CONSISTENT DIAMOND LOOKING TO SPARKLE ON FAKENHAM’S EASTER CARD
Lincolnshire-based trainer Nick Kent will be looking to add some sparkle to Easter Monday when he sends an ultra-consistent gelding for Fakenham’s £12,500 feature on its traditional Bank Holiday raceday.
The six-race Aldiss Raceday’s main event is the 3.58pm Aldiss Confined Handicap Hurdle and Kent legs up Tom Broughton on the likely favourite Diamond Koda.
The six-year-old has raced five times this season and has been third twice and second three times, including at Haydock in March and Doncaster in February.
Diamond Koda faces four rivals headed by Police Academy for Fergal O’Brien, the eight-year-old mare off course for almost 200 days since finishing sixth at Hexham in October.
Doc McCoy for the powerful trainer and jockey combination of Jamie Snowden and Gavin Sheehan, Victoria Milano, for Jonathan Burke and trainer Alastair Ralph and Reforme, for Robert Dunne and trainer Tom Gretton, complete the line-up.
The following 4.33pm Aldiss Handicap Chase over three miles sees trainer Ben Case turn out Ronnies Reflection, a winner at Leicester in both December and February. The gelding has six rivals, including Wymondham trainer Caroline Fryer’s Cloudy Wednesday, a runner-up at the north Norfolk course in January, and with regular jockey Lewis Stones booked to ride.
To Be Sure unseated his rider at Ffos Las last week but Evan Williams sends the 10-year-old into battle from his base in Wales, while regular winning trainer at Fakenham, Stuart Edmunds, runs Calvic under Lee Edwards.
Earlier, at 2.48pm there is an interesting maiden contest, the Fairfax and Favour Juvenile Hurdle, featuring seven runners. Possible favourite is the Dan Skelton trained hurdling debutant Wind River, previously a runner on the flat for Ed Dunlop,
Olly Murphy’s Dambuster, formerly a two-times winner with Andrew Balding, makes his hurdling debut while Zenato, another former Ed Dunlop trained now with O’Brien, tries to better his fourth at Huntingdon in March.
The 3.23pm Cecil and Sheila Buttifant Memorial Mares’ Hurdle features seven with Micky Hammond’s recent Sedgefield winner Milajess the likely market leader. Former Fakenham winner Sawpit Sienna and Auntie Maggie, for Burke and Ralph, are the main rivals, the latter a runner-up at Stratford last week.
The closing bumper, the 5.08pm Racing TV Mares Maiden NH flat race sees Sheehan and Snowden in the driving seat with favourite Jack N Jones, a Plumpton runner-up earlier this month, although she faces eight rivals.
Action starts at 2.13pm with a match for the Bruce Towers and Sons Mechanical Engineers Claiming Chase with Murphy’s Champagnesuperover odds on to beat the Charlie and Adam Pogson trained Stormin Crossgales over the 21-furlong trip.
