Lad in the 2.50pm Fakenhamracecourse.co.uk Chase. Pulled up at Uttoxeter in November, the mare had earlier been a Fontwell runner-up.

Yorkshire trainer Jessica Bedi is another trainer possibly eyeing up a double. One of the newest recruits to the training ranks, Bedi has entries in the opening two races. In the Racing TV Mares’ Novice Hurdle, which opens the action at 12.20pm, she has Somebodycomegether, a recent Catterick winner. Another last time winner, Robbie Llewellyn’s Gotthereintheend is also entered, following victory at Market Rasen on Boxing Day.

Bedi has Uncle Al, her winner at Sedgefield a fortnight ago, in the 12.50pm Sandcliff Cromer Novice Chase in which Welsh trainer Christian Williams has three possible runners.

The Queen Boudicca Mares’ Chase final is later in the calendar and the Last Chance to Qualify Chase is at 1.50pm with nine entries including Sarah Humphrey’s Jack’s Touch, runner-up at the course’s pre-Christmas meeting and Stamina Chope, trainer Dave Roberts’ mare who was runner-up at Bangor on November 29 only to win at Leicester the following afternoon.

The closing Happy New Year from Gamble Plant Amateur Jockeys’ Hurdle is at 3.20pm with Hidor De Bersy, a Wincanton winner, and Nick Gifford’s Plumpton runner-up Eliza Doolittle, among the entries.

Jessica Milly Smith had only won once in her riding career and that was at Fakenham around two years ago. But on Sunday she returned to star at the course’s Sky Bet pre-Christmas raceday.

In the Sky Bet Female Jockeys’ Chase, she partnered 6/1 shot No But I Will to win by a neck for her father, trainer Julian Smith.

Shantou Lucky was ahead at the final fence, but despite veering left, the eventual winner managed to get in front and steal victory in the £15,000 contest.

“We have only had him since October. He kept finding more and showed his ability in the end,” said Jessica.

To crown a fine day for female riders, Lily Jones recorded her first win when taking the Sky Bet Club Chase on her father’s Enjoy D’Allen, trained by Neil King.

The winner and Fern Hill were locked in a battle before Enjoy D’Allen pulled away for a 26-length win at 3/1.

“That was so good, I really enjoyed it,” said a delighted Lily.

Favourite backers had a great start when 6/4 chance Hello Sweetie charged home in the Sky Bet Acca Freeze Mares’ Hurdle under Charlie Hammond for trainer Stuart Edmunds.

The filly ran from the front and nothing was able to catch her as she scored from Yanka Blue to make amends for a recent fall at the Norfolk course.

Within 30 minutes Edmunds had collected the Fakenham Double Up Bonus when another 6/4 favourite, Codetalker, also under Hammond, won the Sky Bet Extra Places Hurdle.

“I love coming here and taking the bonus money,” joked Edmunds. “I thought two miles might be a bit sharp, but they went off hard so it brought her stamina into play,” he added.

Gazette Bourgeoise turned back the clock to repeat her New Year’s Day success when landing the Sky Bet Queen Boudicca Series Qualifier Mares’ Chase at 7/2 under Ciaran Gethings for Ben Case.

The mare was always ahead in the five-runner affair which saw a heavy fall for Tankardstown Diva who, along with jockey Jack Andrews, emerged unscathed. The winner cruised home by 21 lengths, with Jack’s Touch the only other finisher.

Kilbakanto took the Sky Bet Build A Bet Maiden Hurdle. The 2/1 favourite led from the start to record a 19-length victory under Harry Atkins for trainer Dan Skelton, the rider’s first success in 302 days.

The closing Sky Bet for the Fans Hurdle resulted in a stewards’ enquiry after first past-the-post Girl of Gold, under Ben Bromley for James Owen, and 66/1 outsider Annie Nail came together in the closing stages. The outcome saw 5/2 chance Girl of Gold keep the race.

By Terry Redhead.

FEMALE jockeys have a real chance of stealing the show when Fakenham stages its pre-Christmas seven-race Sky Bet National Hunt meeting on Sunday.

Apart from the £15,000 feature, the 2.15pm Sky Bet Super Sub Female Jockeys’ Chase, winners in at least two other races could be ridden by female riders.

A field of five contest the feature which looks competitive. Lilly Pinchin is no stranger to Fakenham success and partners James Owen’s Shantou Lucky. The eight-year-old has won at Uttoxeter, Newton Abbot and Plumpton this season and was fourth at Plumpton on Monday, notably turned out again very quickly.

Heidi Palin partners Dan Skelton’s Frere d’Armes while No But I Will runs for the first time for trainer Julian Smith after leaving Robert Llewellyn’s yard. Jessica Milly Smith rides the recent Chepstow third.

Moon Hunter, Alice Stevens for trainer Sarah Humphrey and the Harry Derham trained Bolsover Bill under Victoria Malzard, complete the line-up.

The 2.45pm Sky Bet Club Chase could go to Isabelle Ryder’s mount, the appropriately named Barry Brennan trained He Is A Cracker, who has done all his previous running at Fontwell.

Main rival in the six-runner field over a marathon three miles and five furlongs is Neil King’s 11-year-old veteran Enjoy d’Allen under Lilly Jones. The gelding was runner-up at Plumpton over a shorter distance on Monday.

Fern O’Brien rides hat-trick seeking Zenato for her father, trainer Fergal O’Brien, in the 12.45pm Sky Bet Extra Places Hurdle. The four-year-old has won at Sedgefield and Stratford and has five rivals, including Toby Bulgin’s Merely A Detail, recently third at Exeter.

Action begins with the 12.15pm Sky Bet Acca Freeze Mares’ Hurdle which sees the Stuart Edmunds trained Hello Sweetie looking to fare better than when falling at Fakenham recently. Since, she has been a Southwell runner-up and looks a likely type along with Sedgefield runner-up Yanka Blue, running for the first time for John and Rhys Flint.

In the six-runner 1.15pm Sky Bet Queen Boudicca Mares’ Series Chase qualifier, Tankardstown Diva goes for Tom Ellis with brother-in-law Jack Andrews in the saddle, the mare having been second at Huntingdon after Ludlow and Market Rasen wins.

Main opposition looks like Nigel Twiston-Davies’ I Am The Moon, Skelton’s Settle Down Jill and Tom Gretton’s Overabottleofred, last seen winning at Huntingdon in April.

Andrews and Ellis have Tony Joe, a hurdle debutant, in the 1.45pm Sky Bet Build A Bet Hurdle while the closing 3.15pm Sky Bet for the Fans Hurdle could go to Owen’s Girl of Gold.