THE days are getting colder and the nights drawing in and that can mean only one thing – jump racing is back at Haydock Park!
We’ve had to wait a little while longer than most other courses in the UK, but things will certainly start with a bang on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of the Betfair Chase, the first Grade One race of the season in Britain.
The beginning of the jump season means that flat racing is finished at Haydock Park for another year and the campaign was wrapped up in sensational style, beginning with the Group One Betfair Sprint Cup in September.
Bristol De Mai and Native River
As usual, we were treated to a stunning field and the hype didn’t disappoint, with Emaraaty Ana gamely holding off the July Cup winner Starman in a photo finish.
And the drama didn’t end there as our Flat Finale provided the scene for the penultimate day of one of the closest jockeys’ title races that we’ve seen for many years.
Both William Buick and Oisin Murphy can be proud of their respective campaigns and it was the latter who all but sealed a third straight title success, when striking in the final race on the card with the Hughie Morrison-trained Whitehaven.
That drama on the Flat sets us up nicely for the return of Jump racing with the Betfair Chase, the first leg of the prestigious Jockey Club Chase Triple Crown, which is followed by the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and culminates with the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.
The trophy on offer bears the name of the only horse to ever win all three races in the same season – the great Kauto Star – and as usual we’re not short of contenders.
We are still at the five-day confirmation stage at the time of writing, but the signs are promising and we look set for a top-class field with up to nine possible starters.
The line-up seems likely to include the Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up A Plus Tard and it’s absolutely fantastic to see Henry de Bromhead and Jockey Club West Ambassador, Rachael Blackmore heading over from Ireland, as they bid to add even more silverware to their cabinets in 2021.
Standing in his way is Bristol De Mai, who will bid to equal Kauto Star’s record of four victories in this race.
No horse enjoys Haydock Park quite like Bristol De Mai and everything points to a world class match-up, with a Cheltenham Gold Cup hero in Native River also due to line up on the day.
Meanwhile, we were delighted to be involved with the seven Autism In Racing trial events which have been taking place this year and we hosted four children from nearby Wargrave House School in Newton-le-Willows for our Flat Finale Day.
The events are proving to be a big success and we’re thoroughly enjoying playing our part in encouraging the next generation of racing fans to enjoy a day on course by providing the facilities for them.
We hope both the children and their families will be back for many years to come, beginning with our next Austism in Racing Day on Wednesday, December 1.
We encourage all racegoers to purchase their tickets in advance from our website and with a range of fixtures and events coming up at Haydock Park between now and the end of the year there really is something for everyone.
To find out more head to www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/haydock.
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