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2005 - A SEASON TO REMEMBER AT SALISBURY

Posted September 26th 2005

There has been some tremendous racing at Salisbury throughout the 2005 season, with high-class performances from established stars and some promising runs from exciting horses of the future.

The year got off to a great start on May 1, when the feature betfair.com Handicap over six furlongs saw a dead-heat between Goodricke and Resplendent Glory. Resplendent Glory was subsequently successful on his next three starts, including in Listed company and a Group Three contest, both at Sandown Park, while Goodricke has fared even better, landing the Group One William Hill Sprint Cup at Haydock Park earlier this month.

Godolphin's Layman put up a great performance on his seasonal debut to lift the Group Three totesport Sovereign Stakes on August 11, breaking the 15 year-old track record form the mile course in the process. The track record (for all-aged runners) on the five-furlong course also fell when the juvenile colt Ajigolo landed the George Smith Horseboxes Maiden Stakes back in May. Later in the season, he captured a Group Two event at Baden-Baden, Germany.

There have also been some very exciting two-year-old winners at the course. Ed Dunlop's Nidhaal was an impressive scorer in the Listed EBF/Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes and is prominent in the ante-post market for next year's 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. She is a possible starter in next week's Group One Sky Bet Cheveley Park Stakes at the Suffolk course.

The standard bearer for the colts has been Sir Percy. Marcus Tregoning's charge was successful in the New Wiltshire Stand Champagne Auction Stakes in June before taking the Group Three Champagne Stakes at Glorious Goodwood the following month. He is currently prominent in the ante-post market for both next year's 2000 Guineas and Derby and holds entries in the Group One Darley Dewhurst Stakes and Group One Racing Post Trophy later this season.

Australian ace Kerrin McEvoy and Jimmy Fortune are currently vying for the honour of being the leading jockey at Salisbury in 2005 with seven wins apiece, while David Elsworth is the most successful trainer with eight wins, followed by Richard Hannon on six.

Jeremy Martin commented: "2005 has certainly been a season we have enjoyed at Salisbury with several high-class performances throughout the year.

"With a whole host of potentially exciting stars of the future having won at the course this season, we are looking forward to seeing our first classic winner since the 1999 2000 Guineas victor Island Sands.

"Racing at Salisbury continues to go from strength to strength and hopefully our fixture on October 8 should see some more memorable performances, while we are also already looking forward to our 2006 season.

""It was a special day for us when Lester Piggott opened the new Wiltshire Stand on June 23 and that facility has been praised by racegoers."

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

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