Doncaster gearing up for busiest schedule of meetings

DONCASTER, the racecourse where the freakish Frankel won his second career start, will be the busiest turf racecourse in Britain next year after announcing 35 fixtures – two more than at present.

The extra cards see the Sky Bet Chase meeting revert to a two-day meeting on January 25 and 26 while Town Moor hosts an additional Saturday raceday on the Flat on April 13.

Perhaps the biggest change, however, is the William Hill Lincoln – the official start of the Flat season – moving from a Saturday and Sunday to a Friday and Saturday. 

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It is hoped the decision to race on March 22, a week after steeplechasing’s iconic Cheltenham Gold Cup, will provide a better build-up to the Lincoln, the first big handicap of the Flat season and which was won this year by Tony Hamilton aboard the Richard Fahey-trained Brae Hill.

“It’s always very exciting to have our fixture list confirmed,” said managing director Mark Spincer.

“For it to include so many race meetings is fantastic, and a real vote of confidence in Doncaster Racecourse, and our grounds staff, who do a brilliant job of ensuring that the course is in the best possible condition for each and every race that is run here.

“The move of the William Hill Lincoln to Friday and Saturday is something we are particularly excited about. 

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“It is always a hugely popular meeting, but we expect that the weekday launch will make it more attractive for corporate lots of corporate guests, so it should be a great occasion.”

The tally of 35 fixtures compares favourably with other courses largely because Doncaster can stage both Flat and National Hunt action – unlike York for example – and is operational for 12 months a year.

However, Britain’s busiest tracks will, once again, be the four venues that have all-weather tracks – Lingfield, Kempton, Southwell and Wolverhampton.

Nevertheless, the 2012 season has already been a successful one for Doncaster, with September’s Ladbrokes St Leger Festival exceeding targets by attracting more than 60,000 racegoers across the four days. 

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“We’ve not stopped yet, with the Racing Post Trophy coming up at the end of this month. After that we race another four times before the end of the year,” added Spincer.

“The remaining meetings of 2012 will no doubt build upon this, so we’ll have a lot to live up to in 2013, but with our feature racing festivals and two live music concerts after racing in the pipeline, I am sure it will be another great year for us.”

A full list of provisional racedays can be found on the track’s website or by calling 01302 511918. Annual badges cost around £360.