racing_news/

North West Masters Delivers Many Firsts
12/10/05

The most exciting new weekend of jump racing ever created in Britain, the North West Masters, is launched today (Wednesday, October 12) by Haydock Park and Aintree Racecourses, with the first-ever £1-million chasing bonus.

Haydock stages the initial day of the North West Masters on Saturday, November 19, and the thrilling feature is the new £150,000 Betfair Chase - the first time that an additional Grade One chase has been established.

The three-mile Betfair Chase is also the initial leg of the Betfair Million, the first £1-million bonus in jump racing, which also involves winning the Stan James King George VI Chase at Sandown on December 26 and the totesport Gold Cup at Cheltenham on March 17.

Haydock also stages the most valuable three-mile handicap hurdle run in Britain, the £70,000 betfairpoker.com Handicap Hurdle, on the same seven-race card which starts at 12.40pm.

Aintree the next day, Sunday, November 20, has another fabulous set of races, headed by the £100,000 totesport Becher Chase and the £60,000 totepool Grand Sefton Chase, both of which take place over the world famous Grand National fences and are being staged on the same day for the first time. The first race that day takes place at 1.05pm.

Thanks to support of the tote, both races have gone up significantly in value, with the totesport Becher Chase, run over three miles and three furlongs, rising by £25,000 and the two mile, six furlong totepool Grand Sefton Chase getting a £10,000 boost.

The weekend boasts a tremendous prize money total of £537,500, making the exciting meeting one of the most valuable two days in the British jumping calendar.

Adam Waterworth, Managing Director of Haydock Park Racecourse, said today: "Haydock Park is the North's leading dual purpose course and has a real jump racing heritage.

"We are enhancing that further by introducing this brand new Grade One chase, the Betfair Chase, which not only has tremendous prize money but is the first leg of the sensational Betfair Million bonus.

"The aim is to attract the best chasers to Haydock Park on November 19 and we are very encouraged by the responses of trainer and owners. Connections of Kicking King and Best Mate, winners of the last four totesport Cheltenham Gold Cups, are keen to run as are manyothers.
“Betfair’s backing has been crucial in creating the new race and the Betfair Million is a great incentive to run.

"This is the first time that Haydock Park and Aintree Racecourses have linked up and the result is the North West Masters which is also being generously supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency, the Mersey Partnership, Sefton Council, and St Helens Council.

"A special programme of off-course activity - including a free pop concert by The Bootleg Beatles and Texas in St Helens town centre on the Saturday evening - has been organised in conjunction with the local authorities, and the whole package promises to attract bumper crowds to the North West of England for the weekend."

Charles Barnett, Managing Director of Aintree Racecourse, added: "Racing at Aintree is always a unique and exciting experience and the North West Masters will be no exception.

“Aintree, world famous because of the John Smith's Grand National meeting, has tremendous racing over the Grand National fences on the second day of the North West Masters, thanks to the tote's backing.

"Sunday, November 20, will be the only day in our calendar - outside the Grand National Meeting in April - to witness races over the Grand National course.

"With Haydock Park and Aintree both putting on spectacular racing, the North West Masters will be a magnet for racing fans and newcomers to the sport, with accompanied children aged under 16 admitted free to all enclosures on both days.

"We look forward to welcoming everyone and building on the inaugural North West Masters in the years to come."

The launch took place today at Henrietta Knight’s stable near Wantage in Oxfordshire where Best Mate, the three-time totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, paraded.

Best Mate is on target for the Betfair Chase along with Kicking King, who won the 2005 totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, plus plenty of other top chasers.

Henrietta Knight said: “Best Mate is quite fresh at the moment - he looks bigger than usual but then he is older.

“I don’t expect him to win at Exeter on November 1 because of the distance of that race but it would be wonderful if he did.

“He does not have the toe that he did when he was younger but there is nowhere else to run. If Kicking King goes for the Betfair Chase, we don’t want to be a race behind when we meet him there.

“It would be asking a lot to go there without a race. Best Mate is a very good horse and a proven one, provided there is no reoccurrence of him breaking blood vessels.

“He was still sick when he bled in March. I have had horses who have bled and have never done so again.

“Best Mate is out every afternoon getting fresh air and that keeps him healthy which is the key. Kicking King is a superb horse but we still think the world of Best Mate. Maybe it is an advantage that he has low mileage.

”It is a joy to see him come out each morning because he looks like he owns the world.”

The two courses involved in the North West Masters, Haydock Park and Aintree, are owned by Racecourse Holdings Trust, the Jockey Club's racecourse group.

Looking ahead to the inaugural running of the North West Masters, Andrew Coppel, Chief Executive of RHT, said: “This is a very exciting initiative which will raise the profile of jump racing. The RHT Review in 2004 called for a better balanced jump racing programme, with major events being staged away from the spring festivals at Cheltenham and Aintree.

"The North West Masters absolutely fits these criteria in the shape of a progressive and enterprising initiative by Haydock Park and Aintree. It looks set to establish itself immediately as a key weekend in the jumping calendar."

TOTESPORT BECHER CHASE ALREADY PROVING AN ATTRACTION

The totesport Becher Chase is the highlight of day two of the North West Masters on the weekend of November 19 and 20.

The Aintree showpiece, run over three miles and three furlongs of the Grand National course, has received a £25,000 boost this year and is worth £100,000, while the same day’s totepool Grand Sefton Chase, now in its third year, has an increased prize of £60,000.

Rheindross, winner of the Britannia Building Society Summer National for trainer Charlie Mann in June, is being aimed at the totesport Becher Chase.

The 10-year-old, a three-time winner when trained in Ireland by Arthur Moore, arrived at Mann’s yard at the end of May. The gelding ran third in a two mile, five furlong handicap chase at Worcester on his debut for his new stable before scoring a surprise victory in Uttoxeter’s four-mile highlight on June 26.

Mann has opted to target the totesport Becher Chase rather than travel to the Czech Republic for the Velka Pardubicka last weekend.

The trainer commented: “He was bought at Doncaster Sales with a view to running in the Pardubicka but we’ve decided to shelve the Czech race and go for the totesport Becher Chase. I think the Aintree fences will suit the horse and he proved at Uttoxeter that he stays well.”

Stablemate Merchant’s Friend, a faller in last season’s John Smith’s Grand National, could join Rheindross in the race.

Forest Gunner captured the 2004 Grand Sefton Handicap Chase under Peter Buchanan and the Aintree specialist is firing on all cylinders ahead of a tilt at the totesport Becher Chase.

The Richard Ford-trained chaser has won on two of his three starts over the Grand National course and carried trainer’s wife Carrie Ford to fifth place in last season’s John Smith’s Grand National. The 11-year-old captured the Martell Cognac Fox Hunters’ Chase, with Carrie up, in 2004 and also won a novices’ hurdle at Aintree in 2001.

Ford has the North West Masters weekend at the top of Forest Gunner’s agenda. The trainer said: “His first scheduled outing for this season will be the totesport Becher Chase. He will also have an entry in the Betfair Chase at Haydock the day before but first preference is for the Becher because he runs so well round Aintree.

“I couldn’t be happier with Forest Gunner. He’s bang on schedule and I’m delighted. Peter Buchanan is unbeaten on him in two rides, so if he’s available, I don’t see why that partnership shouldn’t continue.

“If Peter’s not available then hopefully Graham Lee or Richard McGrath, who have both ridden him, would be able to take the ride. I don’t think there’s a shortage of people who would like to ride him. He’s very straightforward anyway.”

Ford has the totesport Becher Chase as the number one target for his charge and does not want to look too far ahead.

He explained: “I want to see how he shapes that weekend and take it from there. I don’t know about the Grand National - he didn’t get the trip last year and there’s no reason why he’ll get it next spring.”

Amberleigh House has emerged as the Aintree specialist of recent seasons. The 13-year-old has had nine outings over the big Aintree fences, notably when winning the Grand National in 2004 after coming third the previous year, and the totesport Becher Chase is his prime target this season.

Trained by Ginger McCain, famed for his handling of three-time Grand National hero Red Rum, Amberleigh House won the totesport Becher Chase in 2001 and has since finished second, third and fifth in the race.

Donald McCain, assistant trainer to his father reports Amberleigh House to be in fine form ahead of his fifth attempt at the prize. McCain said: “He summered really well and is very much on course for the Becher Chase. He only really comes alive at Aintree now but he seems to retain all his enthusiasm.

McCain hopes that Amberleigh House will return to Aintree in the spring for the Grand National but is aware that nothing can be taken for granted with a horse in the veteran stage of his career: “The Grand National is a long way off so the only plan is the Becher Chase and then we’ll see how we go from there. He’s 13 now so any long-term targets are subject to how he runs in the Becher Chase. He gets in the race off a much lower weight than he would in the Grand National.”

The totesport Becher Chase was first staged in 1992 when the Sue Smith-trained Kildimo won and the same trainer took the prize again in 2002 with Ardent Scout. Nigel Twiston-Davies has saddled the winner of the race on three occasions beginning with Indian Tonic in 1993, then Young Hustler in 1995 and Earth Summit in 1998, adding the prize to his Grand National triumph earlier in the year.

THE NORTH WEST MASTERS PROGRAMME

Haydock, Saturday, November 19, 2005

12.40pm £20,000 J. W. Lees Jump v Flat Jockeys Handicap Hurdle 2m

1.15pm £25,000 Gordon Plant Memorial Newton Novices’ Hurdle 2m

1.50pm £70,000 betfairpoker.com Handicap Hurdle 2m 7f 110yds

2.20pm £150,000 Betfair Chase 3m

2.50pm £25,000 Casino 36 Classic Hurdle (Limited Handicap) 2m

3.25pm £20,000 Edward Hanmer Memorial Handicap Chase 2m

3.55pm £2,500 Bert Stafford Memorial National Hunt Flat Race 2m

Aintree, Sunday, November 20, 2005

1.05pm £15,000 Weatherbys Bank Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle 2m 110yds

1.40pm £60,000 totepool Grand Sefton Handicap Chase 2m 5f 110yds

2.15pm £25,000 William Hill/Stanleybet Children In Need Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f

2.50pm £100,000 totesport Becher Chase 3m 3f

3.20pm £15,000 Intersky Novices’ Chase 2m

3.50pm £10,000 Ennis Construction Novices’ Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f