THEY’RE going down to the stalls . . . and in less than 24 hours, the runners and riders will finally be coming under starters orders again. British racing bigwigs were given the green light by government on Saturday afternoon and the action kicks off with a bumper 10-race card at Newcastle. Ireland has already been given the […]
THEY’RE going down to the stalls . . . and in less than 24 hours, the runners and riders will finally be coming under starters orders again.
British racing bigwigs were given the green light by government on Saturday afternoon and the action kicks off with a bumper 10-race card at Newcastle.
Ireland has already been given the green light to end the shutdown in just over a week’s time.
Both authorities will race with strict protocols in place to meet government guidelines – but it’s a small price to pay with racing back on our screens.
BHA chief Nick Rust said: “It’s great to be back and this is a brilliant opportunity for racing to showcase itself to the public, with the sort of coverage we haven’t seen for 40 or 50 years in comparison to other sports.”
Britain’s last winner was Voodoo Doll over the sticks at Taunton on March 17.
After a shutdown of 76 days, here’s your guide to the magic in store for punters in England and Ireland.
JUNE 1: British racing’s BIG return comes at Newcastle . . . with an ten-race all-weather card. We also get the chance to see the first Classics of the season in Europe as the French 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas take place at Deauville.
JUNE 2: We’re back at Newcastle again, with a hugely competitive all-weather card. There will also be nine races at Kempton featuring the first two-year-old race of the season.
JUNE 3: The green green grass of home. The first Flat turf action gets underway with a nine-race card at Yarmouth. There will also be the Group 3 Classic Trial, normally run at Sandown and won last year by Bangkok, on the all-weather at Kempton.
JUNE 4: The Group 3 Pavilion Stakes, the key trial for the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, will be run on the all-weather at Newcastle. And there will also be an opening visit to Newmarket.
JUNE 5: The first British Group 1 of 2020 will be held at Newmarket as the Coronation Cup — saved from the postponed Derby meeting — is the feature on a mouthwatering card.
It is Lingfield’s big day of the year on the grass as Classic prospects strut their stuff in the Derby and Oaks Trials. Last year, Ballydoyle’s Anthony Van Dyck, ridden by Ryan Moore, and John Gosden’s Anapurna — won both races before going on to success in the Derby and Oaks at Epsom.
JUNE 6: Newmarket hosts the first British Classic of the year as a field of top-class colts tackle the 2,000 Guineas. All eyes will be on Pinatubo, who went unbeaten last year and was ranked ‘the best two-year-old since Frankel’ by BHA handicappers.
The meeting also features the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes for fillies, now run over ten furlongs, and the Group 3 Palace House Stakes.
Meanwhile, the Group 3 Sagaro Stakes — a big Gold Cup trial usually run at Ascot — will take place at Newcastle. There is also the first twilight card of the restart with Lingfield.
JUNE 7: It’s the turn of the girls as the 1,000 Guineas is the highlight at Newmarket. The hot favourite is Quadrilateral, an unbeaten daughter of Frankel trained by Roger Charlton and ridden by jockey sensation Jason Watson.
The Listed Pretty Polly Stakes, a big Oaks Trial, adds depth to a glittering card. In the north west we have Haydock with the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes, usually run at Sandown. There will also be action at Lingfield.
JUNE 8: Irish racing is back with an eight-race card at Naas, featuring a pair of Listed races over five and a half furlongs. In England, racing steps up a gear on a daily basis with three cards each day, starting with Haydock, Lingfield and Chelmsford.
JUNE 9: A big day of Classic trials at Leopardstown, with the Group 3 Derrinstown Derby Trial and Listed 2,000 and the 1,000 Guineas Trials lighting up a traditionally high-class meeting. There is also afternoon action from Haydock and a pair of all-weather cards at Chelmsford and Wolverhampton.
JUNE 10: The pattern-race action continues in Ireland with the Listed Heritage and Salsabil Stakes at Navan. There is also an all-weather meeting at Kempton, more turf action by the seaside at Yarmouth and a first trip to popular Pontefract.
JUNE 11: A busy Thursday will see turf racing at Bath, Beverley, Yarmouth and a first visit to Gowran Park.
JUNE 12: For the second week on the trot, punters have some Classic action to savour with the Irish 2,000 Guineas at The Curragh, supported by the Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes. In Britain we make a first visit to Newbury. Wolverhampton completes the day.
JUNE 13: It’s the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday, and last year Hermosa gave Aidan O’Brien an unprecedented eighth win in the race.
High-class action at Doncaster, Newbury and Sandown complete what will be a super Saturday for punters before Leicester takes over in the evening. The Group 3 Diomed Stakes will be held at Newbury and has been saved from the Derby meeting.
JUNE 14: The action keeps coming thick and fast as we return to Leopardstown with the Listed Noblesse and Saval Beg Stakes, while British punters will enjoy a Sunday feast from Doncaster, a first trip to beautiful Goodwood, where the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes could provide some Derby clues, and another meeting at HQ at Newmarket.
JUNE 15: Goodwood and Pontefract are the main attractions on Monday, including the Listed Pontefract Castle Stakes, and there will also be an evening card when confirmed. The meetings in Ireland are at Fairyhouse and Roscommon.
JUNE 16: It’s Royal Ascot, but not as we know it. The world-famous meeting will be very different this year, with six new races, a revised running order and no top hat and tails required.
It kicks off behind closed doors with a stellar card, including the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, Group 1 King’s Stand and the Group 2 Ribblesdale and King Edward VII Stakes — now transformed into key Oaks and Derby trials.
Thirsk and an evening card at Windsor complete the action. There is no racing in Ireland.
JUNE 17: Royal Ascot continues behind closed doors with the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, the historic Royal Hunt Cup and a new 1m6f contest for older horses, the Copper Horse Handicap.
Beverley and Chelmsford also take place while in Ireland there is a Flat card at Limerick.
JUNE 18: The feature of the week at Royal Ascot, the Group 1 Gold Cup over 2m4f, takes place on Thursday.
Top stayers Stradivarius, who will again be ridden by old pal Frankie Dettori, and Kew Gardens will lock horns while there are three other cards at Newmarket, Redcar and at Fairyhouse.
JUNE 19: The Friday action at Royal Ascot features the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup a valuable sprint for three-year-olds and won last year by the Frankie Dettori-ridden Advertise. The race is backed up by the Group 2 Hardwicke and Norfolk Stakes.
Newmarket go again while it’s Lingfield in the evening. There are also two Flat meetings at Tipperary and Gowran Park.
JUNE 20: A change to the race order means Royal Ascot closes with a bang on the Saturday. The Coronation Stakes, St James’s Palace and Diamond Jubilee make it a glitzy Group 1 hat-trick, while there is also the Wokingham Handicap and Group 2 Coventry Stakes.
Four other cards at Newmarket, Kempton, Ripon and Naas.
JUNE 21: Leopardstown stages an eight-race card, featuring the Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes, while in England the action comes from Redcar, Kempton and Wolverhampton.
JUNE 22: Gordon Elliott will be delighted to see the jumps racing making its long-awaited return in Ireland at Limerick.
In Britain, traditional Monday evenings at Windsor make a comeback, while Ayr could stage the Listed Land O’Burns Stakes. There is also racing from Thirsk and a Flat card in Ireland at Roscommon.
JUNE 23: Kempton, Beverley and Navan are scheduled.
JULY 4: Epsom will stage the Derby and Oaks.
JULY 5: The Coral-Eclipse at Sandown plus the French Derby and Oaks.
JULY 18: Irish Oaks at The Curragh.
JULY 28: Five days of Glorious Goodwood starts.
AUGUST 19: Start of the four-day Ebor Festival at York.
JUNE 24: Haydock stages the first meeting of a double-header alongside Windsor. In Ireland, there is more jumping action, this time at Roscommon, while there is Flat action at Naas.
JUNE 25: Bath and Leicester join Haydock, where the feature is the Listed Eternal Stakes, on Thursday, while Fairyhouse keeps things ticking along in Ireland.
JUNE 26: It’s day one of a Classic meeting at the Curragh which gets underway with the valuable Premier Handicap. In Britain, the sport comes from Newmarket, Doncaster and Lingfield.
JUNE 27: It’s Irish Derby Day at the Curragh. It may only be worth half of what it was last year but that won’t stop Aidan O’Brien trying to win it for a 14th time. Last year his Sovereign caused a huge shock when winning at 33-1.
It’s Northumberland Plate day at Newcastle, while there is Group 3 action at Newmarket in the form of the Criterion Stakes. Lingfield and Redcar host the action in Britain.
JUNE 28: An epic weekend in Ireland comes to a close at the Curragh with the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes and Group 2 Greenland Stakes, won last season by Richard Fahey’s Mr Lupton. Newmarket and Windsor are also scheduled, including a pair of Listed races at the latter.
JUNE 29: There is turf racing from Windsor, Yarmouth and Thirsk in Britain, while the sport continues at Limerick in Ireland.
JUNE 30: Doncaster is the only confirmed meeting so far for the final day in June but there will be two others.
