Chelmsford City Racecourse | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cardinal Conditions S. Offers KY Points at Chelmsford on Thursday

Chelmsford City Racecourse, closed since sustaining damage from Storm Eunice in mid-February, opens its gates on Thursday highlighted by the £100,000 Woodford Reserve Cardinal Conditions S., which offers points (30-12-6-3) on the Road to the GI Kentucky Derby on May 7. A total of £155,996 in prizemoney will be offered throughout the eight-race card, which begins at 3:30 p.m. local time. Held over one-mile on the all-weather, the Cardinal has attracted a field of six 3-year-olds.

Leading the sextet is Godolphin's Blue Trail (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who already holds 20 points, as he triumphed in Kempton Park's 'Road To The Kentucky Derby' Conditions S. on Mar. 2. Second and third that day were Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's Harrow (Ire) (El Kabeir) and Prince Faisal's Find (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

Charlie Appleby said, “It's great that Chelmsford are doing a good job in staging a race of this value at this point of the season. I am glad it's being supported: it might not be big numbers but I am a big believer that you don't need numbers to make a good race if you get good horses, and I think they've done that.

He added “We've come out of the [Kempton] race well. What we've done this time is that we are going to remove the hood in the hope that it might just sharpen him up a little. But the preparations have gone well and obviously Harrow and Find are entitled to come forward a bit for their runs, but we are all going

there with good experience under our belts and may the best horse win.”

The field also includes the listed-winning Mr Professor (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}), who is trained by Alice Haynes for Amo Racing Limited. He will run in cheek pieces for the first time.

“We've got a good draw and the French style of racing didn't

really suit him,” she said. “I think he's better with an end-to-end gallop and Chelmsford is much more of a speed track. It is a very valuable race for this time of year. It was an obvious decision to run in it.”

Dark Moon Rising (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) from the Kevin Ryan yard and the maiden Atheby (GB) (Gutaifan {Ire}) from Jane Chapple-Hyam will also line up.

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Major Boost To Prize-Money At Chelmsford City

Chelmsford City Racecourse will offer significantly increased prize-money for its 2022 programme, including two £100,000 races and increases across the board for lower-grade handicaps.

The Listed Queen Charlotte S., which was first run in 2018 with a prize fund of £75,000, has been boosted to £100,000. The same six-figure pot is on offer for the Cardinal S., which features as the last leg on the European Road to the Kentucky Derby, earning points towards the American Classic for the winner and placed horses.

The Listed Chelmer Fillies' S. has also received an increase in funding and is up from £60,000 to £80,000, while Chelmsford's card on Good Friday features £112,000 in prize-money across seven races, including a £30,000 Class 2 handicap.

From February, the total prize fund for handicaps will be as follows:

Class 2 £25,000
Class 3 £15,000
Class 4 £13,000
Class 5 £10,000
Class 6 £7,300

The boost in purses means that Class 6 handicaps will carry at least £1,000 more per race than those run at tracks owned by Arena Racing Company (ARC) or Jockey Club Racecourses. As a comparison, Class 4 and 5 handicaps at ARC courses are currently run at £9,850 and £7,100. The increases announced by the independently-owned Chelmsford City represent an average upturn in executive contributions of 80% on figures for 2021.

Chelmsford City's director of racing Neil Graham said, “It has long been our desire to improve the quality of racing on offer here at Chelmsford, as well as ensuring decent returns for the owners, trainers and jockeys who support our racecourse week in and week out.

“The Queen Charlotte is one of two Listed races that we are proud to stage at the track, and we are thrilled to be offering a very valuable pot for that this year. The same goes for the Cardinal Stakes, which is clearly not just an important stepping stone for connections, who may have their sights set on Churchill Downs, but also offers a great trial opportunity for our Classics closer to home–and with a huge prize on offer. We look forward to welcoming entries for both races, as well as for our regular cards throughout the year.”

Newmarket-based Charlie Fellowes won the inaugural running on the Queen Charlotte Stakes with Carolinae (GB) (Makfi {GB}) and has been one of a number of British trainers to have been vocal in his concern for declining prize-money in Britain.

He said: “Chelmsford have always made it very clear that decent prize-money is something they prioritise highly and on the all-weather especially they have very much led the way. We were lucky enough to win the Queen Charlotte on what was then the richest evening meeting in Britain. At a time when competition globally is becoming ever more fierce and Britain is getting left behind, it's encouraging to see Chelmsford really doing their bit in trying to make the situation as sustainable and competitive as possible on the domestic front.”

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RCA Will Not Mandate Covid Passes

Covid passports will not be mandated at British courses by the Racecourse Association (RCA), which has no plans to implement a policy similar to Chelmsford's which requires covid passes. At Chelmsford City, attendees will be required to show a photo ID and a covid pass to attend meetings for the remainder of the year. Wales requires proof of vaccination status or a negative test if crowds exceed a certain level, and Scotland is set to introduce a similar rule.

A statement from the Racecourse Association was released on Monday and it read, “Further to recent speculation, the RCA can confirm that there are currently no plans to introduce mandatory Covid certification at British racecourses other than in devolved nations where venues are already required to facilitate the initiative when attendances reach a certain limit.

“We remain in close contact with the appropriate departments across national governments to ensure all British racecourses are at the forefront of relevant information should the situation change.

“In the interim, the RCA will continue to follow the advice given by national governments and provide guidance to our member racecourses, allowing them to safely welcome spectators and participants.”

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RaceTech and Chelmsford City Extend Partnership Agreement

Race Tech and Chelmsford City Racecourse have signed a long term extension to their service agreement that began in 2017, the two companies announced on Monday. The outside broadcaster and technical service provider to racing for Chelmsford City will provide key race day services including outside broadcast, photo finish, starting stalls and public address, as well as racecourse tv production, additional technical support and multimedia enhancements.

“John Bozza, Chief Executive at RaceTech said, “I am delighted we have signed this agreement that supports our vision to be the technical partner of choice for UK horse racing. RaceTech has unrivalled experience in the delivery of these essential race day services and we look forward to continuing and growing, our long standing relationship with Chelmsford City Racecourse.”

Fraser Garrity, Racecourse Manager, Chelmsford City Racecourse said, “We have a busy racing schedule at CCR and it’s vital that our raceday operations run smoothly. So, we’re very happy to extend our partnership with RaceTech and will continue to benefit from their expertise across a wide range of raceday services.”

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