VALENTINE DAY RACING - EXETER

VALENTINE DAY RACING - EXETER

Even the horse racing calendar recognises the day of love around the world and how best to show that other than by gracing fans and punters with a day of runs on the tracks to enjoy the pleasure of a shared passion. Sunday, 14th February, will be an active day in Exeter, one of two tracks open for action on Valentine's day. In accordance with the health and safety protocols, the races will be behind closed doors, but they allow for presence upon testing and presenting a photo ID. Exeter will host a slew of afternoon races, kicking off at 1 pm. Seven races are up on the cards, but given recent tweaks to the calendar and races, a flat race may just make a late addition, so fans and punters may want to keep an eye out for that change and the possible implications to their plans. With not many races to go by this February, the Betfred Cheltenham offers are sure to come in handy for those wanting to have a go at British races on that side of the globe. The day in Exeter is expected to cold, with the track soft and frozen in patches due to a week of light snow, while a few changes have been made to the rail, moving the hurdles by four pads width and the winning line out by 14 yards.

Barring any changes, the day itself has seven offerings on the card, starting with a 2 pm kick-off, THE BRITISH STALLION STUDS EBF 'NATIONAL HUNT' NOVICES'HURDLE RACE. The race is a Class 4 qualifier for horses four to seven years old, with no rating restrictions. The field is 79 horses, comprising of five mares and the rest being geldings. As The Road to Cheltenham heats up, the trainers and jockeys will no doubt want to get these final races spot on, and no better way than a 2m 2f 111y run to get a nice and steady rhythm. Next up will be THE WATCH ON RACING TV NOVICES' STEEPLECHASE, a Class 3 outing for horses five years and above. The pot will be 12,200 GBP, for a distance of 2m 3f 48y.

Paul Nicholl's French gelding, Fabulous Saga, will be one to look out for on the grid. Twenty-two geldings make up the whole grid, with a nice balance of foreign and home-bred horses. The first of 3 pm races begin with a Class 1 race, THE BET AT racingtv.com NOVICES' HURDLE RACE, 15,700 GBP, and horses four years old and above. The RACING TV ON SKY 426 VETERANS' HANDICAP STEEPLECHASE follows soon after, with 18,900 GBP on the line for a run of 3m 54y. The horses fall between 0-150 in the ratings. Two more races are coming up at 4 pm, including the biggest prize money of the day, the JOIN RACING TV NOW MARES' STEEPLECHASE, another listed Class 1 run over a distance of 3m 54y. The last run of the day is the only 5 pm start, the GET RACING TIPS AT racingtv.com INTERMEDIATE OPEN NATIONAL HUNT FLAT RACE.