Henderson duo Constitution Hill & Epatante star among 6 classy entries for Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle (G1)
After his late withdrawal at Ascot on Saturday, the exciting Constitution Hill is the star name among six entries for the Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle (G1) at the five-day stage with stablemate Epatante also left in as she bids to join Comedy Of Errors and Birds Nest in winning three editions of this race.
No trainer has won the Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle (G1) more times than Nicky Henderson and another success in the Gosforth Park showpiece would stretch his tally in the race to eight.
A rematch with the Hughie Morrison-trained Not So Sleepy is on the cards for Epatante after the pair fought out a dead-heat in a thrilling renewal of this race last year. The locally trained Tommy’s Oscar has made a solid start to his chasing career but may potentially revert to these smaller obstacles for Ann Hamilton after he was left in the race.
With almost £65k on offer to the winner, there is strong interest in this contest from across the Irish sea and Pied Piper has been entered by Gordon Elliott. He is unbeaten in two starts this season. Voix Du Reve completes the field of six after he finished runner-up behind Dashel Drasher at Aintree at the start of November.
Barry Orr, Head of Media Relations at Betfair, said: “Ascot’s loss could be Newcastle’s gain with Constitution Hill a potential runner but the betting suggests he will go elsewhere and leave this to his stablemate Epatante’’
‘’Pied Piper is an interesting contender at 7/2 and last year’s dead-heater, Not So Sleepy, will be primed to run a big race’’
Latest Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle odds from Betfair:
Sponsors Odds: 8/11 Epatante, 5/4 Constitution Hill, 7/2 Pied Piper, 9/2 Not So Sleepy, 8/1 Tommy's Oscar, 100/1 Voix de Reve
The action kicks off at 11.55am with the seven-race card drawing to a close with the Betfair Exchange Rehearsal Handicap Chase at 3.25pm where L’Homme Presse is the headline name among 15 entries.
Tickets for racing at Newcastle on Saturday 26 November are still available to purchase. Please visit www.newcastle-racecourse.co.uk for more information.
About Newcastle Racecourse
Located within High Gosforth Park, Newcastle Racecourse is home to the historic Northumberland Plate, and is one of Britain’s busiest racecourses, hosting over 60 all-weather and jumps fixtures a year. An ideal venue for all occasions, the racecourse can host events of all kinds, including conferences, exhibitions, weddings, private parties and more. The racecourse shares High Gosforth Park with the Border Minstrel Pub and Parklands Golf Club.
For further information please contact:
Sam Cone, Arena Racing Company on 07920 404296 or SCone@arenaracingcompany.co.uk
Hugo Barran, JSC Communications on 07786 913215 or hugo@jsccomms.co.uk
