BLUESQUARE.COM STEWARDS' SPRINT STAKES

Friday Jul 29, 2011

Tamworth selection Secret Witness has been drawn to run in BLUESQUARE.COM STEWARDS' SPRINT STAKES (2.05 Saturday live on Channel 4). If it comes home in first place the club will benefit from a nice little earner.

Workington the Favourites for Big Prize with Hoof It!

Workington from the Blue Square Bet North will be cheering on the likely favourite Hoof It in the Blue Square Stewards' Cup on Saturday at Glorious Goodwood. The ‘Reds' will be hoping the 4-year-old, owned by golfer Lee Westwood and his agent Chubby Chandler, can come home in front in the valuable sprint to land them a cash prize from the league sponsors Blue Square. The leading online bookmaker, who sponsor the three Football Conference divisions, allocate a horse from their prestigious race to every club in the Blue Square Bet Premier, North and South.

The horse that wins the six furlong contest - which takes place at the Sussex track at 3.45 on Saturday (live on Channel 4) - will earn one club a cash windfall on the eve of the new season. Blue Square will give the club that ‘owns' the winner £2000 plus the equivalent of a £100 bet at the Blue Square SP on their runner. Last year Droylsden from the Blue Square Bet North scooped a huge £4200 when Evens And Odds scored by a narrow margin at 22/1 from AFC Wimbledon's Johnny Mudball.

Blue Square Bet Premier joint-favourites Fleetwood Town have Nasri on their side - something their Lancashire football counterparts in Manchester have found far harder over the summer. The Dandy Nicholls trained 5-year-old is around 25/1 to land the trainer the race for what would be the third time in seven years.

A random draw was made at Goodwood on Wednesday morning and the top 68 entries in the race were allocated between the clubs. A maximum of 28 runners will go to post on Saturday, but there will be an extra chance to win for any clubs who miss out on the main event. This year, for the first time, a special consolation race will be run on the same day. The bluesquare.com Stewards' Sprint Stakes will go off at 2.05 (also live on Channel 4) and will contain horses which didn't make the cut for the original race. Any club with a horse in the consolation race will win £1000 if their runner is successful, with the extra boost of the equivalent winnings from a £100 bet on that horse at the exclusive Blue Square SP. Seven horses in the consolation event will run on behalf of Blue Square's nominated charity Marie Curie for the same prize, due to the withdrawal of horses above the first 68 in the handicap. 21 clubs and their horses were eliminated at the declaration stage.

The full line up of horses and clubs for both races, along with their likely starting prices, are as follows:

BLUE SQUARE STEWARDS' CUP (3.45 Saturday live on Channel 4)

BLUESQUARE.COM STEWARDS' SPRINT STAKES (2.05 Saturday live on Channel 4)