Uttoxeter Racecourse will stage a comprehensive eight-race programme on Saturday, 2 May, bringing together a varied afternoon of handicap hurdles, maiden contests, and staying steeple chases. The card will feature competitive fields across multiple classes and distances, offering a structured test of stamina, jumping precision, and tactical awareness throughout the meeting.
The programme will be staged across the afternoon with distances ranging from extended two-mile hurdle contests to demanding three-mile-plus chase events. Each race will carry its own competitive identity, with strong fields assembled in both developmental and established divisions, ensuring depth and consistency across the entire card.
Setting the early tempo in the opening contest, the Daily Free Handicap Hurdle Race (Class 5) will go to post at 12:45pm over 1m 7f 168y, featuring 16 runners and £7,000 prize money. Spartan Times, Desert Halo, Diesel Line, Iolaos du Mou, Westerton, and Kalkaroo will headline a strongly assembled handicap where race rhythm, efficient jumping, and early positioning will play a decisive role in shaping the outcome.
Progressing into the first maiden hurdle of the afternoon, the Support the Stoke City Foundation National Hunt Maiden Hurdle (Division I) (Class 4) will be staged at 1:20pm over the same 1m 7f 168y distance, with 9 runners competing for £10,000. Barry Fife, Lexington Wood, Noble Don, Not At That Price, Pic N Mix, and Pretty Darn Quick will lead the field in a contest focused on untapped potential and progression over obstacles.
Continuing the maiden hurdle action in Division II, the second division will follow at 1:55pm, again over 1m 7f 168y, with 9 runners and £10,000 prize money on offer. Annual Invitation, Chedworth Boy, Final Surprise, Kingofthefrontier, On The Bayou, and Saxon Cross will be among the principal names in another developmental contest where improvement through experience will be central.
Entering the stamina-testing stage of the programme, the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce Staffordshire Plate Steeple Chase (Class 2) will be run at 2:35pm over 3m 10y, with 10 runners competing for a substantial £35,000 prize fund. Capodanno, Cruz Control, Horantzau d’Airy, Joyeux Machin, King’s Threshold, and Peaky Boy will headline a demanding staying chase where endurance, jumping fluency, and sustained galloping ability will be thoroughly examined.
Moving deeper into the staying chase division, the Lord Thomas Playdough Ryan Novices’ Handicap Steeple Chase (Class 5) will be staged at 3:10pm over the same extended 3m 10y trip, featuring 11 runners and £7,000 prize money. Choice Runner, Butchers Bill, Rule Me In, Cher Monsieur, Warner’s Cross, and Crac de Megaudais will take part in a contest where novice chasers will be asked to handle both distance and pressure over fences.
Turning attention to the intermediate hurdle segment, the Pirtek UK & Ireland Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) will take place at 3:50pm over 2m 3f 207y, with 11 runners competing for £12,000. Whatsupwithyou, Last Kingdom, Sir Galahad, Crebilly, Miss Maverick, and El Galactico will feature prominently in a race that is expected to be run at a strong and sustained tempo from early stages.
Shifting focus to the extended novice hurdle, the Pirtek Stoke Classic Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 5) will be run at 4:20pm over 2m 7f 70y, featuring 12 runners and £7,000 prize money. Coolkatie, Shinealight, Good Boy Griff, Cinnodin, Hillwalk, and Walkinthepresent will contest a stamina-driven event where late finishing effort and staying power will become increasingly important.
Bringing the programme to its conclusion, the Handicap Steeple Chase (Class 4) will be staged at 4:50pm over 2m 4f 189y, with 9 runners competing for £10,000. Pony Soprano, Tune In A Box, Ukantango, Nickelforce, Doyouknowwhatimean, and Grand Clermont will line up in a competitive closing contest where clean jumping and tactical execution in the final stages will be decisive.
Across the full card, the structure ensures a consistent competitive standard, with each race presenting distinct technical and stamina requirements. The longer-distance chases will place significant emphasis on endurance and jumping accuracy, while the hurdle contests will reward rhythm, pace judgment, and positioning through key stages of each race.
The Uttoxeter Race Cards 2 May programme delivers a well-structured eight-race meeting featuring competitive hurdles and steeple chases across multiple distances, classes, and prize levels, offering a strong and varied afternoon of National Hunt racing.
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