With the flat season up and running, we’re treated to a mixture of top-class flat and jumps action in the week ahead. In this article, we highlight the pick of the racing each day this week, including the fantastic action on offer this weekend.
Monday 25th March
The week starts quietly, with just a trio of meetings to look forward to. There’s jump action at Exeter and Huntingdon, but the pick of the action comes on the flat at Newcastle. Their feature race (6pm) can go the way of the exciting filly Lady Dorchester, who represents the same connections who won the Lincoln Handicap on Saturday.
Tuesday 26th March
We’re treated to a perfect mixture of two flat meetings and two jumps fixtures, with the jumps action coming from Taunton and Newcastle. The feature race at Taunton (4.20pm) sees Olly Murphy’s Hara Kiri bid to complete a hat-trick, having won his last two races by the smallest of margins.
The flat action comes from Dundalk and Southwell, with the former hosting an interesting race (8pm) that A P O’Brien has won the last three renewals of. His sole entry in this year’s race is Agenda, but he’ll face a tough challenge from the likes of Huxley and Sea The Polaris.
We’ll also see the latest update for the Grand National at the latest acceptance stage for the feature race of the Aintree Festival next month.
Wednesday 27th March
A further four meetings go to post on Wednesday, with a trio of jumps fixtures to look forward to at Hereford, Wexford and Wincanton. The latter hosts the best of the action, with their feature (3.30pm) set to feature some talented mares, including Sabrina, Blue Bikini and Gaye Legacy.
The flat action comes on the all-weather at Kempton in the evening, with the feature race (7pm) set to feature some old favourites, including Mums Tipple, Mostabshir and Rohaan.
Thursday 28th March
It’s a similar case as it was with Wednesday, with a trio of jumps meetings to get stuck into, as well as an all-weather evening flat fixture. The feature race of the day could arguably come from the all-weather meeting at Southwell (6.30pm), with some extremely well-bred types in the line-up, including Andrew Balding’s Frankel colt Cadogan Place.
Friday 29th March
Newcastle hosts it’s All-Weather Championship Finals day, with over £1 million in prize money up for grabs. The Listed Burradon Stakes (1.30pm) kicks off the card, with John & Thady Gosden’s Orne set to prove popular in the opener. The day is all about the all-weather, with further action at Chelmsford and Lingfield, and the latter has plenty of prize money on offer too.
We sadly lost the Lambourn Open Day to the weather, but the Middleham open day is still set to go ahead.
Saturday 30th March
The best racing on offer on Saturday actually comes from Dubai, who hosts their World Cup meeting, that features the best horses from Japan and the US, whilst the likes of Auguste Rodin and Lord North will be the leading chance from Britain and Ireland.
Back in the UK, the pick of the action comes from Haydock and Musselburgh, with ITV showing seven of the key races from their cards. That includes the Queen’s Cup (3.35pm) at Musselburgh, which could see the likes of Tashkhan, Max Vega and Wise Eagle begin their Flat campaigns. Further flat action in the UK comes from Wolverhampton (all-weather), whilst jumps action comes from Carlisle and Newton Abbot.
Over in Ireland, there’s a Listed Hurdle (5.05pm) with €100,000 in prize money on offer – County Hurdle winner Absurde is one of the notable entries for Willie Mullins. Over in the US, there could be some clues for the Kentucky Derby as Gulfstream Park hosts the Grade 1 Floriday Derby (10.42pm).
Sunday 31st March
There’s Grade 1 action on offer at Fairyhouse, with the Gold Cup (4.55pm) set to feature plenty of Cheltenham Festival winners. The likes of Corbetts Cross, Fact To File, Gaelic Warrior and Inothewayurthinking are all entered in the Grade 1, in a race that Willie Mullins could potentially win for the sixth successive season. There’s further Grade 1 action on the card in the form of the Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle (2.35pm), which could feature the likes of Jade De Grugy, Jetara and Brighterdaysahead.
In the UK, there’s a trio of jumps meetings at Ffos Las, Plumpton and Market Rasen, whilst the sole flat action comes from the all-weather at Southwell.
