Haydock Park

racing_news/

totesport Silver Bowl Celebrates 50th Running With Record £100,000 In Prize Money
17/05/06

Haydock Park hosts its first major meeting of the new Flat season on Friday and Saturday, May 26 and 27, with the undoubted highlight the 50th running of the totesport Silver Bowl (3.45pm), this year worth a record £100,000 in prize money.

The mile handicap for three-year-olds is the most valuable race of its type run in Britain, and consistently attracts horses who develop into top-notch performers, often making their mark in Group company.

Kirkland Tellwright, Haydock's Clerk of the Course, said: "The race speaks for itself - the totesport Silver Bowl is a tremendously high-quality contest, as it should be for the fantastic prize money on offer, and invariably produces winners who go on to succeed at an even higher level.

"Ecclesiastical, who won impressively in 2001, progressed to land four Group One races in Hong Kong, while Home Affairs followed up last year's victory by running a great race at Royal Ascot at York when third in the Group Three Jersey Stakes behind Proclamation, who went on to take the Group One Sussex Stakes.

"It's brilliant that the prize money has reached £100,000 for the 50th running of the totesport Silver Bowl.

"We are happy with the state of the course for this our first major meeting on the Flat of 2006."

A safety limit of 17 means that a maximum field invariably contests the very competitive totesport Silver Bowl.

Total prize money is up £16,000 to £277,000 for this year's two-day meeting, which also features two cracking Listed contests on the Saturday.

The £38,000 E.B.F. Joan Westbrook Pinnacle Stakes (3.10pm) is run over 12 furlongs, eligible to fillies and mares over four. Last year's renewal saw a battling performance from the Amanda Perrett-trained Autumn Wealth, who held off the determined challenge of Tartouche to be the half-length victor.

The West Properties Sandy Lane Stakes (2.35pm), worth £28,000, is run over six furlongs, and was won in grand style last year by Camacho, trained by Henry Cecil, who was the ready two and a half length scorer over Nufoos.

For further information, please contact Adam Waterworth, Haydock Park's Managing Director, on 01942 725963, or visit www.haydock-park.co.uk

HISTORY OF THE totesport SILVER BOWL

The totesport Silver Bowl was first run at Haydock in 1957 and has grown into the most important mile handicap for three-year-olds.

It is also an extremely valuable race, the richest of its kind, with a total prize fund of £100,000 for the 50th running in 2006, which compares very favourably with the £55,000 on offer for the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot in June.

The contest was known in 1957 as the John Davies Handicap but between 1958 and 1985 it was run under the banner of the Cecil Frail Handicap - in memory of Cecil Frail, who was the clerk of the course at Haydock until 1936 and came from a famous racing family.

His father, John Frail, was clerk of the course for over 50 years at Shrewsbury Racecourse until its closure in 1888, while his brother, Charles, also acted in the same capacity.

totesport sponsored the Silver Bowl for the first time in 1986 and racing's biggest sponsor has continued to back the mile handicap since then.

Mark Antony won the inaugural running for trainer Jack Jarvis and jockey Manny Mercer in 1957.

Over the years, the most successful jockey in the Silver Bowl has been John Lowe, who won the race on three occasions aboard Fair Top (1978), Trucidator (1985) and Mohammed Abdu (1987). No current jockey has captured the totesport Silver Bowl more than once.

No trainer has been dominant either, although 10 have saddled the winner twice. Sir Michael Stoute is the latest handler to have achieved this feat, having sent out Safawan to victory in 1989 and Home Affairs last year.

Gerard Butler landed the contest with Common World in 2002 and followed up a year later with Jazz Messenger, while Ed Dunlop has also done well in recent years, winning with Winter Romance in 1996 and Date in 1999.

The best horse to have won the totesport Silver Bowl during its 49-year history is Gunner B, who recorded the widest winning margin seen to date when successful by eight lengths in 1976. Later in his career, the son of Royal Gunner was transferred to the care of Henry Cecil and in 1978 won the Earl of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket and the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, while his biggest victory came in the Group One Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park. During his long career at stud, Gunner B became an outstanding sire of jump horses, with the likes of Grand National winner Red Marauder and World Hurdle victor Iris's Gift among his talented offspring.

Other good horses to have been successful in the totesport Silver Bowl include the 1967 victor Frankincense, trained by John Oxley. Frankincense went on to capture the Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster in 1968, landing Oxley's head lad Barry Hills a small fortune which enabled him to set up his own training establishment.

Safawan, triumphant for Sir Michael Stoute and the Aga Khan in 1989, progressed to Pattern race success the following season with victory in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

Ecclesiastical, the 2001 hero, subsequently finished second at Royal Ascot in the Britannia Handicap. As a four-year-old, he moved to Hong Kong (where he ran under the name of Olympic Express) and proved a top-class performer for Ivan Allan in the former British colony, with four Group One victories coming in the Hong Kong Classic Mile, Hong Kong Derby, Hong Kong Mile and Hong Kong Gold Cup.

The 2004 winner Gatwick, owned by a Henry Ponsonby syndicate that included the Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, went on to contest the Vodafone Derby at Epsom the following month, when he ran credibly to finish 10th behind North Light.

Home Affairs, who scored by a short-head in a thrilling climax to last year's renewal, finished third in the Group Three Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot at York on his next start behind subsequent Sussex Stakes hero Proclamation, and went on to run fourth to Turtle Bowl in the Group One Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly.

THE totesport SILVER BOWL - ROLL OF HONOUR (1957-2005)

YEAR RAN WINNER WGT SP JOCKEY TRAINER OWNER
1957 15 MARK ANTONY 8-11 10/1 Manny Mercer Jack Jarvis Jim Philipps
1958 8 ROYAL PAINTER 7-05 7/1 Michael Hayes Sam Hall H Halmshaw
1959 8 MUCKLE JOHN 8-09 100/9 Geoff Littlewood Harry Peacock Lord Zetland
1960 9 QUADRUPLE 8-07 9/4F Doug Smith Jack Watts Lord Derby
1961 10 DOUBLE BEE 8-04 8/1 Snowy Fawdon Jimmy Elwell J Hardy
1962 10 GAY CASINO 9-01 8/1 Johnny Greenaway Rufus Beasley Major Hugh Dawson
1963 11 HIGH FLOWN 9-05 9/2 Frankie Durr Jimmy James Major Lionel Holliday
1964 12 CURRENT SPEECH 8-11 6/1 Joe Sime Sam Hall Jack Hanson
1965 8 DANELLA 8-03 4/1 Edward Hide Bill Hide H G Webster
1966 15 TRACKER 7-11 10/1 Johnny Greenaway Dick Peacock Sir Edward Hanmer
1967 7 FRANKINCENSE 8-07 7/2 Greville Starkey John Oxley Lady Halifax
1968 10 CHARLIE'S PAL 7-03 9/2 George Duffield Ryan Jarvis H R Strangward
1969 12 TATJANA 7-00 100/7 Michael Teelin Bill Elsey Countess Margit Batthyany
1970 9 TUDOR TINKER 9-00 4/1 Colin Williams Michael Jarvis David Robinson
1971 7 SMART SAM 8-05 7/4F Tony Murray Doug Smith A Don
1972 6 ROY BRIDGE 9-2 9/4F Lester Piggott John Oxley Maj Gen Sir Randle Feilden
1973 9 APPLE KING 8-04 5/2F Brian Connorton Eric Collingwood H Price
1974 15 VOTECATCHER 8-02 13/2 Tony Murray Ryan Price Major Derek Wigan
1975 9 REBEC 7-12 5/1 Frankie Durr Henry Cecil Lord Howard de Walden
1976 12 GUNNER B 8-08 7/2 Joe Mercer Geoff Toft Pauline Barratt
1977 11 OWEN JONES 7-09 5/1 Malcolm Johnston Henry Cecil Jim Joel
1978 11 FAIR TOP 7-10 7/2F John Lowe Bill Elsey Hugh Leggatt
1979 10 BOLD OWL 8-01 6/1 Taffy Thomas Harry Wragg Norman Wachman
1980 13 GREENWOOD STAR 7-07 5/2F Philip Robinson Gavin Hunter Greenwood Homes Ltd
1981 12 SILVER SEASON 9-05 20/1 Ernie Johnson Clive Brittain M Hassan
1982 12 SPANISH POOL 9-06 5/1 Brian Taylor Jeremy Hindley Mrs M Haggas
1983 10 SCHUSS 8-05 11/4F Willie Carson Dick Hern Lord Porchester
1984 10 INCISIVE 7-09 7/2JF Kevin Darley Ernie Weymes Lady Howard de Walden
1985 11 TRUCIDATOR 9-07 12/1 John Lowe Steve Norton M S H Hartley
1986 13 AL BASHAAMA 7-10 8/1 Paul Hamblett Luca Cumani Sheikh Mohammed
1987 8 MOHAMED ABDU 7-08 9/4 John Lowe Steve Norton N Shainan
1988 15 JAMARJ 9-07 6/1 Mark Birch Peter Easterby Ian Armitage
1989 13 SAFAWAN 8-11 11/2 Pat Eddery Michael Stoute H H Aga Khan
1990 8 CASHTAL DAZZLER 7-07 14/1 Lindsay Charnock Jack Berry G H Atkinson
1991 13 TAKADDUM 9-03 5/1 Geoff Baxter Peter Walwyn Hamdan Al-Maktoum
1992 11 SHARPITOR 9-00 13/2 John Reid William Jarvis Henry Lopes
1993 13 MOORISH 8-02 11/1 Tom McLaughlin Paul Cole Fahd Salman
1994 12 DANCE TURN 9-00 25/1 Russell Price Robert Armstrong George Ward
1995 9 SONIC BOY 9-07 9/1 Jimmy Quinn Fulke Johnson Houghton Anthony Pye-Jeary
1996 10 WINTER ROMANCE 9-00 9/4F Pat Eddery Ed Dunlop Maktoum Al-Maktoum
1997 6 ALEZAL 9-01 5/2F Seb Sanders William Jarvis Howard Spooner
1998 10 FRENCH CONNECTION 7-09 12/1 Paul Fessey Jack Berry Peter Dodd
1999 17 DATE 8-13 12/1 Willie Ryan Ed Dunlop Abdullah Ali
2000 16 ATLANTIC RHAPSODY 8-03 11/1 Joe Fanning Mark Johnston Atlantic Racing Ltd
2001 18 ECCLESIASTICAL 8-08 11/2 Oscar Urbina James Fanshawe Cheveley Park Stud
2002 12 COMMON WORLD 8-13 7/4F Kieren Fallon Gerard Butler Sheikh Khaled Al Sabah
2003 12 JAZZ MESSENGER 7-12 6/1 Paul Hanagan Gerard Butler Sven Hanson
2004 18 GATWICK 8-10 11/2 Sam Hitchcott Mick Channon Henry Ponsonby
2005 16 HOME AFFAIRS 8-06 7/2 Richard Hughes Sir Michael Stoute Khalid Abdulla

ORDER OF RUNNING

FRIDAY & SATURDAY, MAY 26 & 27, 2006

First Day - Friday, May 26

TIME/RACE/DISTANCE/PRIZE MONEY

2.30pm The Slaters Of Abergele Renault Maiden Auction Stakes 5f £5,000

3.05pm The Renault Manchester Handicap 6f £10,000

3.40pm The Lookers Stockport Maiden Stakes 1m £10,000

4.10pm The Lewis Reed Stakes 1m £15,000

4.45pm The Sunwin Renault Handicap 7f £15,000

5.20pm The Renault Liverpool Handicap 1m 2f 120yds £5,000

5.50pm The Wainhomes Maiden Stakes 1m 4f £5,000

Second Day - Saturday, May 27

TIME/RACE/DISTANCE/PRIZE MONEY

2.05pm The Rectangle Group Handicap 5f £30,000

2.35pm The West Properties Sandy Lane Stakes (Listed Race) 6f £28,000

3.10pm The E.B.F. Joan Westbrook Pinnacle Stakes (Listed Race) 1m 4f £38,000

3.45pm The totesport Silver Bowl (Heritage Handicap) 1m £100,000

4.20pm The Option Hygiene Handicap 1m £5,000

4.50pm The E.B.F. Casino 36 Classic Maiden Fillies' Stakes 6f £6,000

5.25pm The George Duffield Apprentice Handicap 5f £5,000