You are here News & Press > 12/10/2007

Meeting - The Showcase, Cheltenham Racecourse

Dates - Friday, October 19 & Saturday, October 20

First race - 2.20pm (both days)

Admission Prices - Club & Tattersalls combined - £20 a day (£15 aged 16 to 24); advance booking £18 or £34 for both days. Best Mate - £8 a day; advance booking £14 for both days. Accompanied children under 16 admitted FREE too all enclosures. FREE car parking.

Cheltenham's new season is rapidly approaching, with the new two-day Showcase meeting on Friday, October, 19 and Saturday, October, 20.

The new meeting has been transferred from its previous weekday slot to the weekend, allowing the two-day fixture to benefit from a far higher profile. Prize money has increased to a total of £233,000, an increase of £72,500 on the 2006 figure.

Two trainers considering their options for The Showcase are Peter Bowen, based at Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire and Leyburn handler Ferdy Murphy.

One of the races to benefit most from the increased prize money on offer is the £50,000 Pyments Quantity Surveyors Handicap Chase. The extended two-and-a-half mile contest provides trainers with a stepping-stone to some of Cheltenham's premier handicaps later in the season, especially the Paddy Power Gold Cup and the boylesports.com Gold Cup.

Peter Bowen's chasers have been in fantastic form over the summer, with Iron Man winning the totesport.com Summer Plate Handicap Chase and the bluesqcasino.com Handicap Chase at Market Rasen.

Fifth behind Iron Man last time out at Market Rasen on July 21 was stablemate Lankawi and Bowen believes that the progressive five-year-old has the necessary profile to line up at Cheltenham.

Bowen revealed today: "Lankawi is only young, and he's very well and fit, having had a run in the summer. The Pyments Quantity Surveyors Handicap Chase is a very good race to have at this stage of the season, and I might be tempted to run Always Waining as well."

Lankawi enjoyed an excellent campaign last season. Having been switched to fences, the talented gelding rattled off a hat-trick of victories in novice chases. He then ran in the valuable betfair.com Handicap Chase at the John Smith's Grand National meeting at Aintree, finishing second, seven lengths behind 2006 Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase winner Reveillez.

Always Waining also finished behind Iron Man on his most recent start at Market Rasen on September 29, beaten just under seven lengths in third. The unexposed six-year-old won three times over fences last season while earlier in this campaign he collected the totesport.com Handicap Chase at Uttoxeter on May 5 by a length and a half from Joaaci.

Bowen could also be represented at The Showcase by the useful handicap hurdler Decisive.

He continued: "There's a good 0-140 handicap hurdle (the £20,000 Wateraid/Severn Trent Water Handicap Hurdle, run over two miles and five furlongs on Saturday, October 20), and we could run Decisive in that."

Decisive has been lightly raced, and has shown his best form on a fast surface. The eight-year-old was last seen finishing second in the competitive three-mile bluesquare.com Handicap Hurdle at Market Rasen on September 29.

Ferdy Murphy enjoyed a brace of successes at The Festival in 2007, with Joes Edge taking the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase, and L'Antartique's triumph in the Jewson Novices' Chase.

The latter will be aimed at the Paddy Power Gold Cup at The Open, while the Yorkshire-based trainer nominates Three Mirrors as his intended runner for the Pyments Quantity Surveyors Handicap Chase. Three Mirrors enjoyed a progressive campaign last season, winning three times, including on his final start of the season in the Hillhouse Quarry Handicap Chase at Ayr on April 20.

Murphy commented: "We have a lot of chasers this year, and Three Mirrors will probably run at The Showcase in the valuable two-and-a-half mile chase (the Pyments Quantity Surveyors Handicap Chase).

"He seems quite forward, and has done much of his running on good to firm ground. He's very consistent and jumps well."

"Nine De Sivola is another possibility for The Showcase, although I might wait until The Open with him. We could do with some rain, because the ground is a bit fast at the moment.

"I'll definitely send some horses down for The Showcase as the prize-money is so good."

Nine De Sivola ran well in handicap company last season, finishing second in both the Irish Grand National and the Scottish Grand National. The six-year-old fell in the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup at The Festival, coming down three fences from home when staying on well.

Murphy is currently in the Czech Republic with cross-country specialist Ivoire De Beaulieu, who will race in the Velka Pardubicka on Sunday, October 14. The 11-year-old will be aimed at the cross-country chases at Cheltenham later in the season.

The Showcase is so named because the meeting is designed to involve racegoers in the wider aspects of the sport.

Hurdler's Hall, near the paddock, will be transformed into an exhibition of every conceivable aspect of Jump racing - including breeding, owning, training and caring for horses.

There will be a chance for racegoers to try their skill as a commentator or weigh in like a jockey.

Throughout each afternoon, a trail around the course will encourage racegoers to go to places that are normally off-limits such as going to the start, having the chance to judge the best-turned out horse and making a presentation.

Cheltenham will show Premiership football on certain televisions at the course on Saturday, October 20. The Everton versus Liverpool game can be watched from 12.45pm in the Istabraq Bar in Tattersalls and the Desert Orchid Bar in the Best Mate enclosure.

The Aston Villa v Manchester United match will be shown from 5.15pm on the big screen in the Centaur, working around the last race (5.45pm), and continuing until it finishes at 7pm.

The Centaur bars will remain open until 7pm.

For further information, please contact Cheltenham Racecourse's Communications Manager, Andy Clifton, on 01242 537 683 or 07876 330 090