Following a weekend crammed with Graded contests and quality handicapping fare, the action moves down a notch in the final week in February – representing the calm before the ensuing Cheltenham Festival-shaped storm.
Graded class contests may be in short supply, but there are still highlights amidst the usual collection of jumps racing and all-weather fixtures which dominate the menu at this time of year.
Synthetic surfaces pique the interest in midweek as runners targeting All Weather Championships Day, and possibly even a tilt at the Kentucky Derby, line up at Kempton and Lingfield. Looking ahead to the weekend, valuable handicaps from Newbury and Doncaster light up the Saturday fixtures, whilst Kelso stages its biggest day of the year.
From Kempton to Churchill Downs: Kentucky Derby Points up for Grabs on Wednesday
The Aintree Grand National is the race that grips the nation on UK shores. In the US of A, that honour belongs to the Churchill Downs showstopper of the Kentucky Derby.
A Class 3 handicap at Kempton may not look like an obvious stepping stone towards the May highlight on the other side of the Atlantic. However, with the name of the race sort of giving a rather large clue, Wednesday evening’s “European Road To The Kentucky Derby” Conditions Stakes at Kempton awards points as well as prize money. Collect enough points, and a horse will be eligible to take their shot at “The Run for the Roses”.
All of which results in a 1m event which attracts a higher calibre of horse than your standard Class 3 All-Weather handicap. Previous winners include 2024 2000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes champ Notable Speech, and Gronkowski, who lost out by just a nose in the 2019 edition of the Dubai World Cup.
All-Weather Championship Places on the Line at Lingfield
Lingfield sets up the weekend with an excellent card of all-weather action on Friday. The seven-race card consists of trials for the apprentice, fillies, 3yo, sprint, marathon, mile, and middle-distance finals on All-Weather Championships Day. Any horse who comes home in front will earn a starting stall at the big event back at Lingfield on Good Friday.
Hurdlers Battle for Valuable Pot at Kelso
As a three-time winner of the Best Small Course in Scotland and the North of England award, there’s never a bad time to visit Kelso. Saturday sees the friendly venue stage its biggest event of the season.
Nicky Henderson on JOYEUSE:
“The idea for her is the Morebattle Hurdle; that’s where I’m thinking.
“Okay, she can’t run in Cheltenham because she hasn’t had enough runs, but the Morebattle is worth £40,000 more than the County.
“I think it’ll be a day out in Kelso!”… pic.twitter.com/ly6UixkHgS
— Ash Symonds Journalism (@ASymondsJourno) February 17, 2025
Offering a very handy £120,000 in prize money, the Morebattle Hurdle is the most valuable Scottish hurdle event and duly takes centre stage. Offering the additional carrot of a £100,000 bonus if the winner follows up at the Cheltenham Festival, the 2025 entries include Nicky Henderson’s impressive William Hill Hurdle winner, Joyeaux, and Scottish Champion Hurdle hero Favour And Fortune.
Newbury and Doncaster Add to an Excellent Saturday for Handicap Fans
Those who enjoy getting to grips with a competitive handicap puzzle are very well catered for on Saturday. Stamina is to the fore in the feature event from Doncaster as a competitive field assembles for the 3m2f Grimthorpe Handicap Chase. Always a gruelling contest, the 2024 edition was particularly tough, with only two of the 10 runners completing the course.
What a performance!
Does He Know wins the Grimthorpe Handicap Chase!#ITVRacing | @DoncasterRaces pic.twitter.com/qwX9wFeREb
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 2, 2024
Moving down to Newbury, Saturday’s seven-race card is headed by the £100,000 Greatwood Gold Cup. Paul Nicholls has been the man to follow in this event, with the Ditcheat maestro claiming nine of the 19 editions since the race debuted in 2004. All in all, yet another great week of racing, even if much of the focus will be on the biggest events looming on the horizon.
