Melton Hunt Club Racecard and Entries now online.
The penultimate race meeting of the Midlands season brings the return of spectators to Garthorpe, where the going is described as on the easy side of good for the Melton Hunt Club meeting.
Public entry for this meeting is by ticket only, in order to comply with COVID regulations. Tickets for the spectator zone are available via the Midlands Pointing website. Garthorpe is North of Wymondham, between Saxby and Coston on the B676/
There are 128 horses entered for this seven-race meeting with the first race starting at 2pm. Prior to this there will be some pony races.
A number of horses have entries in more than one race and also at other race meetings. Please check the list of nonrunners on the day. Several races have more than 20 horses entered meaning they could be split when declarations have been made.
The feature race of the afternoon will be the Mixed Open at 4.20pm. 22 horses have entries in this race including veteran campaigner Hazel Hill. Other entries of note include Diplomate Sivola, Just Cause, Robin des People, Southfield Theatre, Royal Chant and Badbad Leroy Brown. Minella Friend returns having won the Fernie Four-Miler last time out. Gina Andrews has a ride on Excitable Island for Nigel Padfield or Celtic Silver for husband Tom Ellis.
The afternoon's first jump race is the Club Members Conditions race. A number of the Mixed Open horses have entries in this race as well, making for an interesting line-up. Celtic Silver will probably run in this race, with Gina Andrews on board, while brother Jack has a number of possible rides, including Bingo Star, winner of the Conditions race here at the last meeting at the end of April, and Al Shahir, second here last time out. Hadmeathello beat Bingo Star at Dingley in April, while Irish Anthem is trained by in-form Joe O'Shea.
Fier Jaguen returns to the Midlands for the Restricted race, next, having won last time at Dingley in impressive fashion. How To Get Away won here at Garthorpe last time, while Ivebeentold and The Rosary Flyer won their maidens over the shorter 2m4f distance. Rebel Dawn Rising could be due a win after finishing a good second last time, especially with David Kemp's yard being on good form of late.
The Novice Riders Conditions race is next up, where Minella Friend - winner of the Mixed Open Fernie Four-Miler last time - and Brown Bear - winner at Mollington a fortnight ago are two to watch.
The next is the Final of Retraining of Racehorses and The Jockey Club Veteran Horse series, for horses of ten years old or older. As one might expect for a series final this race has attracted a good quality of entries, but once again a number of these horses are also entered in other races on this card. Thumb Stone Blues carries top weight here having won their last four outings for the James King/Jason Warner team but this quality field should produce a great race.
What is planned to be the final jump race of the day is the Maiden, with 23 entries, but there are a number of trainers and jockeys with multiple entries here, in the hope of a split race. Of the previously pointed horses in this field the one most due a win must be the Chatfeild-Roberts family's Go Go Geronimo, with four seconds to date, including a close second here last time, having been caught on the run in by How To Get Away. Alan Hill-trained Le Grand Fromage is another who was second on their last outing, and with some good performances under rules they must be due to move up the grades soon. Bradley Gibbs could ride Watching Brief, placed under rules, for their first attempt between the flags. Kaproyale is another debutante of interest, from the stable of Francesca Nimmo. Also in this line-up are the usual smattering of four and five-year-old store horses, including the grey Champs Elysees gelding Jervaulx who has a ten-pound allowance.
Finally our day's entertainment is brought to a close by the Point-to-Point Flat Race for four and five year old horses, run over the shorter two mile distance. As many as 15 could come to post for this, the majority on their racecourse debut, some travelling a long way for this chance to impress before a possible trip to the sales.
