Hey Day Baby makes her return to the track today for the Coral Racing Club in the 13:15 Mares' Novices' Hurdle (Class 4) over two miles at Plumpton.

Read our Raceday LIVE preview below and join us ahead of the race for all the build-up and live updates from the track with the team and our lucky owners for the day across our social channels.

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Raceday LIVE Preview

Hey Day Baby made her debut for the club in March last year, but she was only seen twice following that run following a couple of minor setbacks. Her final run was at Worcester in June where she finished seventh of eleven over two miles.

Following that run, trainer Jonjo O'Neill thought it'd be best to give her some time off to allow her to fully recover and mature, and since returning to full training towards the back end of 2022 she's been showing plenty of positive signs at home.

WATCH: Hey Day Baby pre-season update | Interview with Jonjo O'Neill


Our newly turned six-year-old mare was initially entered in a race at Warwick today, but after the Plumpton card was added to the schedule following the abandonment of several other national hunt fixtures, the team at Jackdaws Castle believed that this was the more suitable race.

Raceday message from Jonjo O'Neill

Hey Day Baby has been off a long time so is going to need this run fitness-wise, but it will be good to get her back on the track.

She has been working nicely and seems to have benefitted from her time off. Once we get this run under her belt we can start planning her campaign.

It’s her third run over hurdles so she will then get a handicap mark which will open up more race options for her going forward.

Prize money and Owners for the Day

Today's Class 4 contest is worth £7,000 in total, with the winner set to scoop £3,812 for their lucky owners.

2nd place: £1,756 | 3rd place: £877 | 4th place: £440

As part of the Owner for the Day competitions we launch here on the Coral Racing Club website once one of the club's horses has been entered in a race, each of the 10 lucky winners who get the chance to attend as an owner will get to take home an equal 10% split of any prize money won.

Trainer and jockey form

Jonjo O'Neill has been in excellent form recently, posting five wins from fifteen runners in the last two weeks, including a winner in a Class 2 contest at Warwick last weekend. 

Richie McLernon rode four of those winners and has a strike-rate of 29% in the last fortnight with those victories coming over the course of fourteen runs. 

Racing Post Spotlight Comment on Hey Day Baby

Irish point winner in November 2022 but safely held in two bumpers towards end of last season and made low-key start to hurdling career at Worcester (2m, good) last summer; needs to take a big step forward here

Today's opposition

• Sweet Fantasy heads the early betting for today's race. The James Owen-trained mare proved to be fairly useful on the flat when trained by Ralph Beckett, winning three times in sixteen runs. Harry Cobden jumps onboard for her national hunt debut today. 

• Villainess has finished second twice in three runs, once in a bumper on debut and once last time out after an eleven month absence. Harry Bannister retains the ride, after taking the reins on her debut for Richard Bandey last time out.

• By The Grace leads the charge for the powerhouse Seven Barrows yard. After showing a decent bit of promise in her two bumper starts (finishing second and third). she was beaten by thirty one lengths, finishing in eighth on her hurdles debut. James Bowen rides her for the first time this afternoon looking to improve.
  
  

   13:15 WARWICK – LATEST BETTING HERE   

We hope you enjoyed reading today's Raceday LIVE Preview. Don't forget to tune in just before 13:15 to watch Hey Day Baby's next run for the club.