A RAINY THURSDAY IN CHELMSFORD BRINGS THE ACTION

One of four active tracks on Thursday to kick off the weekend, Chelmsford City will bring the late afternoon action well into the evening with eight races on the card. The weather forecast predicts light showers, just enough to get the tracks fresh, and the horses will be happier for it. Fans will once again be paying attention to the races from afar, hoping they can make the stands come March and the Cheltenham festival. Attending Cheltenham in person will feel like winning a bet on the Melbourne Cup after enduring the pressure and nailbiting action of its 3,200-metre run. Chelmsford will have a bazaar of racing on offer, opening the day with a triple serving of Class 6 races, a total of four on the day, a Class 3 race, Class 5, and Class 4 run. None of the distances will go above a mile and six furlongs, and the biggest pot of the day will be the chelmsfordcityracecourse.com FILLIES' CONDITIONS STAKES.

The first race of the day comes in the last quarter of 4 pm, with the GALLEYWOOD HANDICAP STAKES, a Class 6 run of five furlongs for three-year-olds. The field will be at least 80% fillies, and the pot will be 5,593 GBP, with horses rated 46-55. thirty minutes into 5 pm, the tote PLACEPOT YOUR FIRST BET APPRENTICE HANDICAP STAKES will take over, another five furlongs run, for horses four years and above, rated 46-65, for a 6,069 GBP pot. The third of the opening triple Class 6 races will come at the stroke of 6 pm with the SUPPORT THE INJURED JOCKEYS FUND HANDICAP STAKES. Horses four years and above will battle it out over a sprint of six furlongs to determine who walks away with the 6,069 GBP prize. Later in the hour, the first race with a distance over a mile comes along in the form of the CCR HANDICAP STAKES, a Class 3 run of a mile and six furlongs.

The pot will be a hefty 11,500 GBP for horses rated 76-95 and aged four years old and above. The first 7 pm race of the evening will be the biggest pot of the day, offering a mouthwatering 19,000 GBP for a seven-furlong Class 2 run. Eight horses aged four years and older will be on the starting grid, seven fillies to one mare. The next race will be another seven-furlong run, but nowhere as flashy as the previous one, falling in Class 4, with a pot of 9,750 GBP. The horses will be rated 61-80, and four years old at least. The last pair of races will come within the 8 pm hour, starting with the RACING WELFARE HANDICAP STAKES, a one mile run for twenty-nine horses, a mix of them fillies. The prize money will be 6,069 GBP, and horses must be rated 46-55. The last of the day will be a Class 5 affair over a mile and two furlongs, with an offering of 7,021 GBP. The horses must be four years old and above and rated 56-75.