Carlisle Racecourse will stage the Carlisle Colin Parker Raceday on Sunday, November 1, with Apple Away set to make her seasonal return in the Listed Pricedup Boosted Prices Daily Houghton Mares’ Chase. The seven-race meeting will feature two £40,000 Listed contests, with several established performers expected to compete over two and a half miles.
The afternoon’s principal contests will include the Houghton Mares’ Chase at 1:48 pm and the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase at 2:58 pm. Both races will bring together runners with strong records over hurdles and fences, while Apple Away will attract particular attention as she prepares for her first appearance of the new season.
Apple Away to Lead the Field at Carlisle Colin Parker Raceday
The five-runner Houghton Mares’ Chase will feature last year’s winner Paggane, who will return to defend her title after a successful Flat appearance at Goodwood last month under Saffie Osborne.
Panic Attack will also bring an impressive record into the contest. The ten-year-old will arrive following a successful previous campaign, during which she secured consecutive victories in two major handicap chases, the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham and the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury.
She will renew her rivalry with Apple Away after finishing third behind the mare in the Listed Fair Maid Of Perth Mares’ Chase at Perth in April.
Apple Away will make her seasonal reappearance after a break since her sixth-place finish in the Grade One Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil, also known as the French Champion Hurdle, in May.
The nine-year-old, who will be jointly trained by Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore at Kinross, will return to Carlisle following a successful appearance at the track last season. She will also carry the distinction of being a Grade One-winning hurdler, having won the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at the 2023 Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree.
Russell will regard Carlisle as a suitable starting point for the mare’s new campaign, although she will acknowledge that the race distance will fall short of her preferred trip.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Russell will explain that Apple Away will benefit from starting her season at Carlisle, where the track and fences will provide suitable conditions for her return. She will also reflect on Apple Away’s previous campaign, including her performance in France and her Listed victory at Perth, and describe the mare as a fabulous horse to be involved with.
The line-up will also include Obsessedwithyou, a Listed winner at Wincanton last season, and Celestial Fashion, who will represent Scottish connections after recording two victories at Carlisle in mares’ handicap chases last season.
The Pricedup Boosted Prices Daily Houghton Mares’ Chase will be run over 2m 3f 210y at 1:48 pm. Apple Away will be partnered by Derek Fox, while Paggane will have Brian Hughes in the saddle. Harry Skelton will ride Panic Attack, Callum Bewley will partner Celestial Fashion and Sam Twiston-Davies will take the ride on Obsessedwithyou.
Three Strong Contenders Set for Colin Parker Memorial Chase
The second Listed contest will feature a closely matched three-runner field for the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase, with only four pounds separating the contenders on Official Ratings.
Potters Charm will head the ratings after making an impressive start to his chasing career at Worcester on October 12. The seven-year-old, a Grade One-winning hurdler, will look to build on that success in his second appearance over fences.
Doyen Quest will represent champion trainer Dan Skelton. The eight-year-old will make his first appearance since April, when he recorded the biggest victory of his career with a six-length success in the Grade Two bet365 Oaksey Chase at Sandown Park.
Wendigo will complete the field. The seven-year-old will arrive with a Grade Two victory in the John Francome Novices’ Chase at Newbury from last season. Trainer Jamie Snowden will use the Carlisle contest as part of his preparation for a possible challenge in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury later in November.
The Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase will honour the late Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer Colin Parker, who was based at Lockerbie in Scotland.
Restricted to first and second-season chasers, the Listed contest will feature an impressive roll of honour that will include future Grade One winners Lostintranslation, Waiting Patiently, Cyrname and Monet’s Garden, alongside Grand National winner Many Clouds.
The Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase will cover 2m 3f 210y and will begin at 2:58 pm. Harry Skelton will partner Doyen Quest, Conor O’Farrell will ride Wendigo and Sam Twiston-Davies will take the ride on Potters Charm.
The going at Carlisle will currently be Good, Good to Soft in places on the Chase Course and Good to Soft on the Hurdle Course. Settled weather conditions will be forecast through Sunday, with a mixture of cloudy and sunny spells expected.
Carlisle Colin Parker Raceday will feature seven races and two £40,000 Listed contests on November 1, with Apple Away’s seasonal return, Paggane’s title defence and a competitive Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase among the main attractions.
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