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FIFTEEN horses have currently stood their ground ahead of British racing’s top class race of the weekend – the £100,000 Racing Plus Chase at Kempton Park on Saturday 25 February.
The three-mile steeplechase, which has a rich history stretching back to 1988, is always a big pointer to the major spring festival races at Kempton’s sister racecourses at Cheltenham and Aintree.
The 15-strong field is headed by the ante-post favourite Planet Of Sound, alongside the 2009 winner Nacarat who will contest the race for the fourth year and the Irish raider Seabass who is unbeaten in his last six starts.
Planet Of Sound is being targeted at the John Smith’s Grand National in April for which the ten-year-old is a generally available 25-1 chance with bookmakers. Trainer Philip Hobbs regards the Racing Plus Chase as an ideal stepping stone to Aintree for the horse.
Saturday is the biggest jump racing occasion of the year at Kempton Park outside of the Winter Festival at Christmas time and includes the official opening at 1pm of the Kauto Star Bar to mark that horse’s five victories in the William Hill King George VI Chase.
Kempton Park’s director of racing Brian Clifford said:
“A set of high quality horses is poised to contest the feature Racing Plus Chase on Saturday during an exciting day’s racing when, as always, there will be an array of pointers to the big races at Cheltenham and Aintree.”
Other racing highlights on Saturday are the Adonis Juvenile and Dovecote Novices’ Hurdles, both sponsored by William Hill. JCB Triumph Hurdle entries Grumeti and Sadlers Risk are among the contenders.
The first race time on Saturday is 2pm.
On-the-day admission is £20 (£16 if booked in advance by 5pm on Friday 24 February). Special £20 ‘Winner Packages’ are available for Racing Plus Chase day – purchased in advance – including admission, a racecard, a drink, a Racing Plus newspaper, a betting booklet and a discounted return visit to the racecourse. ‘Winner Plus Packages’ cost £24 – and also include food. Accompanied children aged under 18 are admitted free of charge. Tickets can be purchased online at www.kempton.co.uk or by calling 0844 579 3008.
The Six Nations rugby internationals between Ireland and Italy (1.30pm) and England and Wales (4pm) can be viewed on racecourse televisions.
For those seeking accommodation in the Kempton Park area, please click on the following Link.
TWO DAY MARCH MEETING AT AYR
AYR Racecourse stages a two day March meeting featuring La Barrique Fine Wines Raceday on Friday March 9 followed by Irish Raceday on Saturday March 10.
There are seven races each afternoon and Friday’s racing highlights include the Coca-Cola Handicap Chase at 5.05 pm and the Guinness Beginners Chase both run over three miles one furlong. The final race on Friday afternoon is the Strathmore Handicap Chase due off at 5.40 pm.
Ayr’s first Saturday meeting of the year should attract big fields with around £50,000 of prize money on offer. The feature races are a two mile Handicap chase at 3.50 pm and a two mile four furlong Handicap chase for the Hugh Barclay Challenge Trophy at 4.55 pm.
First race on both days is at 2.10 pm with gates open at 12.10 pm. Live bands will play in the Horseshoe Bar for three hours after racing on both evenings - Sistrum on Friday and Reload on Saturday.
Ayr Racecourse’s sales and marketing director Lindsey Smith said :
“This is always a good meeting coming just a few days before the Cheltenham Festival and we normally attract many Irish racegoers.
“The prize money on offer is good and we are looking forward to some good weekend action at what is our last meeting before the Coral Scottish Grand National Festival in April.”
For hotel accommodation in Ayr, click on the following link.
Punchestown make price reductions across the board.
· €10 admission to all non-festival fixtures.
On Monday 03 October, Punchestown racecourse announced major price reductions for the season ahead which kicks off next week at the home of Irish jump racing.
The most significant price reduction is the 33% discount on general admission to Punchestown Festival tickets which will be priced from €20 per day for three days of the event. Students and senior citizens will also benefit with their admission costing just €13. Festival goers aged between 14 and 18 will pay just €10 and those under 14 obtain free entry.
Punchestown also announced that the value for money restructure extends to all meetings with a ‘blanket’ admission charge of just €10 applied to ALL non-festival meetings regardless of whether the fixture is mid-week or weekend. Previously weekend and midweek fixtures were €18 and €15 respectively.
The very popular Punchestown Festival Party Pack will offer even better value and will be available for just €19pp for all festival days except Friday when it will remain at €29pp. The Party Pack includes admission, racecard, €5 Ladbrokes voucher and a €5 beverage voucher. This new price point represents a saving of €14pp therefore incentivising larger numbers. A new introduction to the ticket offerings this year will be the Festival Flexi Ticket which can be used any day of the Festival. This flexible option will be priced at €30.
Commenting on the announcement, Punchestown general manager Dick O’Sullivan said:
“Over the last number of years we have taken steps to improve the value for money and customer experience offered here at Punchestown. This has been successful to the extent that our overall attendance increased last year.”
O’Sullivan continued to explain the strategy behind the announcement, saying:
“However, for financial reasons we were not in the position to make significant cuts to our admission prices up until now. These price reductions are the final steps in our value for money strategy and where we may be losing out on the gate we hope that the lower prices will encourage more people to come racing to Punchestown”.
Hospitality packages on non–festival days are now priced at just €49pp for admission, racecard, four course lunch served by Dobbins and all the extras enjoyed by Punchestown clients. Hospitality bookings for the two day November meeting are already strong and the new price point has proven very popular with visiting clients from the UK.
Further value is to be had by Punchestown members with 2012 badges costing just €180.00 representing a €15 discount on last year and an average of €10.58 per fixture including the Festival. Student and senior race goers can avail of membership for just €95 for the entire 2012 season offering a fixture admission average of just €5.60.
The opening meeting of the season at Punchestown takes place Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 October. For tickets, please visit www.punchestown.com
For custome travel and accommodation needs surrounding a trip to Punchestown, contact the experts at Racingsight’s Travel Bureau on 00 44 (0)191 417 8744.
Musselburgh to DeliverNew £100,000 Easter Saturday Meeting.
It’s still eight months away but tickets for Scotland’s most popular racing event, Musselburgh Ladies Day, have gone on sale as the course announces a packed 2012 fixture list featuring 15 flat and nine jump meetings.
With capacity increased to 9,000 the East Lothian track will create a modern day attendance record if Ladies Day on June 15 repeats the success of the last six years and again sells out.
Highlights of the winter jumps season includes the now traditional New Year’s Day meeting on January 01 and the John Smith’s Scottish Cheltenham Trials (February 05) which is firmly positioned on the racing calendar as a tester for the Cheltenham Festival proper.
Musselburgh also confirmed Easter Saturday will become a permanent fixture and, sitting alongside the course’s popular Easter Sunday Family Day, the aim is to establish an Easter racing festival which attracts both seasoned and social race goers.
The course is having to partly self-fund the meeting but has set its sights on offering up to £100,000 prize money on Musselburgh Gold Cup Day, and with two races to be featured on Channel 4 and the only other flat meeting on all-weather, the Easter Saturday date is sure to attract some of the country’s leading trainers and jockeys.
Musselburgh Racecourse general manager, Bill Farnsworth, said:
“Our hope is to make Musselburgh Gold Cup Day on Easter Saturday and our Easter Sunday Family Day a weekend racing festival which becomes firmly associated with Musselburgh and is an annual highlight.
“After the flat season starts at Doncaster with the Lincoln meeting there is a bit of a lull before the Guineas Festival at Newmarket and we feel we can give racing fans a quality meeting which goes some way to filling that gap.”
Musselburgh is looking to build on the success of its Edinburgh Cup Day which again will be run on Derby Day (June 02) and Bill Farnsworth is keen to secure a sponsor for Scotland’s second richest flat race.
Rebranded as “Scotland’s Premier Race Day” to reflect the quality of the entries and trainers in attendance, the long term objective is to establish the Edinburgh Cup as a £100,000 race.
Musselburgh Racecourse commercial manager, Karen Taylor, said:
“The Edinburgh Cup meeting has proved a great success and in addition to maintaining the quality of racing on offer we also plan to make the day more stylish and appealing to our female audiences.
“With both Ladies Day and the Edinburgh Cup taking place in June we can really stake a claim to be offering substance and style in equal measures at Musselburgh next summer.”
Market Rasen Boxing Day Tickets Still Available.
Tickets for the most popular day of the year at Market Rasen Racecourse are still available.
Well over 10,000 people spend Boxing Day afternoon at the races at Lincolnshire's only racecourse, and for many, the day out at the racecourse is as much about Christmas as turkey and mince pies.
Savings can be made by booking in advance. The tickets are also popular Christmas presents for horse racing fans.
The County Enclosure is £21 when purchased in advance (£23 on the day); Tattersalls is £16 (£17); and the Family Enclosure is £10 (£11). Premier tickets are a one-price £28 – and there are still a few left.
There are all sorts of food and ticket packages, and it is best to contact the racecourse for full details on 01673 843 434.
For quality accommodation close to Market Rasen Racecourse, click here.
"The William Hill Winter Festival at Kempton Park is as much a part of Christmas as turkey, mulled wine and mince pies.
"Fans of sport love Boxing Day at Kempton Park, and especially the William Hill King George VI Chase, the showpiece race made so famous by the exploits of racehorse legends Desert Orchid and Kauto Star. But we have a new King of Kempton now - and we are already excited about welcoming back Long Run to defend his crown.
"The best way for racing fans to guarantee their place to witness events unfold on Boxing Day is to book a 'Cracker' admission ticket in advance."
Visitors returning to Kempton Park will notice a big difference in the facilities in the main grandstand. Following a makeover during the summer, there is a brand new Costa Coffee shop, the 'Kings of Kempton' bars and an Italian Trattoria serving freshly baked pizzas, plus relaxed seating areas - which will all ensure a more comfortable William Hill Winter Festival experience than ever before.
'Cracker' tickets - which are available for both days of the festival - come with a book of vouchers for a racecard, a drink, a £10 bet with William Hill, and a discounted return visit to Kempton Park in the New Year.
The ticketing options are:
* Premier Cracker with reserved seat £60;
* Premier Cracker £45;
* Paddock Cracker £30.
Tickets for the Festival Enclosure can also be bought in advance. They cost £12.
Car parking tickets, which can be ordered in advance too, cost £5, £8 and £15.
On the second day of the William Hill Winter Festival - on Tuesday 27 December - the prices are £25 for Premier Cracker and £18 for Paddock Cracker tickets.
The Festival Enclosure on day two is £8 in advance, while car parking is £3 or £5.
Disabled parking is free of charge, as is parking in the centre of the racecourse on both days.
Bookings can be made online at boxingdayraces.co.uk or by calling the box office on 0844 579 3008.
To view quality hotel accommodation close to Kempton Park, click here.