Newmarket trainer James Owen always seems to have his horses in form whether on the flat or over the jumps and he has chances to improve his already successful record at Fakenham on Sunday.
The north Norfolk racecourse holds its annual Ladies’ Day as it brings down the curtain on the 2025/26 season before its four-month summer break.
Owen’s first likely favourite is in the 3.05pm Bruce Towers and Sons Mechanical Engineers Mares’ Maiden Hurdle over two miles in which he has Jonathan Burke booked to ride Dancing Dame. The seven-year-old mare will be having her first run for Owen since joining his yard from Tommy Doyle in Ireland.
Main rival looks to be Alibey, a filly out of Derby winner Golden Horn. Trained by Dylan Cunha, Tabitha Worsley rides the four-year-old who was a runner-up at Plumpton earlier this week.
Owen and Burke pair up again in the 4.07pm 1st Queens’ Dragoon Guards Hurdle with Ambiente Friendly, eighth in a class two event at Sandown last month.
Among that gelding’s rivals are champion jockey Sean Bowen’s mount An Bradan Feasa, trained by Jack Jones. The gelding bids for a hat-trick after scoring at Southwell and Worcester since when he has also fared well on the flat at Lingfield and Chelmsford.
Stuart Edmunds’ frontrunning Hello Sweety, twice a Fakenham winner this season and Neil King’s Blackwater Lilly, complete the four-runner field.
Owen’s final chance is in the finale, the 5.07pm Fisher Electrical Contractors Female Jockeys’ Hurdle with the Gina Andrews partnered Market House, a Plumpton winner last month. Rivals include Nottodaybob under Alice Stevens for Micky Hammond, a Market Rasen winner this month, and Gone in Sixty, a Fakenham regular for Alex Hales.
Feature race is the 4.37pm Prince of Wales Cup Chase in which another Newmarket trainer, Lucy Wadham, looks to continue her winning streak at Fakenham with hot favourite Hurricane Bay under Tom Cannon. The 10-year-old won at Huntingdon three weeks ago and should see off four rivals including Henry Oliver’s Coastguard Station, Ben Case’s Nickelforce and Matt Crawley’s Tommy Cullen.
Racing starts with the 2.35pm fakenhamdogfield.co.uk hurdle in which favourite is the Fergal O’Brien trained Tuba, a winner on the flat at Wolverhampton. Madajovy goes for Louise Allan, the former Dan Skelton runner second at Plumpton in February.
The 3.35pm BookYourFunction’fakenhamracecourse.co.uk chase sees a quartet battle it out over two miles. They are headed by Not for Passing for trainer Rob Llewellyn although Bowen will be hoping Hammond’s veteran Getaway Jewel could spring a surprise.
Terry Redhead
