THE final showpiece race of the jump racing season – the bet365 Gold Cup – at Sandown Park may not quite attract the quality of horses it once did, but it’s a still a valuable final day prize.

Races at the Grand National meeting and the Punchestown Festival are bigger draws these days.

Two decades have passed since a Gold Cup winner in Desert Orchid went on to contest the race known then as ‘The Whitbread’.

Venetia Williams could bid for a famous Grand National-Sandown double for her training yard with Pretty Star or Zacharova.

Both are currently available at up to 25-1 for the three-and-a-half mile steeplechase.

Zacharova is in fine form after appropriately winning the Mon Mome Handicap Chase at Cheltenham at the end of last week – the race of course named after his now very famous stable mate.

Pretty Star was an impressive narrow runner-up in the Kim Muir Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Tony McCoy and Paul Nicholls will be officially crowned as champion jockey and champion trainer respectively this weekend.

While the rider has had his best season at Hereford for five years – 10 winners from 26 rides – it’s not been the same level of success for the Nicholls yard.

Just one winner from seven runners has been the haul for the Somerset stables.

Hereford Racecourse’s first fixture of the 2009/10 campaign is on Thursday, April 30 - the fourth annual Wye Valley Brewery raceday – which has become a very popular day with licensee customers of the brewery.

The feature race is the £15,000 Barrels Hereford Handicap Chase which is run over the minimum distance of two miles.

l The first race at Hereford Racecourse on Thursday, April 30 is scheduled for 2.20pm. There are seven races, concluding with a hunters’ chase. Gates open just after midday. Grandstand admission is £14. Accompanied children aged under 16 enter free of charge. More information can be found on web site www.hereford-racecourse.co.uk or by telephoning the racecourse on 01432 273560.