Under starter's orders for a busy few weeks at Fontwell Park

The Southern National meeting on Sunday, November 14, and the track’s first-ever Boxing Day card both promises to attract large crowds, with the latter carrying hopes of Fontwell’s biggest attendance for years.

The feature race on November 14 - when the card as a whole is worth nearly £50,000 in prize money - is the second-richest contest annually at Fontwell and can be a forerunner of big things for horses who win it.

The 2008 winner, Hello Bud, went on to take the following year’s Scottish National at Ayr.

It’s too early for any indication of runners and riders for the 2010 Southern contest but Fontwell general manager Phil Bell said he was hopeful of a good field.

“That’s a meeting we’re starting to plan now but we’re also putting things into place for Boxing Day, which we’re really excited about.

“If the weather doesn’t hurt us, we’d be looking to get 6,000 or 7,000 in on Boxing Day.

“It’s a very popular day for people to go racing and there aren’t a lot of meetings in the south, so we’d hope to do well.

“We want that to be a day for families as well as regular racegoers and we’ll have music, Santa, face painting and gifts for the kids.”

Next Friday, November 5, sees another seven-race affair which doubles up as a Ladbrokes-sponsored fundraising day for Great Ormond Street Hospital, one of the causes backed by the Reuben Foundation, the charitable division of Fontwell Park owner Northern Racing.

Hosting a charity lunch for 200 guests will be actor Nat Parker, star of Land Girls and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. There will be collections for the hospital among racegoers.