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RICHEST-EVER DAY AT SALISBURY

Posted September 26th 2005

Salisbury plays host to a fabulous afternoon of action on Saturday, October 8, boasting prize money of £165,000 - a record for a day's racing at the popular Wiltshire course.

The fixture has been transferred from Ascot for this year, as the Royal racecourse is currently closed for a multi-million pound redevelopment, and features a pair of Group Three races plus a Listed contest. All three will be broadcast live on BBC television - an unprecedented level of terrestrial coverage for Salisbury. In another change from the usual broadcasting arrangements, the meeting will be broadcast on digital/cable on the At The Races channel, which has an agreement with Ascot, rather than Salisbury's usual media partner, Racing UK.

Salisbury was set to stage this fixture in 2004, but unfortunately the weather intervened and had to be abandoned due to waterlogging. However, Clerk of the Course Jeremy Martin is expecting no such problems this time, as the second half of this year has been substantially drier than it was in 2004 and the course should be able to deal with any rain that arrives.

The two big races of the day are the £40,000 Group Three skybet.com AUTUMN STAKES (1.40pm) and the £40,000 Group Three totesport.com CORNWALLIS STAKES (2.15pm). The skybet.com Autumn Stakes, run over a mile for two-year-olds, often proves a most informative pointer to future success, with the best winner in recent years being the Marcus Tregoning-trained Nayef in 2000, who went on to win four Group One races during his illustrious career. Inaugurated in 1946, the totesport.com Cornwallis Stakes is a major end of season target for two-year-old sprinters, with the 2003 renewal landed by Majestic Missile and the roll of honour boasting the likes of Absalom, Hallgate and Argentum - all top-class sprinters.

Racing gets underway with the £32,000 Listed EUROPEAN BREEDERS FUND HARVEST STAKES (1.10pm), a mile and a half contest for fillies and mares. Racegoers should keep a close eye on any runners trained by Sir Michael Stoute and Luca Cumani, as both handlers have an impressive record in this race.

The big handicap of the day is the £20,000 SKYBET PRESS RED TO BET STAKES (2.45pm) over a mile and a quarters while the three remaining contests on the seven-race programme are the £5,000 SKYBET PRESS RED TO BET NURSERY (3.20pm), the £8,000 poshvillas.com FILLIES' STAKES (3.55pm) and the £10,000 PRESS RED AND PLAY SKY VEGAS ROULETTE HANDICAP (4.30pm).

A variety of attractions for children will be on offer on October 8, including a bouncy castle, and clowns while music will be provided by pipers and drummers from the band of the Black Watch regiment. A creche will also be in operation. Gates open at 11.00am. Some bars will be staying open after racing to screen the England versus Austria World Cup Qualifier, which kicks off at 4.00pm.

Admission prices are the same as at all other Salisbury meetings - Members £18, Tattersalls £11 and Course £6. As at all Salisbury's racedays, accompanied children under 16 are admitted FREE. A big screen will be in operation to ensure that racegoers miss none of the action and full-colour racecards are also available.

Jeremy Martin, Clerk of the Course and General Manager at Salisbury, said: "Salisbury is delighted to be staging the richest day of racing in its history with £165,000 on offer.

"With the three big races of the day featured live on the BBC, this promises to be one of the proudest moments in the history of the racecourse and we look forward to welcoming the country's leading trainers and jockeys for what should be a great day's racing."

There is also a six-race programme at Salisbury on Wednesday, September 28, when the highlight is the £15,000 WOOD BMW CONDITIONS STAKES over six furlongs for two-year-olds. Gates open at noon, with the first race at 2.30pm.

For further information, please contact Jeremy Martin, Salisbury's Clerk of the Course, on 01722 326461.

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