TITLE-CHASING HANNON STRESSES SIGNIFICANCE OF DUBAI FUTURE CHAMPIONS DAY

Richard Hannon junior has admitted how crucial the outcome of Saturday’s £1.13 million Dubai Future Champions Day will be to his father’s hopes of winning the Trainers’ Championship. "It’s great having days like these as it keeps everyone waiting until the end of the year - there’s a lot of prize money up for grabs,” Hannon junior said. "We’d love to win the trainers’ title but I think we need to win something either this Saturday or next Saturday [British Champions Day at Ascot]. Either that or we have had it! "I think Dubai Future Champions Day is a cracking idea. You see all the best two-year-olds turning up here. Everyone is sending their best bullets which is a very good thing.” Hannon junior was speaking at the Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket this morning to promote Dubai Future Champions Day – Newmarket Racecourses’ autumn highlight, which will take place at the Rowley Mile this Saturday, October 12. Richard Hannon senior has been champion trainer three times before and is currently almost £500,000 ahead of his nearest challenger, Aidan O’Brien, in the battle for this year’s crown. The Hannon yard will field an eight-strong team during Dubai Future Champions Day while O’Brien will have six representatives. The key race could be the six-runner £403,000 Group 1 Dubai Dewhurst Stakes where Hannon will saddle his Group 2 Portland Place Properties July Stakes winner, Anjaal, against the O’Brien pair, War Command and Friendship. "Anjaal is in great form and has had a nice break,” Hannon junior said. "We didn’t run him at Doncaster because of the ground, so hopefully there won’t be too much rain. "His work has been great and he’s in really good form. Quietly, we think he will run very well. He’ll love the extra furlong – he was only getting going in the last 100 yards in the July Stakes so it will be massively in his favour.” Hannon and O’Brien also cross swords in the 13-runner £209,900 Group 1 Vision.ae Middle Park Stakes. This time it is the Irish maestro with just one raider, Great White Eagle, while both Brown Sugar and Shamshon fly the flag for Hannon. "Brown Sugar is in great form,” Hannon junior said. "He won the Sirenia Stakes on the all-weather pretty well and he’s got better as the season has gone on. He’s very quick and there’s no reason he won’t go very close. "Shamshon wasn’t able to show his best form last time because of the ground – it was very soft at Newbury [in the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes] and he didn’t go on it. He was still beaten less than two lengths, so he ran pretty well and he’ll run better on Saturday.” Michael Prosser, head of racing for the East region for the Jockey Club, said on Tuesday afternoon: "It has been a blustery day with the odd shower – but the total rainfall has been negligible. "We are forecast further rain overnight and also on Friday afternoon. It will once again be breezy tomorrow but not to the same extent as Thursday. "There is still some uncertainty with regard to Saturday’s forecast but we are currently predicted outbreaks of rain and some bright spells for Dubai Future Champions Day.” About the Dubai Future Champions Day The best two-year-old raceday in the world, Dubai Future Champions Day is the glittering highlight of Newmarket’s autumn season and boasts prizemoney of almost £1.13 million. Six Group races, including two Group 1s, plus one of the season’s great handicaps, the Betfred Cesarewitch, will light up an afternoon of racing to remember on Saturday October 12th. Advance tickets are available now at the discounted rate of £20.70 for the Grandstand & Paddock and £36 for Premier, with bigger discounts for bookings of 10 or more tickets and free entry for all accompanied children under the age of 18.   To book, visit www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk or call 0844 579 3010.   For further information please contact: Michael Prosser, head of racing, East region for the Jockey Club, 07802 844 578 or Tony Rushmer, racing PR manager, Newmarket Racecourses, 07702 579 382