The Betway Kingwell Hurdle Day

• Gates open: 11:00am
• First race: 1:10pm
• Last race: 5:10pm

It’s a race that attracts the best two-mile hurdlers in the business - the Lionel Messi’s of football or the Jonathan Davies of Rugby Union – and in The Betway Kingwell Hurdle they’ll be putting their Championship credentials on the line ahead of theCheltenham Festival. To jolly your afternoon along The Bell Street Jazz Band will be on hand playing a repertoire of jazz classics.

The last horse to win the Kingwell Hurdle before going onto Cheltenham Festival glory was the diminutive Katchit in 2008. With a role call of winners that reads like a who’s who of racing – Inglis Drever, Bula, Lanzarote, Yanworth, Binocular, Hors La Loi III - it’s no surprise that the race is held in the highest regard by jockeys and trainers alike.

The seven-time champion jockey John Francome won the race in 1976 on Lanzarote, and Richard Pitman’s steered Bula to victory in 1971 and was on Lanzarote when he won in 1974 and 1975. More recently, Jeremy Scott saddled Melodic Rendezvous to win in 2014.

Paul Nicholls, who has saddled the winner three times, said: “It’s a good race at the right time of year and a great for Somerset racegoers to see horses of this calibre on their doorstep. It was a sweet day when Rigmarole won in 2004 as he was owned by the then Wincanton chairman Mark Woodhouse.”

Whoever lifts The Betway Kingwell Hurdle crown, another great name will be added to the annals as Somerset plays it part in creating racing history. So why not make the most of your weekend break from the Six Nations Rugby and get your heart racing with us.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Click here to read our important ticket information. We run a complimentary bus service for our race meetings. The coach will meet racegoers at Templecombe Station for the following trains:

• The London train arriving at 11:25am and the Exeter train arriving at 11:43am.
• The coach will leave the course at 5:25pm.
  (Timings are approximate)