The April Meeting was originally held on a Friday and Saturday, but it’s been moved to a Wednesday and Thursday now so the typical audience that will turn up to watch it is a bit different from the weekend crowd. It’s very much an event for the race-lover, with the events on offer more interesting to those that really care about horses. That’s not to say that those that just have a passing interesting in the sport will be disappointed, of course. There’s plenty of decent racing to watch and have a flutter on if that takes your fancy.
That is perhaps more evident on Day One than it is on the second day of the meeting, if for no other reason than the presence of the Grade 2 Silver Trophy Chase. The other races might not be Graded but they’re still fascinating in their own right, so check out the race card and see which ones tickle your fancy. More than a couple of the races are ones featuring a decently sized field, offering plenty of opportunity for a shock or two when the winner crosses the finish line. We’ll have a closer look at them all here.
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April Meeting Wednesday Race Card
There’s one standout race on the first day of the April Meeting, with four Class 2 races to bulk out the card. It’s a day that tends to be filled with races that boats a relatively large field, so it’s ideal for punters that like to bet on runs that can be a bit of a dice-roll in terms of results.
Race 1 - Novices' Hurdle - 14:05
- Grade: Class 2 Hurdle
- Distance: 2m 4f 56y (4075m)
- Fences: 10
- Course: New Course
Raced over two miles, four furlongs and fifty-six yards (2m, 4f, 56y), the day’s opener is for novices aged four and up.
There are ten hurdles that need to be negotiated before the horses get into the final stretch. It’s a Class 2 race, which can perhaps be viewed as a sign of things to come over the two days.
2019 Winners
- Horse - Dashel Drasher
- Jockey - Matt Griffiths
- Trainer - Jeremy Scott
- Overall Prize Money - £20,000
- For The Winner - £12,380
Race 2 - Silver Trophy Chase - 14:40
- Grade: Grade 2
- Distance: 2m 4f 127y (4140m)
- Fences: 17
- Course: New Course
This is widely considered to be the feature race of Day One at the April Meeting, thanks in no small part to the seventeen fences that must be jumped in order to get home as the winner. They are spaced out over two miles, four furlongs and one-hundred and twenty-seven yards (2m, 4f, 127y). It’s a Grade 2 limited handicap race for horses aged five and over. This is the one that people will get most excited about, as evidenced by the fact that the winning money is double that of the first race, so listen out to what others are saying on the course and see if you can pick up any tips.
Established in 1986, this race was initially run over two miles and four furlongs and achieved Grade Two status five years after it first took place. The length was extended to its current numbers in 1993, becoming a limited handicap a decade later after having been a conditions race before that. Norton's Coin is the only horse to have won it more than once, with Tony McCoy and Ruby Walsh both earning themselves three wins in it over the years. The most successful trainer title is also shared, with Paul Nicholls and Martin Pipe boasting four wins apiece.
2019 Winners
- Horse - Mister Whitaker
- Jockey - Jonathan Burke
- Trainer - Mick Channon
- Overall Prize Money - £60,000
- For The Winner - £33,862
Race 3 - Kingston Stud Handicap Hurdle - 15:15
- Grade: Class 2 Hurdle
- Distance: 2m 4f 56y (4075m)
- Fences: 10
- Course: New Course
Race three is close to being identical to the first race of the day in terms of what’s involved for the horses taking part in it. Run over two miles, four furlongs and fifty-six yards (2m, 4f, 56y), there are another ten hurdles placed around the course.
The big difference is that it isn’t limited to novices and it’s a handicap race, meaning that the Handicapper will decide how much extra weight each horse has to run with. As with the day’s opener, it’s a Class 2 race that hasn’t yet been upgraded to be given a Grade.
2019 Winners
- Horse - Le Patriote
- Jockey - Sam Twiston-Davies
- Trainer - Dr Richard Newland
- Overall Prize Money - £25,000
- For The Winner - £15,475
Race 4 - Nicholson Holman Chase - 15:50
- Grade: Class 3 Chase
- Distance: 3m 1f 56y (5080m)
- Fences: 21
- Course: New Course
If the previous races have all been about speed then this one is very much something of an endurance test for the horses taking part in it. It’s actually a fair bit shorter than the three races that have gone before, lasting for three miles, one furlong and fifty-six yards (3m, 1f, 56y). Yet it’s the amount of jumping that the competitors need to do that make it a race for anyone to take.
There are twenty-one fences to be negotiated before the finishing post comes into sight, meaning that the five-year-old and over horses racing in it will need to be on their game. As the name suggests, it’s a limited handicap race for novices that have a rating of 0-135, lending it its Class 3 certification.
2019 Winners
- Horse - Bob Mahler
- Jockey - Daryl Jacob
- Trainer - Warren Greatrex
- Overall Prize Money - £19,000
- For The Winner - £10,840
Race 5 - Handicap Hurdle - 16:25
- Grade: Class 2 Hurdle
- Distance: 2m 7f 213y (4822m)
- Fences: 12
- Course: New Course
Another handicap race follows straight on the heels of race four, though this one isn’t limited. It’s open to horses aged four and over and is another Class 2 race of the day.
There are twelve hurdles present in this one, which jockeys and their steeds will have to get over during the relatively short two miles, seven furlongs and two-hundred and thirteen yards (2m, 7f, 213y) of the race.
This is the one to bet on if you like horses with decent odds, considering the starting price favourite back in 2018 was as long as 7/1.
2019 Winners
- Horse - Tobefair
- Jockey - Tom Bellamy
- Trainer - Debra Hamer
- Overall Prize Money - £20,000
- For The Winner - £12,380
Race 6 - Handicap Chase - 17:00
- Grade: Class 2 Chase
- Distance: 3m 2f (5230m)
- Fences: 21
- Course: New Course
The penultimate race of the opening day of the April Meeting is one that’s open to horses aged five and over that are rated between 0 and 150. It’s is the fourth Class 2 race of the day, so you can see what we’re talking about when we said that race one was a sign of things to come.
As with race four, this is a test of a horse’s jumping ability thanks to the twenty-one fences that they’ll need to cope with if they want to win. It lasts for three miles and two furlongs (3m, 2f). It normally boasts a field that stretches into double figures and if the going’s good will take around seven minutes for the competitors to complete. As the name suggests, this is another handicap offering.
2019 Winners
- Horse - Cobra De Mai
- Jockey - Harry Skelton
- Trainer - Dan Skelton
- Overall Prize Money - £25,000
- For The Winner - £15,511
Race 7 - Handicap Hurdle - 17:30
- Grade: Class 3 Hurdle
- Distance: 2m 179y (3382m)
- Fences: 8
- Course: New Course
The final race of Day One sees the conditional jockeys and amateur riders given a run out. They’ll need to be on the back of horses aged four and up with a rating of 0 to 140.
As you’ll have now doubt inferred from the race’s title, this is a handicap running that the Handicapper will do their best to ensure is as fair as possible for all of those running in it. It’s the second Class 3 race of the day and features eight hurdles placed over two miles and one-hundred and seventy nine yards (2m, 179y). Usually boasting a field of between ten and twenty competitors, it tends to last around four minutes on good ground.
2019 Winners
- Horse - Uno Mas
- Jockey - Jack Tudor
- Trainer - Christian Williams
- Overall Prize Money - £16,400
- For The Winner - £9,285
What To Expect
As mentioned, the fact that the meeting has been moved to midweek means that the crowd will be a relatively serious one, filled with people who want to learn about the horses before the jump racing season comes to a close and flat racing takes over for the summer. There’s another meeting at Cheltenham after this one, Race Night, so it’s also an opportunity to look out for horses to bet on at that meeting if you’re good at keeping your research up-to-date.
Day One is arguably the more serious of the two days, complete with a Grade 2 race that will pique the interest of the professional punter. The fact that it’s run during the week means that there are fewer people pretending that they know about racing just because they want to use it as an excuse to have a drink and more people that actually do understand the sport. If you’re there then keep an eye out for people who look like they’re knowledgeable and perhaps try and strike up a chat to get some tips.
Conclusion
Day One of the April Meeting certainly lacks the glamour of the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival and it doesn’t offer the same global audience that a trip to Aintree for the Grand National will present you with, but it is a decent opportunity to get along to the racecourse to see what all the fuss is about without the manic crowds of the month before.
Some of the races have slightly smaller fields, so they might not appeal to those of you that like to bet on events that are likely to be a bit more wild and unpredictable. There’s no doubt that racing connoisseurs will be big fans of Day One of the meeting, but don’t feel as if that means that you’re excluded if you’re more of a casual punter. At the very least it will offer you an opportunity to check out the fields and test a few betting theories in a more relaxed environment.