BUMPER £152,000 PRIZE POT FOR THE RICHEST RACING OF THE SEASON AT HAMILTON PARK RACECOURSE
Racegoers are set to flock to Hamilton Park Racecourse this Thursday and Friday as the venue hosts its richest racing of the year.
The bumper John Smith’s Fair Friday Racenight with Bon Giovi, and the Racing UK Club Raceday sees over £152,000 prize money on offer over this Thursday and Friday, topping last year’s total of £140,000.
The most valuable races take place at The John Smith’s Fair Friday Racenight with some of the finest racing anywhere in Scotland including the John Smith’s Scottish Stewards’ Cup (Class 2) and the Listed EBF Stallions Glasgow Stakes (Class 1).
More than £106,000 in prize money will be up for grabs across the seven race card, making it the course’s richest racenight of the year.
The £42,000 Listed EBF Stallions Glasgow Stakes is targeted by some of the top trainers in the UK. Previous winners include: Hunter’s Light, who went on to win Group 1 events in Italy and Dubai and Postponed, who most recently won The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Cup at Epsom Down’s Derby meeting and has been among the highest rated horses in the world in recent years.
The £34,000 John Smith’s Scottish Stewards’ Cup has been run since 2001 and is always a popular mid-season highlight in Scotland.
Golfer Lee Westwood might be in Troon for The Open this weekend but the Englishman will have one eye on Hamilton Park as his and Chubby Chandler’s sprinter and 2011 Goodwood Stewards’ Cup winner, Hoof It, is entered.
Other entries include 2014 winner Blaine and last year’s second and third placed horses, Tatlisu and Shared Equity.
In form Orion’s Bow is also entered and would run off the back of four consecutive wins which have seen his rating rocket from 69 to 91 in the space of six weeks.
In the Listed EBF Stallions Glasgow Stakes the star entry is Steel Of Madrid who finished fourth in the Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.
As well as Steel of Madrid, leading British trainer Richard Hannon also has Ventura Storm entered while Godolphin’s Charlie Appleby has Carrington and Bachelorhood, a winner at Hamilton on his only run on 8th June. Fellow Newmarket trainer John Gosden has Wajeez entered, a winner on his only run at Nottingham last November.
Looking at the Hamilton Park Trainers Championship local trainer Keith Dalgleish currently leads the way.
The Carluke trainer extended his lead after a treble on Saturday night and now has eight winners from 57 runners this season.
Sulekha Varma, Racing Manager at Hamilton Park Racecourse said: “We’re really looking forward to a fantastic evening of racing. Fifteen of the thirty-two horses entered into the John Smith’s Scottish Stewards Cup also hold entries in the famous Qatar Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood.
“The calibre of horse we are aiming to attract means both our regular race-goers and those coming for the first time will be in for a night of top quality racing action.
“We are finding that trainers are increasingly viewing the slot as a fantastic spring-board for the rest of the season. We would hope that some of the runners will go on to be possible contestants in future big events in the UK racing calendar.”
Off the track punters will be entertained by one of the world’s top tribute acts Bon Giovi who will be sure to get the crowd dancing and singing along to Bon Jovi’s greatest hits after the last race.
Gates open at 12 noon for The Racing UK Club Raceday on Thursday 14 July with the first race at 2.10pm whilst John Smith’s Fair Friday Racenight on Friday 15 July gets underway at 4pm for the with first race at 6.05pm.
