Wetherby racegoers warned to buy tickets in advance for Christmas fixtures

RACEGOERS will only be able to attend Wetherby’s two-day Christmas meeting with tickets purchased in advance, the course has announced.

No tickets will be available to buy on the gate for the William Hill-sponsored festival that features the Rowland Meyrick Chase on Boxing Day and Castleford Chase 24 hours later.

The decision has been brought about by Covid protocols and continuing uncertainty over any new restrictions that might be imposed by the Government in response to the Omicron variant and wider threat to public health.

Ticket sales were suspended last week whilst the racecourse consulted with Leeds City Council which is responsible for the enforcement of public health and licensing requirements.

Tickets are now back on sale via Wetherby’s website. “From an operational perspective, it is going to be a much more pleasant experience for the customer if we sell tickets in advance,” said chief executive Jonjo Sanderson.

“Inevitably there will be some delays gaining admission to the racecourse due to Covid checks. To minimise the delays, we have gone for advance ticketing only.”

Tickets will be available to purchase via the website up until 9.30am on the morning of each day’s racing. All ticket holders aged 18 years and over will be asked to provide a valid Covid Pass (Digital or Paper), showing proof of Covid vaccination.

If they are unable to do this, they will be required to provide the NHS results from a negative LFT or PCR Test, taken within 48 hours of the race fixture.

Furthermore, the wearing of face-coverings (unless exempt) will be a requirement inside certain buildings.

The Christmas meeting is normally Wetherby’s best attended fixture of the year and the course had been anticipating bumper crowds after admission was solely restricted to the owners of competing horses 12 months ago.

However Sanderson is buoyed by the 170 initial declarations for seven races – including a potentially high-class renewal of the Rowland Meyrick.

Entries include Cloudy Glen who was last seen winning the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury for trainer Venetia Williams and jockey Charlie Deutsch in the colours of the late Trevor Hemmings.

Three former winners feature headed by Alan King-trained Camelo who was victorious last year under Tom Bellamy when they returned in triumph to a near-desolate winners’ enclosure.

Nick Alexander’s 2018 winner Lake View Lad, another horse to have carried the famous Hemmings colours with such distinction over the years, has been entered.

And Top Ville Ben, a runaway winner in 2019 for Catterick trainer Phil Kirby and jockey Tommy Dowson, will be one to follow if the going becomes more demanding.

Scottish Grand National hero Mighty Thunder is entered alongside the veteran Takingrisks, victorious in Ayr’s celebrated race in 2020. Malton’s Brian Ellison has entered Windsor Avenue while Cracking Find could represent Sue Smith.

Meanwhile Epatante heads six entries for the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day. Nicky Henderson’s mare was a brilliant winner of the Grade One contest in 2019 on her way to winning the Champion Hurdle three months later.

However, the seven-year-old was beaten by the ill-fated Silver Streak at prohibitive odds last year. Epatante got back on the winning trail when dead-heating with Hughie Morrison’s Not So Sleepy in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle last month though and the pair look set to renew rivalry this weekend.