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.
