Great Yarmouth racecourse ready for its biggest day of the year
Frankie Dettori rode to victory on So Mi Dar at the Eastern Festival last year. Picture: Nick Butcher - Credit: Nick Butcher
A dozen fillies go to post this afternoon in Great Yarmouth's most valuable and prestigious event of the entire racing season.
The listed John Musker Fillies' Stakes is worth £22,000 to the winner and is the highlight of day two of the three-day Eastern Festival's eight-race card at the east coast course.
Under orders at 3.50pm., a host of fillies hold chances of scooping the money in a contest well respected and won last year by So Mi Dar under Frankie Dettori.
There's no Dettori this time around but top jockeys Ryan Moore, Jamie Spencer and Josephine Gordon all represent leading stables.
Likely favourite is Irish raider Beautiful Morning, trained by Jessica Harrington and ridden by Colm O'Donoghue. The Galileo filly, formerly trained at Newmarket by Luca Cumani, was runner-up in the Blandford Stakes at The Curragh 10 days ago.
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Mark Johnston sends out Titi Makfi, the filly a York runner-up in August having previously won at Newmarket while Spencer rides for David Simcock, a partnership highly successful at Great Yarmouth all season.
They have High Hopes, literally, their so named filly a Salisbury second following an earlier Beverley victory.
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Moore rides the James Fanshawe trained Indulged, a Nottingham runner-up after winning in heavy conditions at Doncaster in May while Gordon rides the Hugo Palmer trained Vintage Folly, disappointing last time at Saint Cloud in France, having previously been beaten by Shutter Speed at York in May.
Godolphin has top chances in the opening maiden, split into two divisions at 2.10pm and 2.45pm. O'Donoghue rides the Charlie Appleby trained Imperial Past in the opener and the pair has Dream Warrior in the second division.
Newmarket trainer Chris Wall always supports the course and he has a chance with the Ted Durcan ridden Seyasah in the Danny and Peggy Wright Memorial Fillies' Handicap at 3.15pm.
The festival would love a royal winner and that could happen at 4.25pm when Moore rides The Queen's Swiftsure, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, in a 10-furlong handicap.
Trainer Roger Varian and jockey Andrea Atzeni have double hopes with Zabeel Prince in the 4.55pm Sea Deer Handicap and with Equitation in the 5.55pm finale.
The 5.25pm Stanley Threadwell Memorial Handicap could go the way of Dakota Gold under Connor Beasley for northern trainer Michael Dods.
Selections: 2.10pm, Prime Minister; 2.45pm, Rich Identity; 3.15pm, Fortitude; 3.50pm, Indulged; 4.25pm, Swiftsure; 4.55pm, Zabeel Prince; 5.25pm, Dakota Gold; 5.55pm, Jessinamillion.
