Chance to look behind the scenes at Warwick racecourse on Thursday
Warwick's annual Behind the Scenes Raceday on Thursday gives racegoers the opportunity to see what goes into preparing the course for a race meeting.
The day includes a course walk by clerk of the course Nessie Chanter and a weighing room tour with general manager Thomas Williams. It comes at a time when Warwick's grounds maintenance team, led by Guy Woodward, has been announced winners of the Ground Management Association's Professional Horse Racing Grounds Team of the Year award for 2026.
Shelfield Green trainer Dan Skelton continues to clock up the winners and, over the weekend, took his seasonal prize money earnings to a record £4m. But, with his two main Cheltenham Festival hopes, The New Lion and Grey Dawning, failing to score, reigning champion Willie Mullins, with eight Festival winners including the three feature races, closed the gap on him. Skelton still has a substantial lead however, and, whilst there is a month of the season to go, he can surely put the champagne on ice ready to celebrate his first championship.
Highlight of Thursday's Warwick card is the £40,000 JCB Handicap Chase (Challenger Chase Series Final) over three miles in which the lightly-raced Doctor Ken would head the weights. Jubilee Express was pulled up in the Coral Welsh Grand National before finishing second in the Devon National at Exeter in a race where five of the runners didn't finish and Broomfields Cave would be coming into the race on the back of a disappointing run at Doncaster last month.
Skelton has two entries in the opening Feldon Dunsmore Novices' Hurdle over two miles and five furlongs due off at 2:28pm, but the horse to beat should be dual hurdles winner Hurricane Pat, who would be taking a big drop in class after finishing ninth in the Turners Novices' Hurdle at The Cheltenham Festival.
Former jockey Nick Scholfield is having an excellent first season as a trainer and Junior Des Mottes could add to his total in the following JCB Mini-Excavator Novices' Limited Handicap Hurdle over three and a quarter miles. A winner of two hurdles races, Junior Des Mottes finished second n a small field at Fontwell Park last time, but a lost shoe wouldn't have helped his cause.
Eaststone Buck's showed his first real form when runner-up at Stratford's opening meeting of the season and a win would bring some cheer to Venetia Williams who has had a torrid time this winner, recording her second-lowest seasonal total in 30 years of training.
The first steeplechase of the afternoon is the Best Odds Guaranteed At Betano Novices' Handicap Chase over two and a half miles and three-time chase winner El Rojo Grande will bring a lot of experience into the race. Kap De Triomphe makes his debut over fences, so runs from his hurdles handicap rating of 84.
There are just nine entries in the Betano Boosted Odds Every UK Race Mares' Handicap Hurdle which could result in the smallest field of the afternoon and, although she has a lot of weight to carry, Kempton Park winner Lady Magic may come out on top.
By contrast, there are 23 entries in the closing JCB Tele-Handler "Junior" National Hunt Flat Race including Enya, who ran with promise on her debut when runner-up over the course in November, but who was a beaten favourite at Catterick next time out.