Less than20 minutes after the highlight of the National Hunt season, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Fakenham stages its Silver Cup, the feature of a seven-race card tomorrow, Friday, March 15.
The big screen means all the action from Cheltenham will be available for racegoers. The 3.55pm Silver Cup, featuring eight runners for the two-mile contest, is worth almost £11,000 to the winner.
James Bowen rides the Richard Spencer trained grey gelding Thistimenextyear, fourth at Sandown in January, while Peterborough-based Pam Sly legs up claimer Paul O’Brien on her seven-year-old mare All My Love, a Lingfield winner.
Lucy Wadham runs Potters Midnight under Jack Quinlan, the mare third at Market Rasen in February while at the bottom of the handicap, Lazarus, representing Amy Murphy, has a seven-pound claimer to help his cause following a recent second at Doncaster.
Chasing fans are in for a treat. At 1.55pm six go in the Fakenham Staff Fundraising Run for the Air Ambulance Chase which sees two rivals bidding for hat-tricks.
Christian Williams has Bowen on Cap Du Nord, twice a Sedgefield winner while James Evans has Ben Poste on Nobel Leader, a winner at Huntingdon and Bangor.
The 3.15pm Prince Carlton Chase over three miles sees Williams with Sideways, a winner at the track on New Year’s Day. Bowen again takes the ride. Main danger looks to be Dan Skelton’s Set List, the gelding second at Fakenham last May, a break of 311 days.
Six go in the Walter Wales Memorial Novice Chase at 4.35pm in which Stonebrigg Legend and Primal Focus, first and second at the last meeting at Fakenham, clash again. However, they may find in Come on Charlie from the Philip Hobbs yard a tough opponent.
The finale, the open hunter chase, features Zeroshadesofgrey for Charles Buckle and trainer Rob Cundy. The grey was runner-up at the course in February when returning from a 306-day break.
Swaffham Bulbeck, under Cillin Leonard for Olly Murphy, goes in the 2.35pm Robert Case Memorial Maiden Hurdle, attempting to better a recent third over course and distance, while in the 1.20pm opening selling hurdle, Generous Jack, for trainer John Ryan, bids for a three-timer after wins at Fakenham and Plumpton.
Words by Terry Redhead
