Monday 4th March
It’s a good start to the week’s racing, with Leopardstown hosting the pick of the action. Impressive hurdler Aspire Tower has looked good in two chase efforts this season and should be able to get off the mark in the Beginners Chase (4.30pm) on the Irish card. Elsewhere, there’s further jumps action at Southwell and Plumpton, whilst the flat action comes on the all-weather at Wolverhampton in the evening.
We’re also expected to find out in the afternoon whether Constitution Hill will run at Cheltenham, with trainer Nicky Henderson set to reveal the results of his blood test, after his disappointing work at Kempton last week.
Tuesday 5th March
A further trio of jumps meetings go to post on Tuesday, with action at Lingfield, Southwell and Thurles, whilst the sole flat action comes from Southwell. The Grand National picture will also become clearer around lunchtime, with the latest acceptance stage set to reveal any horses dropping out of the race.
The Flat season is edging closer and we will find out the entries for the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, where Aidan O’Brien’s Opera Singer and City Of Troy head the betting respectively.
Wednesday 6th March
Wednesday is a quieter day of racing, with action at Fontwell, Catterick and Kempton, with the latter the sole flat racing on the day.
It’s also an important day for the Cheltenham Festival, with the confirmations announced for day one of the Festival. We also get to see the entries for the Irish Grand National meeting at Fairyhouse.
Thursday 7th March
Confirmations are announced for day two of the Cheltenham Festival, whilst we’ll also find out any horses that are supplemented for any of the day two races.
The feature racing on Thursday comes from Lingfield, who host the Listed BetMGM Spring Cup. It’s a race that has tended to favour those drawn low, with seven of the last ten winners being drawn in either stalls 2 or 3.
There’s further flat action at Newcastle, whilst the jumps action comes from Carlisle, Clonmel and Wincanton.
Friday 8th March
It’s a quiet day of racing for a Friday, with just four meetings to look forward to. The pick of the action could come from Exeter, where Goshen could look to resurrect his chasing career (3.10pm), having been beaten by a combined 88 lengths on his two previous efforts over fences. There’s further action at Ayr, Leicester and Newcastle, with the latter providing the sole flat action.
We also find out the confirmations for day three of the Cheltenham Festival, which includes the runners for the four Grade 1’s on the card.
Saturday 9th March
Sandown plays host to the Betfair Imperial Cup (2.25pm), which is the feature race on Saturday. The pick of the flat action comes from Wolverhampton, with the Listed Lady Wulfuna Stakes (2.40pm) and the Lincoln Trial Handicap (3.15pm) the pick of the action on their card.
There’s further afternoon racing at Ayr and Hereford, whilst the evening racing comes on the all-weather at Chelmsford.
We also find out the confirmations for day four of the Cheltenham Festival, including finding out the runners for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Sunday 10th March
Declarations are announced for the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, where we should finally find out which race Willie Mullins will be sending Ballyburn to!
The feature racing on Sunday comes from Ireland, with Naas hosting the Leinster National, whilst there’s further action in Ireland at Limerick. Back in the UK, we have action from Kelso, Southwell and Warwick, with the latter hosting the Volcano Handicap Chase (4.10pm), in honour of the popular grey Volcano, who sadly died during racing last month.
