Provided the racecourse survives potentially frosty conditions, its Gamble Plant New Years Raceday on Friday (January 2) looks like providing at least three trainers with real chances of landing Fakenham’s coveted Double Up Bonus.
A precautionary inspection takes place at noon on New Year’s Day (Thursday) when hopefully the seven-race Friday card will get the go-ahead.
One of those trainers looking for a couple of successes is Neil King. The Wiltshire-based handler looks to have targeted the two £15,000 hurdle contests on the card.
In the 1.20pm Book Your Skips Online Maiden Hurdle, King has Jack Quinlan booked to partner Victors Spirit. The gelding will make a hurdles debut following two bumper runs in which he finished second. A couple of weeks ago the gelding also ran on the flat at Wolverhampton.
Main rivals are Dan Horsford’s Sedgefield runner-up Eddie My Eagle and Jack Andrews’ mount, The Den Master, having a first run under rules for Tom Ellis.
King has Breezethroughlife, again under Quinlan, in the2.20pm Gamble Plant Norfolk Hurdle. The five-year-old won at Fakenham in October and was recently a Doncaster runner-up.
Rivals include two from Stuart Edmunds’s stable, Bluegrass and Kelijoe. The former, under Murray Dodd, is a previous Fakenham scorer while Charlie Hammond rides Kelijoe, a Doncaster winner mid-December after finishing second at Fakenham in October.
Yorkshire trainer Jessica Bedi looks to land the opening two contests. In the 12.20pm Racing TV Mares’ Novice Hurdle, she runs Somebodycomegether, a Catterick winner last time. Pam Sly’s Apieceovfortune looks the main danger.
Bedi then has Uncle Al in the 12.50pm Sandcliff Cromer Chase, the seven-year-old a winner at Sedgefield before running sixth at Catterick on Sunday. Trainer Tom Gretton’s Crac De Megaudais looks a threat under Robbie Dunn and Gretton, who operates from Worcestershire, is another trainer with good chances on the card.
In the four-runner Queen Boudicca Last Chance to Qualify Mares’ Chase at 1.50pm., Gretton has Overabottleofred, an April Huntingdon winner although Sarah Humphrey’s Jacks Touch, a runner-up a Fakenham’s pre-Christmas meeting also holds high hopes.
Gretton runs One Last Glance in the 2.50pm Racing TV Chase, the gelding a recent Wetherby second. Annie Nail, second at Fakenham’s last meeting, Stamina Chope, a recent Leicester third, and Christian Williams’ Illogical Logic, are also involved.
The closing 3.20pm Gamble Plant Amateur Jockeys’ Hurdle could go to Olive Nicholls on the Nick Gifford trained Eliza Doolittle, a recent Plumpton runner-up.
NB: A precautionary inspection will take place at noon on Thursday, January 1.
