Michael Jarvis runs exciting filly Blue Echo in the Avonbridge At Whitsbury Conditions Stakes
Salisbury host its final meeting of the season on Wednesday, September 27, with a competitive eight-race card featuring the £16,500 Avonbridge At Whitsbury Conditions Stakes, a six-furlong event for two-year-olds.
Newmarket trainer Michael Jarvis is expecting a bold bid from Blue Echo in the Avonbridge At Whitsbury Conditions Stakes. She got off the mark last time with a comfortable victory over five furlongs at Sandown on September 12 and the daughter of Kyllachy had previously run very well when just touched off by Alovera over a furlong further at Windsor on August 21.
Jarvis said this morning: "Blue Echo was pretty backward earlier in the year and her first run wasn't really indicative of her true ability. She did well over the summer though, and won nicely last time.
"She came out of her last race in very good form. She is going the right way and is making up into a nice filly. The six-furlong trip shouldn't be a problem for her - I think that is her optimum distance at this stage.
"The ease in the ground should be in her favour if anything, it's a nice size field, and she should go well."
Four other starters go to post in the Avonbridge At Whitsbury Conditions Stakes including Dubai Builder, third in the Group Two Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury last time out, Resignation, runner-up in a novices' stakes at Newmarket last time, Scented Present and Tivers Jewel. Previous winners of the contest include Island Sands (1998) who went on to land the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket the following season and Tomba (1996), who was subsequently successful in the Group One Prix de la Foret at Longchamp in 1998.
Racing gets underway at 2.00pm with the 16-runner Axminster Carpets Apprentice Handicap, Apprentice jockeys Travis Block and Patrick Hills are set to do battle in the deciding leg of the Axminster Carpets series. Both have ridden two winners each in the series so far this season, although Patrick Hills is marginally in front having also finished third in a previous leg. A £1,000 prize generously donated by Simon Dutfield of Axminster Carpets awaits the winner.
The next two races are divisions of the Allied Irish Bank Southampton EBF Maiden Stakes (2.30pm and 3.00pm, both attracting 11 runners), followed by the Portway EBF Novice Stakes (3.30pm), where the six declarations include the Michael Bell-trained Furnace, the Poshchateaux.com Claiming Stakes (4.00pm), the Avonbridge At Whitsbury Conditions Stakes (4.30pm), the Wood BMW Handicap (5.00pm) with the Play Free & Win Money At 123racing.com Handicap (5.30pm) bringing the season to a close. In total, there are a very healthy 92 runners over the eight races.
Salisbury has enjoyed another terrific year of racing action, with plenty of highlights and top performances.
The new season got off to a flyer on May 7, with Bentong storming to a three-length victory in the opening six-furlong totesport.com Handicap, breaking the course record in the process, with the contest broadcast live on Channel 4. Other highlights on the card included impressive wins for Gilded and Snoqualmie Boy, who both followed up at Royal Ascot, in the Group Two Queen Mary Stakes and Listed Hampton Court Stakes respectively.
Strategic Prince lit up the second fixture of the year on May 18 with a hugely promising debut in the five-furlong maiden event. The Dansili colt went on to prove himself one of the best juveniles of the season, landing the Group Two TNT July Stakes at Newmarket and the Group Two Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, looking every inch a live Classic candidate for 2007.
Another two-year-old to score at the first time of asking at Salisbury was Enticing on June 28. William Haggas' flying filly progressed to take the Group Three Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood in August, just getting home in a head-bobbing finish from subsequent Group Two Flying Childers Stakes scorer Wi Dud.
Undoubtedly the highlight of the August 17 card was the Group Three totesport.com Sovereign Stakes, the most valuable contest of the whole year at Salisbury, which attracted a high-class field. Victory went to Godolphin with Belenus, who showed too many gears for Notability with a decisive length and a quarter success.
The Maktoum Family's operation were celebrating a big-race double at the course, having taken the Listed EBF Upavon Fillies' Stakes the previous day with Pictavia, who romped home by four lengths from Summer's Eve.
Champion jockey-elect Ryan Moore is the current leading rider at Salisbury in 2006, having ridden eight winners in total. He is one clear of both Frankie Dettori and John Egan. The leading trainer with one meeting to go is Richard Hannon, who has sent out nine winners. David Elsworth, with seven successes to his name, is presently the second most successful trainer at the track in 2006.
Jeremy Martin, Clerk of the Course and General Manager at Salisbury, commented: "Once again, we have seen some magnificent racing at Salisbury this season, with the two-year-old contests looking particularly strong.
"This season's Epsom Derby hero Sir Percy and Dylan Thomas, the Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes victor, both ran at Salisbury as juveniles and we look forward to this season's two-year-olds progressing next year.
"The ground has ridden well all season and the feedback from jockeys and trainers has been most encouraging. Currently the ground is good, good to soft in places, and the course looks in great shape having had a three-week break since our last meeting."
Admission prices for Wednesday are Members' Enclosure £18, Tattersalls Enclosure £11 and Course Enclosure £6. Accompanied children under 16 gain free admission and car parking is free. A giant screen will be in operation.
GROUND EASES AS STAR HORSES PREPARE FOR CAMBRIDGESHIRE MEETING
Persistent rain has turned the ground on Newmarket's NatWest Rowley Mile racecourse to Good-to-Soft as top class entries for Saturday's totesport Cambridgeshire Day have been revealed. Saturday features the Group One £200,000 Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes, for which star fillies Soviet Song, Alexander Goldrun, Peeress, Speciosa, Red Evie, Nannina and Flashy Wings have all been confirmed, as well as the £150,000 totesport Cambridgshire, one of the season's biggest and most eagerly anticipated handicaps, in which Smart Enough remains the heavily backed ante-post favourite. It follows on from a sensational dual Group One card on Friday, the second most valuable day ever staged at Newmarket outside Champions' Day.
Saturday also features the £50,000 Countrywide Steel & Tubes Joel Stakes (Group Three), a first Group race sponsorship for stalwart Newmarket sponsor Countrywide Steel & Tubes, in which Godolphin have a very strong hand with both Echo of Light and Pinson entered. The opening £30,000 Finnforest EBF Oh So Sharp Stakes (Listed) could see the reappearance of Wait Watcher, controversially disqualified from first place in last week's Shelbourne Hotel Goffs Fillies Five Hundred at The Curragh.
On Friday Britain's top two-year-old filly of the season so far, Sander Camillo, is set to tackle Group One company for the first time in the Sky Bet Cheveley Park Stakes (Group One), while Britain's top two-year-old colt, the unbeaten Dutch Art, is set to take on Hellvelyn in a mouthwatering clash for the Shadwell Middle Park Stakes (Group One). With these two races plus the £250,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes all on the same card for the first time, it is a day to savour at the Home of Racing.
The Cambridgeshire Meeting opens on Thursday with a quality card which features two Listed Races, the £28,000 Unicoin Homes Noel Murless Stakes and the £28,000 Rous Stakes.
Michael Prosser, Newmarket's Clerk of the Course, said at 4pm today (Monday) as he was walking the course: "It's been raining all day and has only just stopped. We have had half an inch and the ground is now Good-to-Soft. We have two dry days forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday and then sunshine and showers forecast from Thursday to Saturday.
"We will be racing on the far side of the track on ground that has not been raced on since May. It's in tremendous shape with a fantastic covering of grass and has taken the rain very well indeed. If we get the dry weather we've been forecast for the next two days, I would hope that we might go into the meeting with ground just on the easy side of good on Thursday."
MAJESTIC MISSILE TO RETIRE TO BALLYHANE AFTER SUNDAY'S PRIX DE L'ABBAYE
Multiple Group-winning sprinter Majestic Missile has been bought by Joe Foley to stand as a stallion at Ballyhane Stud in Co Carlow and will retire after Sunday's Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp.
The son of Royal Applause was the outstanding sprint two-year-old of his generation. He was a hugely impressive winner of the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, scoring by a length and three quarters, and won even more decisively when capturing the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at Ascot by three and a half lengths. He also holds the two-year-old five-furlong course record time at Chester.
He finished a close third in last season's Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York and heads to Sunday's Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye on the back of a victory in the Group 3 Prix du Petit Couvert at Longchamp on his most recent start earlier this month.
Trainer William Haggas said today: "Majestic Missile got very ill in Hong Kong last December and consequently hasn't been right all summer but he's back to his best now and was impressive at Longchamp a couple of weeks ago.
"He was a touch unlucky when a close third in last year's Nunthorpe and, given good ground, he's up to winning a Group 1 and I'd love to see him do it on Sunday."
Majestic Missile's stud fee has yet to be set.
WORLD́S BIGGEST COFFEE MORNING COMES TO NEWMARKET!
Newmarket racegoers will be stirring themselves into action and all perked up this Friday (September 29), the middle day of the Cambridgeshire Meeting, when they take part in Macmillan Cancer Support's "World's Biggest Coffee Morning" at Newmarket's NatWest Rowley Mile Racecourse.
The leading cancer charity will be at the racecourse throughout the Cambridgeshire Meeting on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with their Macmillan Information Centre to provide free support and information to anyone affected by cancer. The new mobile unit has been touring around the south east of England and over 5,500 people have already come onboard to get support with cancer issues for themselves or someone they know. It's free, confidential and you don't need an appointment.
The coffee morning, one of hundreds of Macmillan-organised fundraising events taking place across Britain this Friday will run throughout the day (gates open 11.00am; first race 1.30pm; last race 4.55pm) in the Limekilns Suite on the 3rd floor of the Millennium Stand and will be accessible to all Members' Enclosure racegoers. Coffee, tea and cake will be available throughout the day with the proceeds going to Macmillan Cancer Support.
"We are absolutely delighted that racegoers at Newmarket will be getting together for a coffee to join in our record breaking event," said Steve Richards, Regional Director for Macmillan Cancer Support who was himself a Macmillan Nurse and cared for trainer Jeremy Tree who died of cancer.
"Macmillan already helps thousands of people living with cancer, but the need for our services just keeps on growing. The money raised at this event in Newmarket will help us expand our services and so improve the lives of people affected by cancer. We are particularly pleased this year to be able to bring our Macmillan Information Centre to Newmarket. So many people are affected by cancer that I am sure we will be able to provide support and help to anyone who comes onboard."
Lisa Hancock, Newmarket's Managing Director, commented: "Macmillan provides a vital service for those affected by cancer in the UK and I hope that all Members' Enclosure racegoers here on Friday will support the event in the Limekilns Suite. We are also pleased that they are able to bring their information centre to provide advice to anyone who needs it."
Macmillan's World's Biggest Coffee Morning is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as officially the world's largest simultaneous coffee morning with enough coffee being drunk across the UK to fill two large swimming pools. This is the second year that the NatWest Rowley Mile has been involved.
The money raised will help Macmillan change the lives of people living with cancer in the UK. £115 could fund a Macmillan nurse for one day to offer emotional and practical support for cancer patients and their families.
£100 could help provide someone undergoing cancer treatment, who is too ill to work, with a Macmillan grant for extra heating this winter. £30 could help run the Macmillan CancerLine which provides vital information and help for people with cancer and their families for one hour.
Anyone wanting to host their own coffee morning for Macmillan can call us on 0845 602 1246 or visit macmillan.org.uk/coffee to download information.
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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