Ascot Racecourse will stage a six-race Flat card on turf on Friday, October 2, with racing beginning at 1:50 PM and the final contest scheduled for 4:45 PM. The programme features races from seven furlongs to two miles, with the highlight being the Listed Noel Murless Stakes, which carries the day’s highest prize of £100,000.
The afternoon will begin at 1:50 PM with the Autumn Racing Weekend Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Stakes, a Class 4 contest over seven furlongs. The race is open to three-year-olds and upwards rated between 61 and 80 and is restricted to male amateur riders. The contest carries a total prize of £25,000 and will provide the opening test of the Ascot card.
At 2:25 PM, two-year-old fillies will contest the EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes, a Class 2 race over seven furlongs. The contest carries £30,000 in prize money and is another opportunity for young fillies to gain experience at Ascot.
The third race at 3:00 PM is the Colliers Business Rates Experts Classified Stakes, a Class 3 contest over one mile. Open to three-year-olds and upwards rated from 0 to 90, the race carries a total prize of £30,000. The mile distance will provide a different test from the two seven-furlong races earlier in the programme.
The feature race at 3:35 PM is the Noel Murless Stakes, a Class 1 Listed contest over one mile, six furlongs and 74 yards. The race is restricted to three-year-olds and carries the day’s highest prize of £100,000. The race distance includes an additional 40 yards, making it a significant staying test for the field.
At 4:10 PM, the Handicap Stakes will be contested over six furlongs. This Class 2 race is open to three-year-olds and upwards rated between 0 and 105 and carries £45,000 in total prize money. The shorter distance is expected to provide a sharp sprinting test following the staying feature.
The final race at 4:45 PM is the Melbourne Cup Carnival Handicap Stakes, a Class 3 contest over two miles and 29 yards. Open to three-year-olds and upwards rated between 71 and 90, the race carries £30,000. The race includes an additional 40 yards to the advertised distance and will bring the six-race Ascot programme to a close.
The October 2 card offers a broad mix of racing at Ascot, ranging from sprint contests over six and seven furlongs to the longer one-mile-six-furlong and two-mile events. The Listed Noel Murless Stakes stands out as the principal race of the afternoon with its £100,000 prize.
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