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WETHERBY RACECOURSEThursday, December 16, 2010 - WETHERBY RACECOURSE PREPARES FOR TWO-DAY CHRISTMAS MEETINGWETHERBY LOOKS FORWARD TO TWO-DAY CHRISTMAS CRACKER KING FONTAINE & ACCORDING TO PETE ON COURSE FOR coral.co.uk ROWLAND MEYRICK HANDICAP CHASE FROST COVERS BEING PUT DOWN Wetherby stages the popular two-day Coral Christmas Meeting on Boxing Day, Sunday, December 26 and Bank Holiday Monday, December 27. The feature contest on Boxing Day is the £40,000 Grade Three coral.co.uk Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase (2.05pm). First run in 1957 and held over three miles and a furlong, the race boasts an illustrious roll of honour featuring the likes of future Gold Cup winners Forgive ‘N’ Forget and The Thinker. The last running was in 2008, when Nozic prevailed for champion trainer Paul Nicholls. Malton handler Malcolm Jefferson is hoping to be double-handed in this year’s contest, with rising star King Fontaine set to line up alongside the consistent According To Pete. King Fontaine recorded a comfortable victory in a novice chase at Wetherby in April and the Trevor Hemmings-owned seven-year-old has triumphed on his three subsequent starts, culminating in an 11-length verdict over leading Welsh National contender According To Pete produced a string of fine efforts in some of the season’s leading handicap chases last term, including when coming home fifth in the Grade Three Paddy Power Gold Cup at The nine-year-old stayed on to finish fourth on his seasonal return in the Listed bet365 Handicap Chase over an extended two and a half miles at Wetherby on October 29 before fading to 11th in a valuable Listed fixed brush handicap hurdle at Haydock on November 20 - a race he landed in 2008. “We gave King Fontaine an entry at Haydock on Saturday, but he would have to carry a big weight there and we thought that we would wait until Wetherby because it’s a more valuable race. “He’s a nice horse but he has been hammered by the handicapper - he’s gone up 20lb for winning his last two races. He won by 11 lengths at Haydock but there were a couple of horses making their first start of the season, the favourite fell early on and they all stopped in front of him. “According To Pete has come out of his last run at Haydock in good order and we may have just sat too near to the pace with him on that occasion. He likes to be up there but it was a good old gallop and the winner looks a very good horse. “He ran a good race on his seasonal return at Wetherby when he got stopped completely - a horse ran right across in front of him on the first fence down the back and he was almost brought to a standstill. He was given little respite by the handicapper last season but he is rated 130 at the moment, which is round about his correct mark.” Racing gets underway at 12.20pm on Boxing Day with the coral.co.uk Novices’ Handicap Hurdle and the six-race programme runs through to 3.15pm with the coral.co.uk Handicap Hurdle. Taking centre stage on day two of the Coral Christmas Meeting is the £15,000 coral.co.uk Castleford Chase (2.20pm) over two miles, a race which in recent seasons has fallen to Santa’s Son (2008), dual winner Calatagan (2007 and 2006) and Wetherby specialist Mister McGoldrick (2005). Monday, December 27, also features a six-race programme which starts at 12.35pm with the coral.co.uk Novices’ Hurdle (12.35pm) and goes through to the coral.co.uk Handicap Hurdle (3.25pm). Gates open at 10.00am on both days and, with large crowds expected, racegoers are advised to arrive early. On Boxing Day, complimentary mince pies and mulled wine will be available for the early arrivals. Accompanied children under the age of 16 are admitted FREE. Tickets are available by calling the course on 01937 582035 or online at www.wetherbyracing.co.uk. Jonjo Sanderson, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course at Wetherby, commented: “We are currently doing our best to cover the course with frost covers but the snow and wind are not helping. The intention is to cover as much of the course as possible by the end of today (Thursday, December 16). “The forecast is for a cold weekend, with temperatures not forecast to go above zero, but hopefully there is a bit of warmth on the horizon next week.”
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