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Newmarket Town Plate in new August slot 22/08/06

The last meeting of Newmarket's summer season beckons this Friday and Saturday afternoon, with the old and new very much to the fore - the old in the shape of the Newmarket Town Plate, the first race ever run under written rules in Britain back in 1666, which has a new slot this year as the last race on Saturday's card; and the new being what will beckon for the July Course immediately after this weekend, as the bulldozers prepare to roll into the July Course on Monday to start work on the track's £9 million redevelopment.

"The July Course hasn't changed much over the last 60 years," commented Lisa Hancock, Managing Director of Newmarket Racecourses.

"I would be the first to admit the redevelopment behind the stands is long overdue and I hope that in the not too distant future we will have the funding for the other stages within our July Course master plan which will see the stands themselves modernised.

"I must say that I won't be sorry to see the disparate array of buildings behind the stands disappear and I am confident that what we will be replacing them with, plus the extra space we will be gaining by pushing out the perimeter of the racecourse at the back, will greatly improve people's enjoyment here next summer.

"It is somehow rather appropriate that the very last race to be run here before the redevelopment begins will be oldest race of them all - the Town Plate. The fabric has to be modernised, but the history continues. The Town Plate has traditionally been run in October, as set out by an Act of Parliament by Charles II nearly 350 years ago, which in recent years has seen the race run as part of an Arab raceday. But with the redevelopment, October was a non-starter on the July Course so it is moving to this Saturday as part of a thoroughbred card and we will see how it goes."

Eighteen horses have been entered for the 3m 6f flat race, for which the prizes for the winning and placed riders consist of a box of Powters sausages and a voucher for Goldings, the tailor and outfitter in Newmarket High Street. It is not run under official Jockey Club rules and is restricted to amateur riders who are not licensed by the Jockey Club.

The entries include winners from the flat such as Lysanders Quest, Stolen Song and Domenica, and from National Hunt racing such as Auburn Spirit and Papua.

Highlight of Saturday's official card is the Hopeful Stakes (Listed) over six furlongs in which Pivotal Point and Fayr Jag stand out amongst the sixteen strong entry. Friday's card features the Renault Master EBF Maiden Stakes which invariably throws up some high class two-year-olds. The well-regarded Henry Cecil-trained Many Volumes may look to break his duck in it on his way to bigger things.

Newmarket Town Plate Entries
Horse Name Owner Rider
Baranook (IRE) Dr Peter Moran Dr Peter Moran
Carricklee Boy Peter Oppenheimer Peter Oppenheimer
Asabache S Regan Mrs Karen Naidu
Old Golden Grey Stephen William Colin Yates
Nicodemus Miss H Williams Miss H Williams
Kniveniven Catherine Fenemore Catherine Fenemore
Among Stars Leanne Jackson Nina Whitfield Lysanders
Quest Mrs Nield Gerry Chesneaux
Mr Jake Ted Haynes Craig Jarvis
Stolen Song M J Ryan John Ryan
Domenico (IRE) Peter J Kirkpatrick P Kirkpatrick
Ha Ha Ha Katie James Katie James
Doonis News Mr D C Stewart Mr D C Stewart
Papua N Quesnal Charlie Duckworth
Auburn Sprint Kieren Ryan Kieren Ryan
Hostile Native Helen Slater Helen Slater
Discomania Mr K F Clutterbuck Mrs Jane Clutterbuck
Veinte Siete Miss Juliet Frost Miss Juliet Frost