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Racing News |
Binocular Heads Nine for Fighting Fifth
23/11/09
Champion Hurdle favourite Binocular heads a list of nine entries after the supplementary entry stage for the 2009 WBX.COM Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
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The WBX.COM Fighting Fifth Hurdle is the first leg of the WBX Hurdling Triple Crown which takes in the three Grade 1 2m hurdle races run in Britain each season: The WBX.COM Fighting Fifth Hurdle, Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham. Any horse that wins these three races in the same season will land connections a £1 million bonus.
Last year’s WBX Hurdling Triple Crown saw what has been dubbed the most expensive fall in history, with Punjabi’s fall in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton costing connections £1 million.
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The £1 million bonus for winning the WBX Hurdling Triple Crown sees £700,000 awarded to the owner, £150,000 to the trainer, £100,000 to the responsible stable lad or lass and £50,000 to the remainder of the stable.
The 2009 running of the WBX.COM Fighting Fifth Hurdle will carry total prize money of £100,000, making it the most valuable renewal of the race to date.
In addition, the race has been brought forward almost two hours from when originally scheduled to 13:50(GMT) to help ensure fresh ground for the Grade 1 feature.
Over half of the entries are from Ireland and include Solwhit, Sublimity and Al Eile trained by Charles Byrnes, Robbie Hennessy and John Queally respectively.
Noel Meade, who is going for his third success in the WBX.COM Fighting Fifth Hurdle, still has Go Native and Muirhead in the field from his original four entries.
