The Sky Bet Sunday Series

The Sky Bet Series has proved a huge hit with Scottish and northern trainers, no less so than East Renfrewshire based Jim Goldie, who has nine horses entered on Sunday. (5 June)

He said:  “It’s a big day for the owners here in Scotland and everyone loves the experience. They say that everyone wants a 100-plus rated horse, but I say there’s an awful lot of fun to be had with a 70-80 rated horse in the North, with plenty of options for the owners to enjoy a good day out.

“That’s basically what the Sky Bet Sunday Series is all about. It gives a certain type of horse the chance to have a big day, which is great for racing, and for the owners if they can pick up some of the prize money on offer. Racegoers will soon get into the habit of going racing on a Sunday, and both ITV and Racing TV are doing an excellent job of highlighting the fixtures.”

In the £30,000 Sky Bet Sunday Series Stayers Handicap over two miles (5.15pm) Goldie has entered Geremia who finished third to Evaluation at York and they come up against each other again with Carluke’s Keith Dalgleish trained horse aiming for four in a row after other May wins at Ripon and Wetherby. Dalgleish also has Raymond, winner twice over hurdles at Musselburgh, Haizoom and Diocletian entered in the race.

Goldie said: “Geremia is grand, and although Musselburgh mightn’t play to his strengths, you don’t know until you try. The galloping tracks at Hamilton and York suited him well, so it’ll probably depend upon where we’re drawn at Musselburgh, and how the race sets up on the day.

“I also have Annandale entered in the same race and I was in two minds whether to run as I’ve been trying to keep the pair apart, and I’m not exactly sure whether he’s a real two-miler. I suppose by running two, we will have two shots at the prize.”

Goldie added: If you can get drawn on the rail and around the bend, at Musselburgh then you’ve got an advantage, although you don’t want to be around the bend and behind horses on the inner looking for a run. With the sharp bends, Musselburgh is a fascinating track, horses can stay trips that they don’t normally stay.”

A bonus race, the £50,000 Queen of Scots Stakes over seven furlongs, is a Listed fixture for fillies and mares and not surprisingly has a maximum field of 12. Last year’s winner, Just Beautiful, trained by Ivan Furtado, was subsequently sold for 625,000gns at Newmarket Sales just before Christmas.

The 2019 winner Indian Blessing, trained by Ed Walker, later finished second in two Group 2 races including when only going under by a neck at Saratoga, and the 2017 winner Unforgettable Filly, trained by Hugo Palmer,  went on to score handsomely in Listed and Group 2 company - so the 2022 winner can arguably lay claim to the accolade of the best filly or mare to race in Scotland this Flat season.

Paul Hanagan-ridden Happy Craf, a prolific winner in Bahrain, is the highest rated runner on 104 and is running for the first time for Newmarket trainer Martin Smith. Second highest rated on 103 is Pearl Glory for another HQ handler, Kevin Philippart De Foy. She was beaten less than a length in a Group 3 contest at Lingfield last month.

This is the second year of the Sky Bet Sunday Series, which carries £1.2m in prize money, and offers an additional £250,000 worth of bonuses for jockeys, apprentices, trainers, owners and stable staff.

Bonuses linked to the series include £100,000 for the first jockey to ride seven winners, £100,000 to the first owner to wins three races and £25,000 to the first trainer to have seven winners.

There are also stable staff awards to the three leading stables with guaranteed prizes of £10,000 (1st), £3,000 (2nd) and £2,000 (3rd) based on points from winners, seconds and thirds.

The series will again endeavour to make racing simpler to understand and more accessible to wider audiences by delving behind the scenes and uncovering less-told stories such as jockeys away from the big names.

It is an industry-wide collaboration between ITV, Sky Bet, Racecourse Media Group and the six racecourses featured and it will showcase the sport in a twilight slot of terrestrial television.

Gates open at 1.30pm on Sunday and the first race is off at 3.45pm.