Previous Fakenham winners make up most of the initial 13 entries for the feature race at the north Norfolk course’s next meeting this coming Tuesday (December 18).
Fakenham’s fifth meeting of the season sees the £16,000 Sky Sports Launching January 1st Handicap Chase at 1.50pm grab star billing on a six-race card.
Trainer Olly Murphy has three entered, including six-year-old Calipso Collonges, a course winner, and Wood Pigeon, a course and distance scorer.
Neil King, another trainer with a fine record at the track, has entered Holbrook Park, another previous winner at the course, and Little Windmill, although currently in disappointing form, a former course and distance winner.
Newmarket-based Lucy Wadham has former course winner Movie Legend in the initial line-up while Oliver Sherwood’s nine-year-old gelding Enjoy Responsibly is another to have enjoyed victory at the track and could take his chance.
The second chase on the card is at 2.50pm and among initial entries is Midnight Bliss representing Wymondham trainer Caroline Fryer. The eight-year-old mare won at both Fontwell and Fakenham in the summer under Bryony Frost, having previous scored a hat-trick of victories in point-to-point contests.
Action on Tuesday gets under way at 12.50pm with a mares’ novice hurdle in which two last time out winners could take part in the shape of Murphy’s It’s O Kay, a Leicester scorer, and Paul Webber’s Indefatigable, a Utttoxeter winner three weeks ago.
If taking up the option of running, also keep a check on trainer Nicky Henderson’s hurdling debutant, Dieu Benisse.
Welsh trainer Peter Bowen often makes his trips to Fakenham worthwhile and in the 1.20pm he may have Get An Oscar in the line-up alongside Wadham’s former course winner Master of Finance.
Stratford-based Murphy looks to have a leading chance to add to his impressive Fakenham win record with both Foxtrot Julie and The Very Thing entered in the 2.20pm handicap hurdle, the latter a runner-up at Wetherby at the end of November.
The maiden hurdle at 3.20pm closes the card and among the original 19 entries is Falco Blitz for Henderson, runner-up in a point-to-point race at Portrush.
Murphy clearly has his sights set on the prize as he has 11 initial entries and it may pay to side with Collooney, a recent Huntingdon winner, if he takes his chance.
DATE OF NEXT RACE MEETING: CHRISTMAS RACE MEETING, 18TH DECEMBER
FIRST RACE TIME: 12.50 PM
