IT won’t be long until Hamilton Park emerges from its traditional winter hibernation and we can’t wait for the first meeting which is a week today.
The seven-race fixture carries £88,000 in prize money, with the feature event the £30,000 Totepool Tangerine Trees Conditions Stakes over 5f. A strong supporting card also includes the £20,000 Totepool Buttonhook Handicap over 1m 5f.
No race day will be worth less than £50,000 and no individual race worth less than £5,000 in a season when the total value rises 15 per cent to £1,166,400. In total there are 18 meetings in 2017 at the Lanarkshire track, which has undergone extensive remodelling with the whole of the grandstand first floor transformed and a full renovation of the Duke’s Bar and Restaurant, Panorama Bar and Conservatory Cafe.
There is set to be a repeat of Super Saturdays this year. The concept, a first in British racing, offers all-day entertainment from noon as well as live evening racing and some of those appearing include X Factor stars Reggie N Bollie, Honey G, and Ryan Lawrie, plus Marvin Humes, Matt Terry and Jake Quickenden who are booked for the popular Ladies Night fixture on August 5.
ONE For Arthur will shortly be off on his well deserved summer holiday. After winning the Grand National, “Arthur” was in demand for appearances at Kelso, Musselburgh, Ayr and Perth, but this weekend’s visit to the Fife Hunt point to point was his farewell until the autumn.
My money is on him returning to action at Kelso in the back-end and then it will be all roads leading back to Aintree next April.
IT was great to catch up with three-time champion lady amateur Carol Bartley at the Scottish Grand National festival last weekend. Bartley, who helps out on race days at Ayr, is riding out several times a week for Keith Dalgleish and she has been busy reminding him not to forget to enter horses for races for unpaid riders. We think she is hoping for a ride in the amateur mile handicap at Ayr’s opening Flat meeting on May 8.
THE 2016-17 jumps campaign may officially have finished yesterday but there are still plenty of opportunities to go national hunt racing this spring and summer at Kelso and Perth.
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