A colt out of the mighty and unbeaten Frankel is set to make his hurdling debut at Fakenham’s fourth meeting of the National Hunt season scheduled for Monday (December 4).
In the final contest on the six-race card, trainer Dan Skelton has Solo Saxophone among the 19 declarations for the contest at the five-day stage.
The race, the Racing Partnership Juvenile Hurdle over two miles, will see Solo Saxophone try his luck over the timber in his first run for Skelton since joining his yard from Dermot Weld’s stable in Ireland. For Weld, the colt ran five times on the flat, twice finishing runner-up and twice third.
A total of 92 runners have been initially declared for the meeting at the north Norfolk track, which gets underway at 1pm with the Visit Palace House This Christmas Handicap Hurdle. Youngster James Bowen has been receiving rave reviews as this season’s leading conditional rider and he partners Zoe Davison’s The Game Is A Foot who bids for a hat-trick after wins at Lingfield and Plumpton in November.
The richest prize of the day is the near £6,000 on offer for the 1.30pm Injured Jockeys Fund For Christmas Presents Handicap Chase.
Trainer Neil King loves sending his runners to Fakenham and has declared Little Windmill, runner-up at the course on November 1. The horse third that day, D’Nailor, has also been provisionally declared by trainer Jennie Candish.
David Bass and Kim Bailey hope to run Dandy Dan in the 2pm West Street North Creake Novice Hurdle, the four-year-old gelding a winner at Ludlow a fortnight ago having also won at that Shropshire track back in May.
The 2.30pm Simon Bell Memorial Hurdle has attracted an initial field of 13 which includes Saucysioux. Olly Murphy’s mare won at Ludlow earlier this week having scored at Fakenham at the last meeting on November 21.
The second chase on the card is the 3pm EPDS Racing Welfare BTO Series Handicap. Among the early declarations is Rhythm of Sound trained by Micky Hammond. The seven-year-old gelding won at Sedgefield earlier this week, following up a victory at Leicester the previous week.
NEXT MEETING – Monday, 4th December 2017
THE FIRST RACE IS AT 12.50 PM
LAST RACE AT 3.20PM
GATES OPEN AT 11AM
TICKETS, PRICED FROM £10 UPWARDS, CAN BE BOUGHT ON THE DAY ( CASH ONLY).
The going at Fakenham is currently SOFT ( correct as of Friday 1st December)
{Words: Terry Redhead}
