Sergeant Well-Drilled as Weights are revealed for The Ladbroke

Aegean Dawn is the 5/1 antepost favourite with Ladbrokes for The Ladbroke (2.35pm) at Ascot on Saturday, December 18, and Nicky Henderson’s rapidly improving charge has been allotted 11st 2lb for the ultra-competitive Listed two-mile handicap hurdle.

Henderson’s contender may boast a perfect four from four record but he faces his stiffest task to date in The Ladbroke, worth £150,000 and the richest handicap hurdle run in Britain, and Cheshire trainer Donald McCain is hoping that the Tim Leslie-owned Drill Sergeant (10st 7lb, 25/1) can be the horse to lower the favourite’s colours.

Drill Sergeant, a tough handicapper on the Flat and placed at Group Two level for trainer Mark Johnston, has made a pleasing start to his career over hurdles for McCain this autumn. Of his four runs over hurdles to date, the most notable came in a novice event at Haydock on October 27, when the front-running five-year-old pulled himself up after a circuit before being galvanised to victory under Tony McCoy.

Drill Sergeant returned to Haydock for his most recent start on November 20. After making most of the running, the gelding went down by eight lengths to the impressive Paul Nicholls-trained Toubab, to whom he was conceding 6lb.

Toubab (11st 6lb, 8/1), the current joint second-favourite with Ladbrokes, is set to reoppose Drill Sergeant on 19lb worse terms in The Ladbroke, giving McCain cause for optimism.

McCain revealed today: “Although Drill Sergeant hasn’t had a lot of runs over hurdles, he has an awful lot of experience on the Flat in strongly-run handicaps, so that justifies his entry in The Ladbroke and it is an option we are looking at.

“Haydock is very sharp now and a strong galloping two miles suits him better - he may even prove to be better over two and a half miles. The last Haydock run was a very solid effort and we are handicapped to be competitive if he is fluent enough over his hurdles for this type of contest.

“Toubab beat us senseless last time but the turn around in the weights will help. I wouldn’t say we’re well in but Drill Sergeant had to do a lot of the work that day and it might be that he’s a better horse in a big-field contest like The Ladbroke.”

Topping the weights on 11st 12lb are the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Get Me Out Of Here (12/1), Grade Two Elite Hurdle victor Nearby (16/1) from the Philip Hobbs yard and the John Hanlon-trained high-class Irish raider Luska Lad (20/1).

Henderson’s potential contenders also include Aintree Grade Two victor General Miller (11st 7lb, 20/1) and Oscar Whisky (11st 8lb, 12/1) whose sole defeat came when fourth to Menorah in the Grade One Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

Sanctuaire (11st 8lb, 20/1) landed the Grade Three Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle for Nicholls last term and the Ditcheat handler’s Tito Bustillo (10st 12lb, 16/1) and Advisor (10st 9lb, 20/1) could also take their chances.

Alan King’s trio of entries are headed by Mille Chief (11st 7lb, 9/1) who has a 17lb pull with Aegean Dawn (including the latter’s 5lb rider’s allowance) for a four and a half-length defeat over the course and distance in November. King could also run the smart Salden Licht (11st 4lb, 10/1) and Manyriverstocross (11st 4lb, 10/1).

Tocca Ferro (11st 3lb, 8/1) is looking for a hat-trick after Listed wins at Ascot and Newbury for trainer Emma Lavelle, while Nick Williams could seek victory with James De Vassy (11st 6lb, 25/1) and For Non Stop (10st 11lb, 10/1), and the Hobbs contingent also includes Oldrik (11st, 25/1) and Karasenir (10st 7lb, 25/1).

Bothy (10st 12lb, 10/1) ran Menorah close off a featherweight in the Grade Three Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham last month and is one of three solid contenders from Brian Ellison’s North Yorkshire yard, the others being Palomar (10st 9lb, 14/1) and Ultimate (10st 7lb, 50/1).

The Irish-trained entries also include Pires (10st 3lb, 10/1), Son Amix (10st 12lb, 16/1) from the Tom Cooper stable and the James Hartnett-trained Lancetto (10st 11lb, 20/1).

Grade One winner Orsippus (11st 1lb, 40/1) could line up for Northumberland trainer Michael Smith, John Quinn’s novice Recession Proof (16/1) is set to carry 10st 10lb and the useful Karen McLintock-trained Bygones Of Brid (33/1) has 11st 4lb.

Others of note include the David Pipe-trained pair of Notus De La Tour (11st 3lb, 12/1) and Hunterview (10st 7lb, 20/1), as well as the Laura Mongan-trained Alsadaa (11st 2lb, 50/1), runner-up in 2007.

The Ladbroke - Latest prices from Ladbrokes

5/1 Aegean Dawn
8/1 Tocca Ferro, Toubab
9/1 Mille Chief
10/1 Manyriverstocross, For Non Stop, Pires, Bothy, Salden Licht
12/1 Notus De La Tour, Get Me Out Of Here, Oscar Whisky
14/1 Palomar
16/1 Recession Proof, Nearby, Tito Bustillo, Son Amix
20/1 General Miller, Prince Of Fire, Montan, Advisor, Hunterview, Luska Lad, Lancetto, Sanctuaire
25/1 Karasenir, James De Vassy, Secret Dancer, Art Professor, Westlin' Winds, Oldrik, Drill Sergeant
33/1 Fiulin, Rebel Dancer, Ballybriggan, Bygones Of Brid, Caravel
40/1 Gifted Leader, Orsippus, Washington Irving
50/1 Heron Bay, Alsadaa, Ciceron, Dani's Girl, Dr Livingstone, Toshi, Ultimate

For more information, please contact:

Nick Smith - Head of Communications & International Racing, Ascot,
07771 791 449
nick.smith@ascot.co.uk

David Williams - Horseracing PR, Ladbrokes, 07976 180236
david.williams@ladbrokes.co.uk

Save £54 with the 2011 Ascot Family Day Pass

The 2011 Ascot Family Day Pass gets the thumbs up from Scotty!

Ascot first raced on 11th August 1711 which means next year will be our 300th birthday!

Look out for lots of fun activities and special events throughout 2011 to celebrate our tercentenary. We have five Family Day dates for your diary in 2011. Further details will follow in due course.

· Sunday 10th April: Countryside Alliance Raceday
· Sunday 24th July: Betfair Weekend Family Fun Day
· Saturday 6th August: Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup and ‘80s Concert
· Saturday 29th October: United House Group Day and Firework Spectacular
· Saturday 17th December: Christmas Raceday

In celebration of our 300th Birthday you can now buy a Grandstand Admission ticket to include all five Family Days in 2011 for just £39.99 per person when booking before 1st April 2011. This is a whopping saving of over £54. Grandstand Admission tickets for Family Days are usually £17 per person expect for the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup when they are priced at £25. So, this really is great value for money!

Simply quote Family Day Pass Offer when booking. To book, call 0870 727 1234 and talk to a member of the Sales Team. Don’t forget; kids under 18 go FREE! Offer limited to four 2011 Family Day Passes per household and must be booked before 1st April 2011.

Free Family Fun at Ascot this Christmas & Discounted Tickets with Twitter

BGC Christmas Raceday: Saturday 18th December
‘Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la!’ Ascot’s gone all festive for their Family Day on 18th December!
Join in the festive fun and meet Father Christmas in his Grotto where there will be a gift waiting for everyone that has been good this year.
To make the day truly festive, you can take a ride on the fairground, skate on the ice rink or have your faces painted with a Yuletide motif by one of Santa’s elves. And what more, you won’t break the bank as under 18s and all entertainment, including face painting, is absolutely free of charge.
On the track, Ascot's plays host to the most valuable day of its Jumps racing season with the Grade 1 £100,000 BGC Long Walk Hurdle. The undercard is no less impressive with the £150,000 ‘Ladbroke’ - Europe’s richest handicap hurdle.
After racing, join in the Christmas Carols in the Grandstand. The festive sing-along begins 20 minutes after the last race where a carol sheet will be provided free of charge. A trip to Ascot this December is guaranteed to blow away the winter blues and get you well and truly in the Christmas spirit.
Gates open at 10.45pm, first race 12.55pm, last race 3.40pm and the carols starts at 4pm.
Adult tickets from £16. Save £6 per ticket when you book in advance by calling 0870 727 1234 our visiting http://www.ascot.co.uk/ quoting TWITTER. Under 18s and all entertainment is FREE.

Win a signed copy of the 2010 St. Leger Racecard in aid of Children in Need

The St. Leger Stakes Racecard signed by ALL the jockeys

We have been given a copy of the Doncaster racecard from St.Leger Day 2010 by our Twitter friend @willywoodpecker to auction in aid of the BBC’s Children in Need appeal. The racecard has been signed by ALL jockeys competing in this year’s St Leger Classic.

The signatories include:
• William Buick who rode the winner, Arctic Cosmos
• The Legendary Frankie Dettori
• Champion Jockey Paul Hanagan
• Ryan Moore
• Joe Fanning
• Jamie Spencer
• Colm O’Donaghue
• Eddie Ahern
• Daryl Holland
• Paul Mulrennan

All you have to do is bid the highest amount before the auction closes at 10pm, Friday 19th November 2010. To place a bid e-mail twitter@ascot.co.uk with your name, address and contact telephone number.

The winner of the auction will be notified by 10am, Saturday 20th November 2010 and will be sent the signed racecard by recorded delivery as soon as the cheque has been received. The Ascot Twitter page, @AscotInsider, will give regular updates of how high the auction has reached.

Go on, don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to win this superb one off piece of horseracing memorabilia!

Royal Ascot Racing Club update

William Haggas reported that Expose has come out of Saturday's race in good form. William is of the opinion that Expose ran too freely during the early stages of the race at Doncaster and as a result did not have the stamina to be more competitive at the end of the race.

Prompter has also come out of the race on Saturday in good form and is on his way down to the stud for a winter break.

The first of the yearlings has successfully completed the breaking process and the Jeremy ex Can't Hurry Love Filly is on her way to Michael Bell’s Fitzroy House. The other yearlings are being long reined and are doing well and should be ready to move from the stud in the next week or so.

Mirabella and Pollenator head to the Tats December Mares Sale. They both go through the ring on Monday 29th November where Mirabella is lot No. 1369 and Pollenator Lot No. 1416.

Win 4 tickets to BGC Christmas Raceday at Ascot on Saturday 18th December

Rudolph fancies his chances in the 'Long Walk'!

All Ascot Facebook friends and Twitter followers who forward the original message on to others will be automatically placed in a draw to win 4 Premier Admission tickets to the BGC Christmas Raceday at Ascot on Saturday 18th December. The prize has a value of £104 and there is no cash alternative available.

The winner will be announced on both Facebook and Twitter at 3pm Monday 15th November 2010.

BGC Christmas Raceday is Ascot's most valuable day of Jumps racing, featuring the Grade 1 £100,000 BGC Long Walk Hurdle. The undercard is no less impressive with the £150,000 ‘Ladbroke’ - Europe’s richest handicap hurdle.

Off the track join in the festive fun and meet Father Christmas in his Grotto where there will be a gift waiting for everyone that has been good this year! (subject to availability).

To make the day truly festive why not have a go on the Rudolf ride or have your faces painted by one of Santa’s elves. You can also have your photo taken with the reindeer or a spin on the ice rink - new for this year.

After racing join us for a collection of Christmas Carols in the Grandstand. The festive sing-a-long begins after the last race where a Christmas Carol sheet will be provided.

Conditions of entry to Ascot Racecourse apply, please see

www.ascot.co.uk for full details.

Royal Ascot Racing Club Yearlings Update October 2010

Bay Filly - Jeremy ex Can 't Hurry Love
Cost: 65,000 Euros
Trainer: Michael Bell
The Jeremy filly is the first foal from the Desert Prince mare, Cant Hurry Love, who is a half sister to a stakes winner and this is the wonderful family of the late Dick Hollingsworth which traces to the Oaks winner, Bireme. Her sire, Jeremy, was a very good racehorse who won the Betfred Mile (Gr 2) at Sandown and the Jersey Stakes (Gr 3) at Royal Ascot. He was also placed second in the Queen Anne (Gr 1) at Royal Ascot as a four year old. This is his first crop of yearlings and he really has stamped his stock as they consistently appeared on John’s shortlist throughout the sales season. This is a neat, very attractive filly who moves beautifully and I suspect that Michael Bell will have her ready to run in mid-summer.

Chesnut Colt - Excellent Art ex Follow My Lead
Cost: 48,000 Guineas
Trainer: Richard Hannon
The Excellent Art colt will be trained by Richard Hannon and this is a really strong, precocious type by the first crop sire, Excellent Art, who won the Mill Reef (Gr 2) at Newbury as a two year old and who then went on to win the St James Palace Stakes (Gr 1) at Royal Ascot as a three year old. Excellent Art himself is by Pivotal and this colt really is the spitting image of his sire and grand sire. His dam, Follow my Lead, is a half sister to the multiple group winning Cape Cross colt, Halicarnassus who has amassed over £650,000 in prizemoney. He is a 12th March colt and I would hope that he could be ready to run before Royal Ascot in the hope that he is good enough to line up there next year.

Bay Colt - Halling ex Ae Kae Ae
Cost: 42,000 Guineas
Trainer: William Haggas
The Halling colt to be trained by William Haggas is much more of a time horse but he is full of quality and moves like a panther. His sire, Halling, was an amazing racehorse who won the Coral Eclipse (Gr 1) twice as well as the Juddmonte International Stakes (Gr 1) twice. He has produced numerous top class horses since retiring to stud including the Prix Ganay (Gr 1) winner, Cutlass Bay, as well as Cavalryman who won the Grand Prix de Paris (Gr 1). He is also sire of one of this season’s leading two year old fillies, Havant. This colt’s grand dam, Charmante, is a half sister to the brilliant miler, Zilzal, so he comes from a wonderful family with an interesting mix of speed and stamina. Hopefully, William will have him ready to run in late summer but this is a horse who will improve significantly as he gets older.

Both Expose and Prompter are all set for their respective races at Doncaster on Saturday and hopefully they will close the flat season on a much needed high. Advisor is in very good form and Paul Nicholls hopes to have him ready to run at Ascot on Friday 19th November.