All posts by David Hunter

TRAINER LUCY EYES THE TOP PRIZE AS FAKENHAM HOSTS ITS ANNUAL LADIES’ DAY

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LUCY Wadham, the Newmarket trained with the Midas touch at Fakenham racecourse, bids to land the feature race as the north Norfolk venue closes its 2025/26 season with the annual Ladies’ Day meeting on Sunday (May 31).

Wadham has entered 10-year-old gelding Hurricane Bay in the 4.37pm Prince of Wales Cup Chase, worth £15,000. Tom Cannon is booked to ride the gelding, a winner just three weeks ago at Huntingdon and likely to go off favourite for the highlight of the six-race card.

A further six entries have been received, including champion jockey Sean Bowen’s mount Darten, the grey gelding trained by Sarah Humphrey, former Wincanton winner Nickelforce, from Ben Case’s stable, and the Julian Smith trained former Fakenham winner No But I Will.

The afternoon is all about the ladies and the closing Fisher Electrical Contractors Female Jockeys Hurdle at 5.07pm has a dozen entries, including two last time winners in Nottodaybobo and Market House. The former, trained by Micky Hammond with Alice Stevens booked to ride, won at Market Rasen earlier this month while James Owen’s Market House, with Gina Andrews taking the ride, won at Plumpton in April and has since twice been in action on the flat.

Action starts at 2.35pm with the Bruce Towers and Sons Mechanical Engineers Novice Hurdle which looks between Mickey Bowen’s Ffos Las winner Green Asset and the Nick Scholfield trained Alan Bresil, second at Huntingdon recently and with Harry Reed booked for the ride.

Tabitha Worsley rides the Dylan Cunha trained Alibey, a four-year-old filly, in the 3.05pm Fakenhamracecourse.co.uk Mares’ Maiden Hurdle following her second spot at Huntingdon a fortnight ago. Main rivals could be Fergal O’Brien’s Never Told Me and Anthony Honeyball’s recent Plumpton third, Steal A Glance.

The 3.35pm Ladies Day Chase has six entries including Clare Hobson’s Walk The Plank, a Huntingdon winner in March. Bowen is booked to ride Humphrey’s Synchronist, Hammond has veteran Getaway Jewel among the entries and Robbie Llewellyn has Liam Harrison booked for the ride on Not For Passing.

The annual 1st Queens’ Dragoon Guards Handicap Hurdle at 4.07pm has nine entries including the hat-trick seeking An Bradan Feasa. Bowen is booked to ride the Jack Jones trained gelding who won at both Worcester and Southwell over hurdles before racing successfully on the flat at Lingfield and Chelmsford.

Stuart Edmunds’ frontrunning Hello Sweety, a Fakenham winner in December and March, Scholfield’s Morning Mayhem, a Fakenham winner in February and March, and Jamie Snowden’s Hope Rising, recently third at Huntingdon after a long lay-off, are further interesting entries.

HONOUR TASTES GLORY, TOMMIE REGAINS THE NATIONAL AND LUCY POCKETS THE BIG PRIZE IN A FAKENHAM THRILLER

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Trainer Chris Honour, based 315 miles from Fakenham, in Ashburton, Devon, was an ‘emotional wreck’ after Time to Bite won the £30,000 Veterans’ Chase at Fakenham’s £150,000 prizemoney Bank Holiday meeting which produced one of the finest days of jump racing seen at the course.

Honour was the jockey on legendary Fakenham winner Cool Roxy in 10 of his 11 victories at the Norfolk course in the early 2000s.

“To win here is amazing. To do this is incredible, just phenomenal,” said Honour, after his 11-year had made all under Bryan Carver to land the Norfolk Community Foundation David Keith Memorial Veterans’ Chase. Victory completed a double for Carver.

“The horse is an absolute rascal but a real star. He has won on all sorts of tracks and ground conditions,” added Honour, about the 5/1 winner who always looked like holding off outsider Mars Harper.

If that victory was emotional, it was matched when Tommie Beau won the £25,000 Chestnut Group Norfolk National under Ben Macey for trainer Seamus Mullins.

Tommie Beau, at 9/2, held off hat-trick seeking Esperti and last year’s winner Stan’s The Man to lift the prize as he had four years earlier.

Owner Simon Prout was his enthusiastic self after the win. “He’s an exceptional horse. He’s come back to what we think is the best racecourse in the country and won the title he won in 2022. We love Fakenham,” he enthused.

The £50,000 feature Chestnut Group Fakenham Grand Prix Hurdle fittingly went to the Lucy Wadham trained Rialannah.

Wadham rarely fails to register a victory at Fakenham and her mare followed up a recent course success, under Gavin Sheehan, returned the 11/2 winner of the £26,000 first prize.

“Gavin did a great job. She’s a lovely mare and a pleasure to train,” said Wadham. Rialannah had failed to win in 16 starts before joining Wadham’s Newmarket stable but held off the closing pack to land back-to-back course victories.

Mighty Fleur, under champion jockey Sean Bowen, made up for defeat at Haydock by making every yard in the Heritage House Mares’ Maiden Hurdle. Beaten a neck at Haydock, there were no dramas as the 11/10 favourite, trained by Mickey Bowen, scored in style.

Best Women, a seven-year-old grey, finished second over hurdles at Fakenham recently, and over fences soared to success in the Norfolk Wildlife Trust Centenary Mares’ Chase under Carver, for trainer Alex Hales, returned at 11/1.

Jack Quinlan, on his 34th birthday, rode the Matt Crawley trained 4/1 chance Pottersmattyeeehaa to success in the opening Each the Nook Novices’ Hurdle and completed a double by bookending the card, winning the Break Mares’ Hurdle with Dartmouth Rose.

It was a third victory at Fakenham for Dartmouth Rose, returned at 15/8 ahead of outsider Masonbrook Meadow, allowing trainer Crawley to collect a Fakenham Double Up reward.

CHAMPION BOWEN EYES UP THE BIG MONEY ON OFFER AT HIS BELOVED FAKENHAM

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TWO-TIMES champion jockey Sean Bowen clocked up the 1,000th winner of his career at Fakenham a year ago and recently rode a magnificent hat-trick of winners at the Norfolk course.
On Monday, he returns to a track he loves with a terrific book of ride as Fakenham stages its richest ever race day, with prizemoney totalling £150,000.
The Bank Holiday card is sponsored by the Chestnut Pub Group and as well as some competitive racing spectators can enjoy entertainment with Norfolk Young Farmers holding a tug-o-war in front of the stands at 1pm, a funfair and a tractor display.
‘Lord Nelson’ will be in attendance and before the Norfolk National, jockeys will congregate for the national anthem before being led into the parade ring by the Deputy Lord Lieutentant of Norfolk, Fakenham’s Mayor and ‘Lord Nelson’.
Feature of the afternoon is the 4.38pm Chestnut Group Norfolk National worth £25,000 and Bowen rides the David Rees trained Esperti, the gelding bidding for a hat-trick after wins at Ffos Las and Fakenham.
Another former Fakenham winner, Enjoy d’Allen, goes for Nick King with owner’s daughter Lily Jones in the saddle, while Ben Godfrey has the ride on another previous Fakenham winner, Stan’s The Man, trained by Ella Pickard.
There are 10 declared for the three miles and five furlongs trip and another hopeful is the Paul Nicholls trained Wicked Thoughts, a recent Taunton winner.
While all eyes will be on the ‘National’, most valuable race is the 5.13pm Chestnut Group Fakenham Grand Prix Hurdle, worth £50,000, including £26,000 to the winner.
A dozen line-up and Bowen will fancy his chances on the Olly Murphy trained Kentucky River, a recent Huntingdon winner. Main rivals are Lucy Wadham’s Rialannah, a winner at Fakenham’s last meeting, Dan Skelton’s Tyson, a Newcastle winner, the Tom Ellis trained Secret Vino, a Fakenham winner in March, and another former course winner, Nick Schofield’s Morning Mayhem.
Opening race is the 2.18pm Each The Nook Novice Hurdle with Risk It All, Dream Ka and Can U Feel It among the favourites while at 2.53pm recent Fakenham winner Annie Nail renews rivalry with the mare who finished behind her, Best Women, in the Norfolk Wildlife Trust Centenary Mares’ Chase.
Bowen rides Haydock runner-up Mighty Fleur in the 3.28pm Heritage House Mares’ Maiden Hurdle in which Jamie Snowden’s Kernie d’Airy looks a player while the champion has grey gelding Numitor in the 4.03pm £30,000 Norfolk Community Foundation David Keith Memorial Veterans’ Chase. A winner nine times over fences, Numitor faces six rivals.
In the closing 5.48pm Break Mares Hurdle, Bowen partners Harley’s Pride, but market leader will be former Fakenham winner Dartmouth Rose for trainer Matt Crawley.

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TWO-TIMES champion jockey Sean Bowen clocked up the 1,000th winner of his career at Fakenham a year ago and recently rode a magnificent hat-trick of winners at the Norfolk course.
On Monday, he returns to a track he loves with a terrific book of ride as Fakenham stages its richest ever race day, with prizemoney totalling £150,000.
The Bank Holiday card is sponsored by the Chestnut Pub Group and as well as some competitive racing spectators can enjoy entertainment with Norfolk Young Farmers holding a tug-o-war in front of the stands at 1pm, a funfair and a tractor display.
‘Lord Nelson’ will be in attendance and before the Norfolk National, jockeys will congregate for the national anthem before being led into the parade ring by the Deputy Lord Lieutentant of Norfolk, Fakenham’s Mayor and ‘Lord Nelson’.
Feature of the afternoon is the 4.38pm Chestnut Group Norfolk National worth £25,000 and Bowen rides the David Rees trained Esperti, the gelding bidding for a hat-trick after wins at Ffos Las and Fakenham.
Another former Fakenham winner, Enjoy d’Allen, goes for Nick King with owner’s daughter Lily Jones in the saddle, while Ben Godfrey has the ride on another previous Fakenham winner, Stan’s The Man, trained by Ella Pickard.
There are 10 declared for the three miles and five furlongs trip and another hopeful is the Paul Nicholls trained Wicked Thoughts, a recent Taunton winner.
While all eyes will be on the ‘National’, most valuable race is the 5.13pm Chestnut Group Fakenham Grand Prix Hurdle, worth £50,000, including £26,000 to the winner.
A dozen line-up and Bowen will fancy his chances on the Olly Murphy trained Kentucky River, a recent Huntingdon winner. Main rivals are Lucy Wadham’s Rialannah, a winner at Fakenham’s last meeting, Dan Skelton’s Tyson, a Newcastle winner, the Tom Ellis trained Secret Vino, a Fakenham winner in March, and another former course winner, Nick Schofield’s Morning Mayhem.
Opening race is the 2.18pm Each The Nook Novice Hurdle with Risk It All, Dream Ka and Can U Feel It among the favourites while at 2.53pm recent Fakenham winner Annie Nail renews rivalry with the mare who finished behind her, Best Women, in the Norfolk Wildlife Trust Centenary Mares’ Chase.
Bowen rides Haydock runner-up Mighty Fleur in the 3.28pm Heritage House Mares’ Maiden Hurdle in which Jamie Snowden’s Kernie d’Airy looks a player while the champion has grey gelding Numitor in the 4.03pm £30,000 Norfolk Community Foundation David Keith Memorial Veterans’ Chase. A winner nine times over fences, Numitor faces six rivals.
In the closing 5.48pm Break Mares Hurdle, Bowen partners Harley’s Pride, but market leader will be former Fakenham winner Dartmouth Rose for trainer Matt Crawley.

A LONG WAY FROM HOME … BUT WILLIAMS HAS PLENTY HOPING FOR FAKENHAM SUCCESS

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TRAINER Christian Williams, based near Ogmore Castle in South Wales, is no stranger to Fakenham racecourse despite the distance between the two venues. For Monday’s (April 13) race day at the Norfolk course, he has plenty of entries.

The six-race card starts at 2.40pm with the Racing TV Handicap Hurdle and Willaims has both Golden Prince, third at Bangor last time, and Kap De Triomphe, fourth at Warwick after a Plumpton victory, among the entries.

Nearer to home, Wymondham trainer Caroline Fryer has entered her Raby Mere, the seven-year-old gelding a recent impressive winner at Southwell.

Fortunefavorsdbold is another from Williams’ stable and the mare is among seven initial entries for the 3.10pm Weatherbys Mares’ Chase, part of the Queen Boudicca Mares’ Series, having been runner-up at both Exeter and Leicester earlier this season.

Emma Jane Bishop has entered former Fakenham winner Ballygelly, Tracey Leeson has Annie Nail, a winner over hurdles at the course on Easter Monday, (also entered for the 3.40pm) and regular visitor Moviddy, for trainer Noel Williams, also hopes to take her chance.

Christian Williams has three entries for the 4.10pm Woodfordes Supports Dereham Meeting Point Chase in the shape of Always Busy, a recent Southwell second, Illogical Logic and Prince Cleni.

Brother Boris, pulled up on Easter Monday when going for a hat-trick of Fakenham wins, has been entered by Lucy Wadham, while champion jockey Sean Bowen has been booked to ride Esperti for David Rees, the gelding a runner-up at Chepstow over a similar marathon distance last month.

Bowen has the mount for Olly Murphy in the earlier 3.40pm Woodfordes Mares’ Novice Hurdle on Natus Vincere, runner-up at Market Rasen after winning at Huntingdon. Two former Fakenham winners, Dartmouth Rose for Matt Crawley, a winner at Southwell last month, and Gold Clermont for Andy Irvine, are also among the entries.

Bowen and Murphy are expected to team up again in the 4.40pm Weatherbys Design and Print Maiden Hurdle with six-year-old gelding Jamada, third at Ffos Las following a second place at Lingfield. Main rival, if taking his place in the final line-up, could by Rebel Tribesman, for trainer Jamie Snowden, who was successful at the course at the Easter Monday meeting.

The closing Sandcliff Cromer Grassroots Maiden Hunters’ Chase for the Turner Trophy at 5.10pm, has attracted four entries, including the Ed Turner trained Mister Splash, with Paddy Barlow booked to ride.

A First-Timer’s Guide to a Day at the Races and Making the Most of It

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There is something about a racecourse that gets you the moment you walk through the gate. The smell of the turf, the hum of the crowd building before the first race, horses being led around the parade ring with that particular mixture of coiled energy and calm. If you have never been before, you are in for a genuinely brilliant day out.

The good news is that you do not need to be an expert to enjoy it. You do not need to know your hurdles from your chases, or understand every number on the racecard. What you do need is a rough sense of how it all works so you can follow the action, make a couple of informed bets, and leave feeling like you got the most out of it.

Here is everything you need to know before your first visit.

Pick the right course for your first time

Not all racecourses are the same experience. The big festivals are brilliant but they can also be overwhelming for a first-timer, with huge crowds and a pace that leaves you spinning. Smaller, friendlier tracks, like Fakenham, are a much better place to start. National Hunt courses in Norfolk and the East offer exactly the kind of relaxed atmosphere that lets you actually take everything in. No dress code, races you can follow closely, and crowds that are enthusiastic rather than impenetrable. You can stand three feet from the horses in the parade ring without a VIP wristband.

National Hunt racing, the jumps game, runs from October through to May or early June, with a summer season restricted to particular courses of which Fakenham isn’t one. If you want atmosphere, drama, and horses that look genuinely athletic, this is the code for you. Horses jumping fences and hurdles at pace is as exciting as sport gets.

Get to grips with the racecard

Pick one up as soon as you arrive. It looks intimidating at first but you only need to understand a handful of things to make it useful. Each race lists every runner with their age, weight, recent form figures, trainer, and jockey. The form figures on the right are the most recent results, reading right to left, with numbers showing finishing positions and letters like F for fell and P for pulled up (best avoid horses with R for refused!)

CD next to a horse’s name means it has won over the same course and distance before, which is worth noting. BF means it was a beaten favourite last time. Great British Racing’s guide to reading a racecard breaks the whole thing down clearly if you want to go deeper before you arrive. Ten minutes with it the night before will make race day considerably more enjoyable.

Understand the basics of betting

You do not need to bet to enjoy a day at the races, but most people do and it adds a layer of emotional investment to every race that is hard to replicate any other way. Trackside bookmakers are lined up in rows and the atmosphere around them is part of the occasion. Start simple. Pick a horse you like the look of in the parade ring, check its form and odds on the racecard, and put a small each-way bet on it.

Each-way means you are betting on the horse to win but also to place, usually finishing in the top two or three depending on field size. It costs twice your stake but gives you a return even if your horse does not win, which makes it a forgiving way to learn.

What to do when racing is over

One thing most first-timers discover is that the racing bug does not switch off when you get home. The form study, the ante-post markets for future meetings, the curiosity about what you watched, it all tends to carry over into the days that follow.

Online betting sites and casino platforms have become a natural companion to that interest, letting you stay engaged with racing markets and explore other games between meetings. If you want to know which platforms are worth using, independent review sites do the sorting for you.

The casino and betting reviews on askgamblers cover hundreds of operators in detail, with ratings based on licensing, payout reliability, bonuses, and user experience. It is the kind of independent verification that saves you learning the hard way which platforms actually deliver and which ones to avoid.

Go in with the right attitude

The best first-timers are the ones who treat the day as an experience rather than a money-making exercise. You will back some losers. Everyone does. The point is to be in the stands when a horse quickens clear of the field at the last fence and the crowd goes with it. That feeling is completely free.

Do your homework, keep your bets sensible, talk to the people around you, and spend time at the parade ring watching the horses before each race. Racing rewards the curious, and there is always something new to notice once you start paying attention.

Fakenham rewards its past winners: a statistical dive into why course form matters here

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Races come fast and furious at Fakenham Racecourse, but two things always stays the same: the excitement and the thrill, and also the fact that previous winners seem to have a special edge at the venue; the acronym CD after the horse’s name is particularly relevant here. Some impressive statistical analysis bears this out. So what does the number-crunching tell us and who were those who crossed the line in first place over and over again? Read on to find out.

Norfolk’s shining star

A mile south of the town, Fakenham Racecourse offers rich history and great sporting action in equal measure, with the Norfolk National being the most valuable race of the bunch. The legendary venue has a uniquely tight track layout: a rectangular, left-handed course with six fences and the open ditch to navigate. It’s quite unlike any other “National”.

According to On Course Profits Horse Racing Magazine and its dedicated analysis of the course, the challenges offered require more horse stamina than you might think at first. The stats bear this out: courtesy of HorseRaceBase, favourites often falter at Fakenham Racecourse, but those who do win here don’t tend to rest on their laurels, with almost one in five races won by a previous winner.

Fakenham’s greatest: those who won over and over again

Cool Roxy

An honorary Norfolk native in all but name, Cool Roxy is a legend around these parts with 11 of his 12 career wins out of 77 starts taking place at Fakenham Racecourse. With a bar named after him and an autobiography from 2024, it was a nice way to round out a sporting life well lived that was sadly cut short two years after retirement by colic.

Belle Montrose

Perhaps the most notable of this season’s repeat winners, the 40/1 shock winner of the Queen Boudicca Mares’ Chase Final in January followed up her October triumph with this spectacular result, no doubt making trainer Sam Drinkwater a very proud man.

Former winners coming back for more

Bluegrass and Stuart Edmunds are also former Fakenham winners, with Hello Sweety and Belcamo also making repeat appearances at the course – each with ample time to make their mark again at Fakenham over the course of the year.

Making use of horse statistics – going beyond Fakenham

So why does all this matter? First, it gives great colour and culture to the racecourse. But if you are an online casino UK fan who enjoys slot games such as Gold Horsey Winner, you might be interested in having a flutter on the real horses. And this is where knowing the facts about Fakenham Racecourse is what takes you from punter to expert.

Truly, it’s the combination of past knowledge – and the insights you can derive from them – and the thrill of the exciting unknown at every present race that makes this sport so spectacular. Yes, past winners do have a special place at the Fakenham Racecourse, but there are no guarantees in horse racing. Only heart-pounding action.

 

Content provided by Peter McNeile

CRAZY SWEETY WOWS FAKENHAM AS MAYHEM SCOOPS SILVER ON GOLD CUP DA

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‘Crazy’ mare Hello Sweety returned to Fakenham and won for trainer Stuart Edmunds and jockey Charlie Hammond just as she had in December.

“She’s the craziest horse. She goes off like a shot. It’s a most exhilarating experience to ride her but at the same time it’s scary and crazy,” said Hammond, after the 6/5 favourite streaked home by 28 lengths in the Racing TV Mares’ Handicap Hurdle.

“It’s a bit like having a heart attack watching her run. She is bonkers,” added Edmunds.

Edmunds was hopeful Bluegrass could complete a double in the feature Fakenham Silver Cup Handicap Hurdle. But it wasn’t to be. Morning Mayhem, returning after winning at the last Fakenham meeting, repeated the feat, getting up under Caoilin Quinn for trainer Nick Scholfield at 11/4.

Secret Vino followed up victory at Catterick three weeks ago by taking the Walter Wales Cup under Jack Andrews for brother-in-law trainer Tom Ellis.

The six-year-old gelding went off 5/4 favourite and Andrews kept close tabs as Milan Milos and Painted Wolf disputed the early stages. Andrews finally put Secret Vino in front at the final flight and held off a challenge on the inside from Painted Wolf, to score by half a length in the finish of the day.

The Lucy Wadham trained Brother Boris made every yard to win at Fakenham’s last meeting and repeated the feat in the opener, easily beating two rivals to win the Prince Carlton Cup.

Sent off 8/11 favourite under Cian Murphy, Brother Boris never saw either his two rivals. Despite slowing to walking pace crossing the line, he finished 21 lengths clear of Uncle Al.

Mister Ursis, a multiple flat winner in France, won the Robert Case Memorial Maiden Hurdle under Kevin Brogan for trainer Olly Murphy. The 10/11 favourite was always in the driving seat and never looked like being caught, winning by 15 lengths, in a race completed by only three of the five starters.

Jockey Brogan must have fancied his chances of doubling up in the following Hyde, Denny, Cunningham 70th Birthday Mares’ Chase on previous Fakenham winner Belle Montrose. When favourite Jamaicaine faded, Belle Montrose looked a likely winner.

However, she could not reel in all-the-way leader Gotthereintheend, who scored by four lengths on chasing debut, at 3/1 for jockey Liam Harrison and trainer Robbie Llewellyn.

The closing Pointing Pointers Queen’s Cup Hunters’ Chase provided an extraordinary finish. Coolagh Park fell, Bowtogreatness pulled up and last year’s winner Janika unseated his rider two out. That left Charlie Marshall on Go On Chez, who was so tired that he crawled to the final fence, clambered over and walked over the line to finish alone at 7/2.

FAKENHAM FAVOURITES RETURN TO ATTEMPT REPEAT VICTORIES ON A GOLD AND SILVER DAY

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Horses already winners at Fakenham will be looking to make successful return trips on Friday when racegoers can watch the Norfolk racecourse’s seven National Hunt contests interspersed with the Cheltenham Gold Cup and other Festival races on the big screens.

While all eyes will be on the sport’s Blue Riband event, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Fakenham’s feature is the £15,000 Fakenham Silver Cup Handicap Hurdle off at 4.15pm.

Trainer Nick Scholfield saw his Morning Mayhem win over course and distance at the last Fakenham meeting on February 13 and the gelding returns with Caoilin Quinn booked to ride.

Stuart Edmunds, a regular Fakenham winning trainer, has Bluegrass, another former Fakenham winner while also in the mix are Tapley and Nap Hand. The former, for trainer Suzy Smith, was a runner-up in a Kempton chase in October while Alan King’s Nap Hand was fourth at Kempton when returning after a break a month ago.

The action starts with the three-runner 12.55pm £150,000 Prizemoney on 4th May Novice Chase for the Prince Carlton Cup when trainer Lucy Wadham saddles Brother Boris. The gelding won the Tim Barclay Memorial Chase at the last Fakenham meeting and is likely to go off odds-on to strike again. Rivals are Yorgunnabeplucky and Uncle Al.

In the 2.14pm Hyde, Denny, Cunningham 70th Birthday Mares’ Chase, Queen Boudicca Final winner at Fakenham in January, Belle Montrose, returns to try to better her second spot last month for trainer Sam Drinkwater. But favourite will be Jamaicaine under Conor O’Farrell for Neil Mulholland. The grey mare has won her last three contests, all over hurdles, and makes her chasing debut.

Hello Sweety, from Edmunds’ yard, won at Fakenham in December and returns for the 3.34pm Racing TV Mares’ Handicap Hurdle. Four rivals will look to lower her colours, including Graecia for Charlie Longsden and grey filly Ghost Dancing, third in December at Ludlow for trainer Alan King.

Gary and Josh Moore have the favourite in Zarakerjack, a four-year-old colt, in the 1.35pm Robert Case Memorial Maiden Hurdle, although Mister Ursus and Always Stronger merit respect while in the 2.54pm Walter Wales Memorial Handicap Hurdle, Jack Andrews will ride brother-in-law Tom Ellis’s Secret Vino, who will be trying to follow up a Catterick success. Edmunds’ Blue Marvel is a rival while Wymondham trainer Caroline Fryer has outsider Raby Mere in the line-up.

The closing 4.50pm Pointing Pointers Queen’s Cup Open Hunters’ Chase sees last year’s winner Janika return for a three-miler in which Go On Chez may prove the biggest rival.

FAKENHAM FAN EDMUNDS CHASES NORFOLK SILVER ON RACING’S GOLD CUP DAY

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TRAINER Stuart Edmunds likes nothing more than visiting Fakenham racecourse and returning to his Stewkley near Milton Keynes stables with pockets full of prize money.

He admits to having a soft spot for Fakenham and on Friday he attempts to boost his finances again with four runners on the seven-race card at the Norfolk track.

Racing fans will not only be treated to live action but will also be able to see all Cheltenham Festival races on screens at the course, including the pinnacle of the National Hunt season, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The 4.15pm Fakenham Silver Cup is the feature and in Edmunds has former Fakenham winner Bluegrass, the gelding fourth last time at Doncaster in February.

Rivals may include Nick Scholfield’s Morning Mayhem, a winner at the Fakenham meeting a month ago, Alan King’s Nap Hand, a recent Kempton fourth and Suzy Smith’s, grey gelding Tapley, last seen finishing second in a Kempton chase in October.

Edmunds has Always Stronger in the 1.35pm Robert Case Memorial Maiden Hurdle which also includes entries for Babyken, a Taunton third for Paul Nicholls, Master Ursus, Ollie Murphy’s recent runner-up at both Chepstow and Leicester and Jamie Snowden’s Rebel Tribesman, not seen since winning an Aintree bumper last May.

Blue Marvel represents Edmunds in the 2.54pm Walter Wales Memorial Handicap Hurdle, the mare recently third at Huntingdon. Jack Andrews rides brother-in-law Tom Ellis’ Secret Vino, a Catterick winner last month and Wymondham trainer Caroline Fryer has Raby Mere, fourth at Huntingdon last month.

Another cracking chance for Edmunds is with Hello Sweety in the 3.34pm Racing TV Mares’ Hurdle, In December the mare won over course and distance but could face opposition from Bluenose Belle from Richard Phillips’ yard and Little Venice, a winner at Wincanton for trainer Neil Mulholland three weeks ago.

Mulholland will be hoping for good things earlier, when his grey mare Jamaicaine makes her chasing debut in the 2.14pm Hyde, Denny, Cunningham 70th Birthday Mares’ Chase. She won her last three hurdle races at Doncaster and at Hereford in January and December.

Belle Montrose, winner of the Queen Boudicca Final at Fakenham in January and runner-up at the course last month, returns for trainer Sam Drinkwater to a course she obviously relishes.

Lucy Wadham saw Brother Boris land the Tim Barclay Memorial Chase at the last Fakenham meeting and the gelding is entered for the opening 12.55pm £15k prizemoney on 4th May Novice Chase while the card closes with the 4.50pm Pointing Pointers Queen’s Cup Grassroots Hunters’ Chase in which Janika tries to repeat his victory in the race last year.