Tuesday, April 20, 2004
PRIZE MONEY MAINTAINED AT CHESTER MAY MEETING
Strong Advance Bookings
Chester Racecourse has maintained prize money at the famous three-day May Meeting for this year at £619,000.
This is despite the collapse of the attheraces media rights deal at the end of March which has caused reductions in prize money at other racecourses.
Richard Thomas, chief executive of Chester Racecourse, commented: "The Chester May Meeting is the main highlight of the year for us and we were determined to maintain prize money at last year's levels.
"The continued support of owners and trainers is crucial to the success of the Chester May Meeting and we hope they will be pleased with our prize money policy.
"We have managed to hold prize money thanks the support of our sponsors, new and existing, and the successful season Chester had in 2003."
Chester is one of the four most popular racecourses in Britain in terms of attendance, with only Aintree, Ascot and Cheltenham having higher average crowds.
This means that Chester has the highest average out of all Britain's 18 Flat-only racecourses - at 19,573 in 2003.
There are plenty of changes for the 2004 Chester May Meeting - the biggest being that the three days have moved forward a day and take place this year on Wednesday, May 5, Thursday, May 6, and Friday, May 7, rather than the traditional Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
This is to provide a gap between the Bank Holiday Monday and the start of the Chester May Meeting.
The Wednesday card remains much as it was last year which means the feature races on the first day are the £120,000 totesport Chester Cup (3pm), backed by the tote since 1996, and £50,000 Letheby & Christopher Cheshire Oaks (2.30pm), supported for the first time by Chester Racecourse's caterers.
On the Thursday, Ladies Day, new sponsor MBNA Europe Bank backs the £65,000 Chester Vase (3pm), the illustrious classic trial, while Breitling Watches & Waltons Of Chester again support the £35,000 Listed Huxley Stakes (3.35pm).
The joint features on the Friday, City Day, are two Group Three races with new sponsors, the £70,000 Jardine Lloyd Thompson Dee Stakes (2.30pm), the other key Chester classic trial, and the £75,000 Betdaq Ormonde Stakes (3pm) for older horses.
Richard Thomas added: "We believe the changes we have made to the Chester May Meeting this year will prove popular and we are looking forward to these three terrific days."
Advance badge and tickets sales for the 2004 Chester May Meeting have been very strong and potential racegoers are advised to book now to make sure of being able to attend. The situation is as follows:-
Wednesday - Limited number of County Stand badges & Tattersalls tickets available, Dee Stand & Open Course available.
Thursday - County Stand & Tattersalls sold out, Dee Stand & Open Course available.
Friday - County Stand Badges sold out, limited number of Tattersalls tickets available, Dee & Open Course available.
COWBOY ON COURSE FOR PUNCHESTOWN
Rhinestone Cowboy was today confirmed a definite starter at next week's Irish National Hunt Festival at Punchestown although the star hurdler's rider, amateur J P Magnier, said that a final decision had still to be taken on which race the horse would contest.
The Jonjo O'Neill-trained eight-year-old most recently beat Rooster Booster to take the Grade 1 Martell Cognac Aintree Hurdle at Liverpool and could reoppose that rival as well as taking on Smurfit Champion Hurdle winner Hardy Eustace in the EUR160,000 Grade 1 Emo Oil Champion Hurdle over two miles on Friday, April 30.
But he could instead line up in the previous day's EUR125,000 Grade 1 Ballymore Properties Champion Stayers' Hurdle over three miles, in which stablemate Iris's Gift is an expected starter.
"Rhinestone Cowboy is definitely going to Punchestown," said Magnier. "Although it hasn't yet been finalised which race he will go for, we've got to wait and see on a few things.
"But he's apparently very well at home after Aintree and all set to go on to Punchestown. I've not ridden a winner there before and can't wait to ride him. "
The Irish-bred Rhinestone Cowboy has won nine of his 13 starts but has not raced in Ireland to date.
The four-day Irish National Hunt Festival features record prize money of over EUR 1.7 million and takes place from Tuesday, April 27, to Friday, April 30.
The going is currently Soft after 10 millimetres of rain at the weekend. Richie Galway, Punchestown's Racing Manager, said: "We have had 60 millimetres of rain so far in April and the weather is set to remain unsettled during this week with showers each day up to and including Thursday. But more settled conditions with warmer temperatures are forecast towards the weekend."
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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