There’s a rich handicap race taking place today at Wolverhampton (3:45pm) and fixed-odds are already available. Which horses look most capable of landing the spoils?
View Race-Card Now!Boom The Groom
Tony Carroll’s Kodiac-sired 6-year-old won a brace of Class 2 handicaps last Summer and also ran very-well in the Listed Cleves Stakes at Lingfield. Boom The Groom fared worst of all, in a 3-way photo that also included Lancelot Du Lac and Mythmaker. Charlie Appleby’s Pretend was among those that didn’t make the frame, which bodes well for Boom The Groom’s chances today.
Jordan Sport
This Dubawi gelding only won a race at the 5th time of asking and was put into handicaps, as soon as that victory was achieved. Looks to have been very-fairly treated, despite victories here at Wolverhampton and also at Lingfield in January. Big chance for David Simcock’s inmate.
Royal Birth
Out of Princess Georgina (who is also the mother of Excellent George), this 6-year-old already has plenty of miles on the clock. Remains on a winnable mark and a line is best drawn through his performance at Newcastle last time out as he was carried across the track at the business-end of the race. Should be a genuine threat.
Racing At Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton Racecourse was Great Britain’s first floodlit racing venue. It is largely thought of as a place for evening racing, although races are sometimes held during the day.
A polytrack surface has been laid at Wolverhampton. This may also be referred to as an all-weather surface. The track is exactly one mile in length and the horses run left-handed, like on the majority of US racetracks.
Early Days
They have been racing in Wolverhampton since the early-1800s. Despite it’s popularity, the course was sold in 1878 and was then closed for more than 10 years. The Dunstall Park Club Company was then created and tasked with bringing racing back to Wolverhampton. In 1933, Wolverhampton became the first British course to have floodlights and an all-weather track.
Creating such a venue was an incredible achievement, back in the 1930s and Wolverhampton Racecourse became recognised as being amongst the most progressive in Britain. An ambitious programme saw the construction of an exhibition hall, a hotel and a huge restaurant with incredible views.
Racing fans from all over the country wanted to see this for themselves and Wolverhampton was attracting spectators from far and wide. The course brought prestige and glamour to an area that was traditionally associated with cloth caps and factories.
Fast forward to today and you will still find this venue in rude health. It is amongst the busiest racecourses in the United Kingdom, with many more days of racing than the majority of tracks. There are also a number of buildings for business and hospitality purposes.
While most of the racing at Wolverhampton takes place for fairly small purses, there are still a number of interesting races that are held here. These include the William Hill Lincoln Trial Day, the Lady Wulfruna Stakes and the Lincoln Trial Stakes.
Getting There
A lot of visitors to the track arrive by train. The racecourse is only two miles from the centre of Wolverhampton and many people choose to walk from the station. There will be plenty of cabs waiting, if you prefer, but there is no free bus service. If you are going to get there by car, you want to leave the M54 motorway at Junction 2. Then follow the A449 to Wolverhampton. You will soon see signs for Dunstall Park and that is where the course is situated.
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