THE JOCKEY CLUB WEST RACECOURSES
2 CARL I SLE Famed for the Carlisle Bell and Cumberland Plate on the Flat, Carlisle is the most northern of The Jockey Club Racecourses, situated just a matter of miles outside
Scotland. Also sitting close to the Lake District, it’s the perfect course to visit whether you’re a local or on your travels, and the Colin Parker Memorial Chase is a great race to target in the Jump season. Taking place on Sunday 31 October 2021, the race has been won in recent years by the likes of Imperial Aura, Lostintranslation, Waiting Patiently and Many Clouds. So, despite only being a 2m 4f race, it often unearths some proper staying chasers who have gone on to races such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Randox Grand National.
5 HAYDOCK PARK Located just seconds off J23 of the M6, Haydock Park is not only one of the most easily accessible locations, but also one of the most action packed. With fixtures coming thick and fast, both on the Flat and over Jumps, it’s never too far away from another cracking day of racing. When it comes to the Jump season, Haydock Park plays host to the first Grade One Chase of the season – the Betfair Chase. Many regard it as the first step on the road to the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Kauto Star regularly using the race as a prep for several of his victories at Prestbury Park. In recent times, the race has become a favourite for the Nigel Twiston-Davies runner, Bristol De Mai, who has won the Haydock feature in 2017, 2018 and 2020. With less than 20 miles between Aintree and Haydock Park, the course also plays host to a successful Grand National Trial each February, with Red Rum and Party Politics among its illustrious former winners.
3 WARWICK Community is key at Warwick, and the locals are certainly proud of their racecourse and regularly pack the Grandstands for their New Year’s Eve fixture, as well as their highlights of the season in the Classic Chase
and The Agetur UK Kingmaker. The Grade Three Classic Chase takes place in early January and with its 3m 5f test, it often attracts potential Randox Grand National candidates with One For Arthur winning it as recently as 2017. The Grade Two Agetur UK Kingmaker Novices’
Chase is a different challenge all together, and is suited more for the speeder types over 1m 7½f, with the Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival often the winner’s target for the spring. Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has been particularly successful in the race, winning the Kingmaker with Lake Kariba (1998), Flagship Uberalles (1999), Whitenzo (2001), Armaturk (2002) and Vibrato Valtat (2015).
4 WINCANTON As one of the sharpest tests in the country, Wincanton certainly lends itself well to the quicker horses, so it probably comes as no surprise that its feature race – the Betway Kingwell Hurdle – is widely recognised as a trial for the Unibet Champion Hurdle. Several horses have managed to win them both over the years including Bula, Lanzarote, Kribensis, Alderbrook, Hors La Loi III and Katchit, while Desert Orchid, Azertyiuop, Inglis Drever and Binocular all hold Kingwell victories on their racing CVs. Wincanton also hosts the listed Badger Beers Silver Trophy, which always proves to be a hugely popular race in the calendar. This season, Badger Beers celebrate 60 years of sponsoring the race.
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