A Guide To The Weekend’s Racing 09/04/2015

Fancy watching some live racing this weekend? Make sure you don’t miss a trick with our guide to the best up-coming meetings of the next three days.

Friday

Of course, Aintree‘s Grand National meeting continues tomorrow with a high quality field lining up for the Melling Chase (15:25) before the National fences themselves get a going over in the Topham (16:05).

Elsewhere, there’s another jumps card at Fontwell with the going anticipated to be good. A seven race meeting (with one bumper), whilst these events may not be of the best standard, they will sure be competitive. Perhaps the best alternative to the happenings in Liverpool is evening jumps card at Wexford in Ireland, this meeting including a handicap hurdle over 3m for horses rated 80 to 102 (18:05) and a 2m,3f beginners chase for mares (18:35).

In terms of flat racing, they go over the all-weather at Wolverhampton,  the highlight of this evening card being a class four 5f sprint featuring the likes of course and distance winner Boxing Shadows and Southwell specialist Extreme Supreme (18:50). At Leicester, a five-strong field line up for the class three feature race with Justice Good for David Elsworth likely to go off the odds-on favourite (15:15).

Saturday

Again, the final day of the Grand National meeting is obviously the jewel in the crown, Shutthefrontdoor bidding to give AP McCoy his second winner in the National in perhaps the jockey’s final race before his retirement (16:15). This is preceded by three Grade One events including the Maghull Novices’ Chase featuring Arkle winner Un De Sceaux (14:05) and the Liverpool Hurdle with Whisper looking to defend his title against World Hurdle winner Cole Harden (14:50).

Chepstow are running an alternative to the Aintree razzamatazz with a seven race (primarily) jump card of which the highlight is a 3m novices’ handicap chase set to feature former Grade One entrant Creepy and Fergal O’Brien’s Chase The Spud (15:05).

Other than this pair of offerings, your options are all flat meetings with all of Lingfield Park (polytrack), Newcastle and Wolverhampton (all-weather) hosting short and middle distance events on the flat. Over in Ireland, entrants will also get set to go over the flat at Gowran Park.

Perhaps the pick of these races is Newcastle’s 6f class three handicap, set to feature an array of horses from the experienced Barkston Ash to David O’Meara’s three-year-old one-time Group Two entry Eccleston (14:45).   

Sunday

There are four meetings to help you get rid of your post-Aintree blues, one held in both England and Wales and the remaining pair taking place in Ireland.

Both Ffos Las and Market Rasen are hosting jumps cards in mainland Britain, the highlight of these expected to be the former’s 15:40 handicap chase with former Welsh National winner Mountainous set to carry top weight for Richard Lee.

Whilst Tramore is another with a packed card of hurdles and chases, Leopardstown hosts the only flat meeting of the day with a seven strong card including a listed 2,000 Guineas trial (14:40) and a Group Three 1,000 Guineas trial (15:15).

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