Racecourse fundraiser for Villa charities
TOMORROW’S Fiver Friday rounds off the racing at Warwick for this month and there is an opportunity for Aston Villa fans to support the club's charitable foundation, reports David Hucker.
Hosted by former player Andy Blair whose son Matty was a Stratford Town favourite before moving into the Football league, the Villa fund-raising event will be joined by Wilmcote trainer Olly Murphy, a keen fan, and tickets can be booked direct from the club.
It's a day when the course supports a number of local charities with Molly Ollys, Warwickshire Search and Rescue, Jessica's Promise and Priory Pools Community Centre all featuring. There will also be a silent disco to keep people entertained between races and, with adult tickets costing £5 and accompanied under-18's admitted free, this is a real value-for-money afternoon out for all the family during half term.
The most valuable race is the £15,000 JCB Fastrac Handicap Chase over two-and-a-half miles and amongst the 14 entries are the lightly-raced Demnat, who is set to carry top weight of 12-2, and hat-track seeking Salt Rock, who will need to improve again to overcome a 6lb rise in his handicap mark.
The eight-race card gets underway at 1.15pm with the Class 3 Warwick Novices' Chase over three miles for horses which have not won more than one chase. With two of the six entries not qualified, having won twice already, there will be a maximum field of four and it could develop into a battle between Chepstow winner Destroytheevidence and Deafening Silence who would be seeking to break his duck over fences at the fourth attempt.
Next up is the JCB 'Hands And Heels' Handicap Hurdle for conditional and amateur riders over three-and-a-quarter miles which has attracted 19 entries, the same number as the following EBF “National Hunt” Novices' Hurdle in which dual winners Go West and No Questions Asked set the standard.
Continuing the football link is the Aston Villa Foundation Handicap Hurdle over two miles and the last of the three steeplechases to be run on the afternoon is the Visit racingtv.com Mares' Handicap Chase (Queen Boudicca Mares' Chase Qualifier). The meeting ends at 4.45pm with the Join Racing TV Now Mares' Open National Hunt Flat Race in which leading trainer at the course, Dan Skelton, has two entries.
L'Eau du Sud, winner of the Kingmaker Novices' Chase at the last meeting, has had his odds cut for next month's My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival following the news that hot favourite Sir Gino will not run.
Trained by Skelton, L'Eau du Sud was winning for the fourth time in a row over fences and, although still available at odds of 10/1 after the race, has now been cut to 11/2 behind new favourite Majborough.
