The first day of Wetherby's bet365 Charlie Hall Chase Meeting gets underway tomorrow, Friday, November 2, featuring the £23,500 Listed bet365 Handicap Chase (2.00pm).
The extended two and a half mile contest has attracted a classy field of 11 headed by last season's Scottish Grand National runner-up Auroras Encore, from the stable of Sue Smith and the Kim Bailey-trained Darna, who has won three of his five starts over fences.
Alan King saddles Bless The Wings, who won a competitive novices' handicap chase at Cheltenham in January, while former classy hurdler Tiger O'Toole lines up for Evan Williams.
Sedgefield based owner/trainer John Wade will be represented by the lightly-raced Drever Route, who has been off the track for 643 days due to injury. The son of Flemensfirth makes his debut for Wade and was last seen finishing eighth in the Grade Three Murphy Group Chase at Cheltenham in January, 2011.
The nine-year-old had previously won the Bobby Renton Handicap Chase at Wetherby in October, 2010.
Maria Myco, assistant trainer to John Wade, said: "Drever Route hasn't run for a long time and missed the whole of last season. He hasn't run because he has terrible leg problems and he is probably going to need it, but the ground is nice at Wetherby and we thought it was a nice place to start him off.
"He is going to be a bit rusty but he is a nice horse and goes very nicely at home. I'm not expecting too much from him after such a long lay off in a race as good as this.
"It's a very high class race to start him off in but he will go there with every chance depending on how he comes back."
Other notable contenders include David Pipe's Battle Group and Nigel Twiston-Davies' Nez Rouge, who is also returning from a lengthy absence after winning his first start over fences by 29 lengths at Market Rasen in July 2011.
A six-race card at Wetherby also features the £15,000 Listed Weatherbys Hamilton Insurance Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle (2.35pm) over an extended two miles.
A total of seven runners will line up including Gary Brown's dual winner Hilali, exciting French import Sametegal, trained by Paul Nicholls, and Donald McCain's Indepub, who has record victories at Sedgefield and Perth this season.
The action gets underway at 1.00pm with Wetherby Racecourse & Conference Centre "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle (14 runners) over two and a half miles, which is followed by the bet365.com Handicap Hurdle (1.30pm, 15 runners) over an extended two miles.
The longest race on the card, the Donaldson Timber Engineering Handicap Chase (3.10pm) over three miles and a furlong, sees 10 runners line up and the action is concluded with Book Tickets Online @ wetherbyracing.co.uk Conditional Jockeys' Novices' Handicap Hurdle (3.45pm, 15 runners) over two and three quarter miles.
The second day of the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase Meeting is headlined by the £100,000 Grade Two Charlie Hall Chase (3.25pm, 14 entries) over three miles and a furlong. The entries are headed by last year's winner Weird Al and the Paul Nicholls-trained Silviniaco Conti, who won the Grade Two John Smith's Mildmay Novices' Chase on his latest start in April.
A seven-race card at Wetherby, which gets underway at 12.35pm, also includes the £32,000 Grade Two John Smith's Hurdle (2.50pm, 11 entries) over three miles and the £20,000 Listed OLBG.com Mares' Hurdle (2.15pm, 11 entries) over an extended two miles.
GOING
The going at Wetherby remains: Good to Soft (6.2)
Wetherby's Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course, Jonjo Sanderson, reported: "We escaped relatively lightly following the overnight rain, receiving only 6mm on Wednesday evening. Thursday has been a dry and cool with sunny periods and the going remains Good to Soft, with a GoingStick reading of 6.2.
"The forecast is much more settled now, with dry days expected on Friday and Saturday, but they too remain on the cool side.
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