Exeter Racecourse: Preview of tomorrow's runners
Exeter’s new season begins tomorrow (Oct 8) with the first of six races off at 2.25pm. Heavy showers at the beginning of the week mean the going is good, good to soft in places, resulting in a strong card of runners.
The feature race of the day is the Great Point Media Investments Handicap Chase, run over three miles. Seven runners go to post with the Lawney Hill-trained King Fountaine likely to start the favourite. However, his win at Plumpton just under three weeks ago, has put him up eight pounds in the handicap and the Grant Cann-trained I’m In Charge will be a popular alternative. He’s ridden by racecourse ambassador Nick Scholfield who was on board the nine-year-old when he was beaten a length Ruapehu at Wincanton in May.
Plenty will side with the Oliver Sherwood-trained Kasbadali too who is a better class of horse but he’s lost his form and so has dropped in the handicap.
Philip Hobbs saddles two in the opening Hague Print Management Handicap Hurdle with Walter White making a reappearance after two years on the sidelines. Prior to that five outings in juvenile hurdle races resulted in two wins, including an impressive success at Newton Abbot where he was an easy winner over two miles one furlong.
Milord, from Kim Baileys’ stable, has been off for a year but he held on to win a maiden hurdle on his last appearance at Wincanton in October.
The Gary Moore-trained Shalianzi will be bidding for a hat trick in the Aggregate Industries Help For Heroes Novices’ Handicap Hurdle. He followed up an easy win at Fontwell in August with success at Stratford a week later, although Andrew Glassonbury, who was on board that day, worked hard for the half length success. Others bidding to trouble the likely favourite include the Stuart Kittow-trained Our Folly who won at Chepstow last month and Almagest who was travelling well until falling at the eighth flight at Warwick last week.
Paul Nicholls has two runners at the track including the Sam Twiston-Davies-ridden Ballycoe in the beginners’ chase. He’s a winner of a point-to-point and hurdle race. Also in the race is How About It who will have been well schooled since pulling up in a grade 2 hurdle at Haydock in February.
Nicholls also saddles Abidjan in the Great Point Media Investments Novices’ Hurdle and the five-year-old is likely to start a warm favourite having scored an easy success in a maiden hurdle at Newton Abbot in April.
A conditional jockeys handicap hurdle concludes the card and Bulletproof looks on course for a hat trick having scored twice at Newton Abbot in September with Sean Bowen a useful booking.
A free bus from Exeter St David’s 12.45pm and Exeter Bus and Coach Station 1pm is available before and after racing and children aged 17 and under come racing free. For further information visit www.exeter-racecourse.co.uk
