Peter McNeile – Page 14 – Stratford Racecourse | Horse Racing

Stratford specialists the Skeltons to lead the fightback against Irish dominance at racing’s top table

Posted on June 8, 2021June 8, 2021 by Peter McNeile

According to the extensive database collected by Timeform, no duo in horse racing is quite as effective at Stratford as Dan and Harry Skelton.

Dan, the elder of the brothers, has trained 35 winners from his 167 runners at the course according to the stats – nearly double that of his nearest rival. Incredibly, more than one in three Skelton entries either wins or is placed at Stratford. We should mention his younger sibling Harry too. He has ridden 31 winners in the same timeframe – a success rate of 25%, with 38% of his rides at the track ending in victory or at least a place.

He claimed the Champion Jockey crown in 2021, landing 152 winners in a prolific campaign, and the hope for British racing fans is that the Skeltons can spearhead a return to the glory days for domestic runners at the Cheltenham Festival.

At the most recent edition of the flagship meeting, just four of the 28 races were won by a British horse. The Irish, on the other hand, claimed 23 victories.

There are plenty of different explanations as to why that might be, with the Irish bred and trained purposefully for the big meetings at Cheltenham, Punchestown, and the like. Meanwhile, some British trainers and owners prefer to focus on the nitty-gritty of the National Hunt campaign.

Either way, take Nicky Henderson’s haul out of the roll call of winners and it really does make for dismal reading for the domestic entries.

Getting Closer

The Skeltons have some excellent horses at their disposal, and a couple got close at the 2021 Festival.

Roksana was third in the Close Brothers’ Mares Hurdle, and ran superbly at Aintree a few weeks later to finish second in the Stayers’ Hurdle at Aintree. Available at 10/1 in the Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle odds for 2022 here at Space Casino, she could bring the Skeltons a rare success at the Festival.

But for a stumble late on, they could have been celebrating a win in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Their Spanish horse, Nube Negra, ran superbly well in the two-mile outing, and stayed on despite a fumble to finish just half a length behind the winner, Put the Kettle On.

The seven-year-old still has room for development, and victory in the Desert Orchid Chase – defeating Altior by three lengths in the process – was an outstanding effort.

Elle Est Belle secured another place for the Skeltons in the Champion Bumper back in March. The five-year-old is already a course winner, and produced an excellent effort to finish behind the more experienced Sir Gerhard and Kilcruit at the Festival. With another year of action under her saddle, Elle Est Belle could be another profitable campaigner at Cheltenham for the duo.

Other contenders will emerge as well, you suspect, with the likes of Langer Dan also promising a bright future. For the prosperity of British racing, the hope is that the Skeltons will lead a Warwickshire fightback against Irish racing dominance – starting with the Cheltenham Festival in 2022.

First time visitor to Stratford? Here’s your startpoint

Posted on June 7, 2021June 7, 2021 by Peter McNeile

Otherwise known as the Stratford-on-Avon Racecourse, Stratford is one of the most well-known racecourses in the UK. Located in the county of Warwickshire, its specialty is thoroughbred Jump racing and it holds around 19 meetings throughout the year from March to November. More casual than Ascot or Epsom, it is popular with serious racing fans, and those just looking for a nice day trip. The course is also a bit smaller than some of the others but it has a total of three enclosures including the Centre course, Tattersalls Enclosure, and the Club enclosure. Guests can also camp on site as it hosts the Stratford Touring Park which is great for caravans, mobile motorhomes, and up to 192 tents.

In addition to horseracing, the venue is also used for events like product launches and parties, and several set-piece public events like the Adventure Overland Show. But what else do you need to know about visiting Stratford Racecourse and Stratford-upon-Avon at large?

Going racing

The first thing to note about going racing in the post-pandemic scene is that you must book in advance. Click here to purchase. It may not always be this way, but for the time being, we’re all keeping safe, and usually there are cost savings to buying early.

Parking in the public car park is free. You can also take a taxi to the racecourse and there are regular pick-ups afterwards. The station is a good 25mn walk.

The paddock is a central focus around which to study the horses and espy your fancy. Like a lot of courses appealing to a local audience, it’s always a good idea to follow local stables. Dan Skelton, Olly Murphy and Richard Newland are always to be respected, whilst Fergal O’Brien, Nigel Twiston-Davies and Jonjo O’Neill often send well-fancied runners here.

One of our younger racegoers made this You Tube clip in 2019

One of the more obvious things to do at Stratford Racecourse is to bet on the races that are taking place! There are two ways to go about this; online betting, or betting with a bookie. As it’s 2021, the most popular form of betting these days takes place online. From the convenience of a smartphone or tablet, punters prefer to bet on the races and benefit from a range of different bonuses, odds, and incentives. These bonuses can include additional prizes, bet matching, or even additional spins on games that aren’t racing-related. For those who are new to horse race betting and online gambling, it’s possible to follow a step-by-step article to help you compare the bonuses on offer as well as additional features.

Once you’ve figured out how you will bet, all that remains is getting your race day outfit sorted, finding someone to go with, and enjoying yourself with all the excitement that comes with this kind of events! Ladies Day each

Racing is great for people watching though. Sometimes, you can have as much entertainment watching others as the horses! Of course there’s time enough for both in an afternoon’s racing.

We always recommend you watch at least one steeplechase from the rail by an obstacle. The thunder of hooves, the breathing of horses at full gallop, shouting from the riders and the crash of birch collide to make a thrilling experience close up.

About Stratford-on-Avon

The town of Stratford d is famous throughout the UK and world as the home of William Shakespeare. The renowned poet, playwright, and author was born here and as a result, almost 3 million people a year visit to pay homage. It’s also home to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and plenty of other sites in line with the Shakespeare theme, like Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. There are other theatres in the town as well as plenty of museums, an orchestral hall, and a number of stately homes nearby, like Charlecote, or Warwick Castle, where Richard Neville, the Kingmaker, manipulated politics in medieval England. The classic lines of palladian Ragley Hall are about 15mns drive away.

Shakespeare’s statue, surrounded by characters from his plays, adorns the gardens in front of the RSC

The town has a vibrant literature festival this year in July. But for most visitors, the river is an equally exciting attraction. Hire a rowing boat to amble up or down river and before you know it, you’re tempted to jump in!

Other fun things to do include visiting a medieval pub called The Garrick Inn, and going to the Campaign for Real Ale beer and cider festival which takes place in Stratford every year.

Where to stay

Of course, the smart money says you should stay at the Racecourse in either a tent, a mobile home, or caravan. If you don’t fancy that kind of adventure, there are plenty of other options. The Cotswolds, of which Stratford is a part, is home to a great number of stunning cottages, houses, and larger places that have been converted into accommodation. You can go full-out luxury in a spa hotel such as the Burnside Hotel, Broadway’s Lygon Arms, or try a quaint bed and breakfast such as the Quilt and Croissants. Stratford is chock-a-bloc with B & Bs.

Stratford is less than 20 miles from the centre of England, and its motorway links through the M40, M5 and M6 make it easily reachable from virtually anywhere. As a base for exploring the Cotswolds or central England, and taking in a day’s racing en route, it takes a lot of beating.

Gold lays down the law in the Foxhunter

Posted on May 29, 2021May 29, 2021 by Peter McNeile

Stratford’s largest crowd since March 2020, capped at 2,000, enjoyed an incident-packed evening of top flight hunter chases last night in which it felt at times as if the stewards had been tasked with ongoing training. Whereas on most days’ racing, their task is one of monitoring, there was much to keep them busy.

The highlight of the evening however, was the continued ascent toward the top rank by Law of Gold, trained by Norfolk farmer David Kemp, and ridden by Dale Peters in the evening’s feature event, the Pertemps Network Stratford Foxhunter Chase. This 2019 winner of the point-to-point.co.uk Champion Novice Hunters Chase took the scalp of Bob and Co and Monbeg Chit Chat when taking up the running at the last in the back straight, and always had the race in hand from then on. The winner clearly appreciates Stratford and was able to dominate in a way that he could not in the bigger field and higher class opposition in the Cheltenham Foxhunter.

Law Of Gold jumps the last to win at Stratford. 28/5/2021 Pic Steve Davies

However, a new challenger could well appear in the form of Ulster-trained Vaucelet, who put the sword to Britain’s two top novices in Premier Magic and Fumet d’Oudairies in the point-to-point.co.uk Champion Novice Chase, also known as the John Corbett Cup. The Tom Ellis – trained Fumet d’Oudairies was sent off a warm favourite at 6/4, but Vaucelet took the lead going into the final turn. Jack Andrews on Fumet d’Oudairies got a better jump from his mount at the last allowing him to join level again, but the winner stayed on well to win by 2 3/4l.

Winning trainer David Christie, based in Fermanagh, wasn’t hanging about to celebrate. With runners at Pointing fixtures in Ireland today, he set off briskly to catch the night boat from Stranraer before the evening was finished. Tell that to anyone who thinks training racehorses is a feather-bedded profession! A mere 6 hour drive lay ahead.

Vaucelet and Mr B Harvey lead over the last to win at Stratford. 28/5/2021 Pic Steve Davies

There will be other days for the two English challengers however. The three leaders were a distance ahead of Captain McGinley in fourth, himself no slouch, having won an Intermediate Hunters chase at Cheltenham last month.

The opening event of the evening gave the stewards their first homework on a busy night in the Stewards’ Room. In the shortest race of the evening over the minimum trip, a tight finish was fought out by Sam Waley-Cohen on long time leader Capitaine and Chloe Emsley on Creative Inertia. Under forceful pressure from the experienced Waley-Cohen, Capitaine pulled out enough in the final 100 yards to win by a length. However, the rider weighed in 1 1/2lb light and after an objection by the Clerk of Scales, was disqualified.

Skinners Pet Foods have supported the Ladies Open Series for five years, and there’s a clear correlation between their audience and the Pointing set. It was a disappointment therefore to see just four declared to run in this £10,000 race, but a lack of opposition won’t trouble Tom Ellis, enjoying his 151st winner under Rules and between the flags with Deans Road, who landed this with ease, under Gina Andrews.

The West Country was in good voice after Keltus prevailed in the White Swan Hotel Handicap. Spectators could have been forgiven for thinking Little Mix were playing after racing for all the shrieking that met the return of the successful Jeremy Scott- trained winner. Just a neck separated the winner from second placed Zamparelli in the most exciting finish of the night. Any one of five horses could have won at the last, where Clondau Westie skewed and lost his rider, allowing Lucy Turner to gain an advantage. Charlie O’Shea gave Keltus some forceful driving to get back up close to the line, to allow Devon blood pressure to subside.

Leading owner Tim Underwood took all his horses out of training this year, citing that running with all the Covid protocols was simply no fun. So it was sporting of him to underwrite the Print Concern Restricted Series, whose final made up the penultimate race of this magical evening for the Point-to-Point community. Have no doubt of his appetite to be back at the head of affairs though when matters return to normal.

Meantime, the race itself produced another scintillating finish, in which Bradley Gibbs, who’d come to Stratford with a set of plum rides, might reasonably have thought his moment had finally come as he led into the last on David Brace’s Gats And Co. Rivals Tekap and The Bonny Boy though took him on on either side, and ran on the stronger in the final 150 yards. In their last meeting at Kingston Blount 3 weeks ago, The Bonny Boy went down by a neck to Tekap. This time the situation was reversed, again a neck separating the two.

Some bumping near the line in a hard-fought finish brought the bing-bong into play to allow the stewards to examine the race for interference, but they judged any scrimmaging not to have affected the result. One-all between these two game rivals. Anyone following this game would certainly want to see Round Three.

The evening was concluded by the third of the season’s Point-to-Point bumpers, following similar events at Aintree and Exeter. Punters used to backing the favourites in bumpers duly followed Tom Ellis’ Latenightfumble, but anyone who’d been at Chaddesley for the Worcestershire in mid-April will have recognized the steady development of winner Fountains Chief, for Theresa Clark and this 6 1/2l win wouldn’t have been a great surprise to her or rider Darren Andrews.

Four horses to become big stars come the winter

Posted on May 25, 2021May 25, 2021 by Peter McNeile

National Hunt fans are already looking ahead to the 2021/22 campaign with a great deal of interest. We saw a lot of talented novices shine on the track last season, and a few of these started their careers at Stratford.

Hopefully, some of these future stars will appear at Stratford in what will be a good test for them whether they are a hurdler or chaser. Here are four horses in particular which are worth looking out for.

Shishkin

Nicky Henderson’s chaser Shishkin won all five of his races over fences last season. The 2020 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner looked even better as a chaser. He was the clear favourite for the Arkle last March and as you can see from the latest horse racing results, he made no mistake in the novice championship over the shortest trip.

The 2m chase division is one of the most exciting categories to look forward to next season. Shishkin is going to have an excellent chance in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham against the more experienced horses.

It would be great to see Shishkin take a spin around the fences at Stratford, but frankly, we don’t stage the sort of races for which he’d be entered. A racecourse gallop wouldn’t be out of the question and as he travels so strongly and clears his obstacles with speed, this is a spectacle in itself. Henderson is sure to have lots of options with the horse in the early stages of the 2021/22 campaign, but it’s more likely we’ll be the venue for another emerging novice.

Allmankind

Lodge Hill trainer Dan Skelton knows all about success at Stratford. Nobody has had more winners here than Skelton over the past five years. He is sure to have lots of entries at his local course this season.

Regulars to Stratford will be hoping one of those is Allmankind who is one of the stars of his stable. The five-year-old was victorious in the Grade One Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown. He also scored in two Grade Two races. And although he didn’t grace Stratford during his novice season, Dan Skelton has a good record for introducing novice chasers around Stratford which tests their balance and dexterity.

Unfortunately for his connections, Allmankind was no match for Shishkin in the Arkle. That was his only defeat in five starts over fences. With the experience now on his side, the 2m chaser is a horse who could claim some big races next season.

Bob Olinger

One of the standout performances at the Festival last season came from Bob Olinger, an Irish horse trained by Henry De Bromhead. The novice hurdler prevailed in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle in impressive style.

Next season is going to be a big year for the horse as he will be linked with all the leading hurdle races. De Bromhead will need to decide whether his horse steps down in distance for the Champion Hurdle, goes up in trip for the Stayers’ Hurdle, or embarks on a novice chase campaign.

It’s unlikely we will see Bob Olinger in the UK before The Festival. There are lots of options in Ireland for him before he makes the trip to Prestbury Park. It will be great to see if he has improved further when he makes his seasonal reappearance around October. However, with crowds back racing again, Stratford’s fixture on the Monday of Festival week is likely to play host to Irish voices getting in tune, and hopefully a horse or two to accompany them.

Premier Magic

Finding winners is all about recognizing best in class ahead of everyone else. And whilst the previous three horses all operate in the very top flight of the sport, Stratford’s USP has always been its relationship with the grass roots of the sport. Our Hunters’ evening this Friday supports that case, with the most valuable card of Hunter chases anywhere in the UK.

Premier Magic will go off favourite for the Point-to-Point.co.uk John Corbett Cup, the novice championship for emerging talent between the flags. The eight year old is winner of all four of his starts this Spring, including Open races at Didmarton and Chaddesley, the latter in the prestigious Lady Dudley Cup, as well as a Hunters chase at Leicester. Trained and ridden by Welshman Bradley Gibbs in Hertfordshire, he is a darling not just to his owner and trainer, but to a growing following of Pointing enthusiasts.

Mark him out for the top of his class when it comes to the Cheltenham Foxhunter next March.

Keep an eye on all the action at Stratford over the summer and autumn meetings as the next star to follow the above four horses could be unveiled.

Spectators give Stratford atmosphere again

Posted on May 24, 2021May 24, 2021 by Peter McNeile

It was a busy night at Stratford on Saturday. Oh what a joyous phrase to write after 15 months of no racing or racing behind closed doors! I shall say it again: it was a busy night on Saturday, as crowds were welcomed back to the racecourse for the nearest we’ve reached to a normal race meeting since March 9 2020. An enthusiastic crowd queued to collect pre-paid tickets, but was limited to the centre course for the time being.

Owners, to all intents seeming like old veterans of the Covid regime, having attended to watch their horses since late March, were permitted to enter the paddock. The heady atmosphere that racing brings, of nervous anticipation, appreciation of the speed and grace of the thoroughbred, and social interaction, was back in spades.

Scenes from Stratford at the first meeting back with both Annual Members and Public. 22/5/2021 Pic Steve Davies

And the action on the track didn’t disappoint either.

The feature handicap hurdle went to Nicky Henderson, not generally acknowledged as a key player in summer jumping, but who always keeps a team up for the faster ground tracks. Hooper, 6/5 favourite, completed a four-timer under Ben Ffrench-Davies, the conditional securing his second winner, and first of this new season.

Another stable that can always be relied on for summer winners is Jonjo O’Neill’s Jackdaws Castle. The season is barely a month old but 7 winners are on the board already, and hopes are high to build on the stellar season of last winter. Irish ex-pointer Lock’s Corner, duly obliged with his fourth chase win from six starts, and has improved 30lbs since embarking on his chase career here in August 2019, in a race that cut up to 3 runners. Expect this J P McManus-owned horse to be aimed for the big summer handicaps at the likes of Market Rasen and Uttoxeter, and indeed, back here as the summer progresses.

Lock’s Corner and Richie McLernon [left] jumps the last with Miss Amelia [centre] and Duke Of Navan before winning the Come Camping At Stratford Racecourse Handicap Chase at Stratford. 22/5/2021 Pic Steve Davies

Restandbethankful looks a smart recruit to the Olly Murphy stable, owned in partnership by Max McNeill and Patrick & Scott Bryceland. With three wins and two seconds from his five runs since last September, he looks like every owner’s dream, and this facile win is the precursor to more.

The runners head up the straight for the Welcome Back To Stratford Annual Members Novices’ Hurdle won by Restandbethankful. 22/5/2021 Pic Steve Davies

Forecast changed stables last summer and had an in-and-out season for Richard Newland before undertaking a wind operation last month. That and the seven month break conspired to make a difference when he ran out a comprehensive winner of the 2m 3f handicap chase amidst 4 other runners. I think we’ll be seeing him out again quite briskly.

Another stable flying the flag for Worcestershire was the family team of Matt and Stan Sheppard, who teamed up to deliver a maiden victory for Always Able in the novices handicap hurdle. The Sheppard team enjoyed an excellent 2020-21 season following the absorption of David Dennis into the team, and they’ve started this term well. Thirty percent of their runners win or reach the frame – no complaints there then.

The furthest-flung winner of the evening was Ballyegan Hero, trained in Whitsbury, Hampshire by Paul Henderson, who ran out a comfortable winner of the 3m3f 25 Club Handicap Chase. And to finish the evening, Fergal O’Brien produced another bumper entrant to break his duck at the first time of asking when Ultimate Fame prevailed by 1/2l under some persuasive riding from Paddy Brennan.

Entries are excellent for this Friday’s Hunters’ evening, which sees the cream of the British Point-to-Point scene reconvene at Stratford for the last of the three Foxhunter classics, run under the Pertemps Network banner.

Watch Out For Contenders For the 2021-22 Jockeys’ Title Over Our Summer Fixtures

Posted on May 19, 2021May 19, 2021 by Peter McNeile

We saw a fantastic tussle between defending champion Brian Hughes and Harry Skelton for the 2020/21 National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship, with the latter coming out on top for the first time. Some of the key moments took place at Stratford earlier this Spring behind closed doors. All the main contenders for the title next season are likely to appear regularly here, so Stratford is going to be an important track for them as they look to assert a lead over the summer and autumn. Here is a look at the main contenders.

Harry Skelton

Harry Skelton, a first time winner of the Champion Jockeys’ Trophy for the 2020-21 season

Skelton finished last season incredibly strongly to get his hands on the trophy on the final day of the campaign at Sandown. The brother of trainer Dan Skelton said it was a ‘dream come true’ to win the trophy.

The majority of Skelton’s winners last season came from his brother. However, he also partnered a number of Paul Nicholls’ horses in March and April which proved really helpful in his battle with Hughes.

Skelton is 11/10 in horse racing betting to defend his title, and tops the betting for the first time in his career. If he has the same hunger and drive as he showed in the final months of the 2020/21 campaign, he is sure to have another strong chance, especially with the support he gets from the Lodge Hill yard.

The defending champion is a regular at Stratford as this is his local track. With 31 winners at this course over the last five years, no jockey has enjoyed more success here than Skelton.

Brian Hughes

Hughes will be keen to win back his championship and he should once again be in the mix in the closing stages of the season. The 2019/20 champion has a lot of success in the north, in particular, where he is the go-to man for many trainers.

When he was successful in 2020, Hughes was the first northern-based jockey to lift the trophy since Jonjo O’Neill in 1980. The Irishman is not afraid to rack up the miles in pursuit of the championship. Expect to see Hughes appear at the majority of Stratford’s meetings over the next 11 months. He has had 17 winners from his 66 rides here over the last five years.

Harry Cobden

11-time Grade One winner Harry Cobden was very much in contention for the title last season until he picked up a cheekbone fracture which ruled him out the final six weeks of the campaign.

Harry Cobden carries the backing of the Champion Trainer which puts him bang in contention

Cobden is a very talented rider who is now retained by Champion trainer Nicholls. He is sure to partner a lot of top-class horses next season and given the size of Manor Farm stable, there should be no shortage of rides either.

The 22-year-old has been improving his number of winners with each season. If he is able to stay injury-free from now until April, he will have a big chance of landing his maiden title. It was an injury that put paid to his chances last season.

It’s going to be an exciting title race to follow this season, particularly when all three of the above jockeys appear at Stratford over the coming months.

Stratford Specialists Trained in Locally Could Be Horses to Follow Next Season

Posted on May 19, 2021May 19, 2021 by Peter McNeile

Stratford is perhaps better known for its Hunter Chase fixture and competitive summer cards. But did you know that this past National Hunt season the track by the River Avon had a horse running at it who went on to be placed in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle?

The Cheltenham Festival seems a world apart, yet the link between the premier jumps meeting of the year and Stratford is there for all to see. For Pleasure, trained some 25-30 miles east of the track on the Edgcote Gallops made famous by horses like L’Escargot, near the border between Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire by Alex Hales, ran twice and won both times here earlier in the campaign.

A very headstrong gelding by Excelebration, For Pleasure is a keen going sort but that did not stop him progressing from winning a Stratford handicap off 107 in July into a graded performer. Via another handicap win at Bangor, he returned to the track and completed his hat-trick.

For Pleasure’s regular jockey Harry Bannister got no pleasure in trying to steer him right-handed in a Listed race at Kempton. He forfeited alarming amounts of ground rounding the home turn and lost all chance of keeping his winning streak going.

However, once back on a track configured anti-clockwise like Cheltenham, For Pleasure showed his Stratford successes were no fluke. He won one of the official trials for the Supreme, the Grade 2 Sharp Novices’ Hurdle at the November Meeting.

An all-the-way victory there helped For Pleasure achieve a peak hurdles rating of 145. Although he couldn’t win at Newbury off that in graded handicap company, he still had enough left to hang on for third in the Supreme.

While For Pleasure was no match for Appreciate It at Cheltenham, and would have finished out of the frame if Blue Lord hadn’t fallen at the final flight. He was the best of the British horses in the race, reversing Newbury form with Soaring Glory. If he could just learn to settle, then Hales would have a very useful talent to train.

Even more local to Stratford are the Alcester stables of Dan Skelton. Younger brother Harry was crowned Champion Jockey for the first time in his career this past season, and they made the nine-mile trip southeast for eight of his winning rides.

Two of those Stratford victories came aboard Stepney Causeway, a horse who looks very much on the up. With improvers like this to ride, it’s no wonder that Skelton is 11/8 in the horse racing betting for a successful defence of his National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship for 2021-22.

Stepney Causeway helps Harry Skelton to win his first Jockeys’ title in March 2021

The progress made by Stepney Causeway in the short time he has been in the Skelton stable after joining from Flat trainer Michael Bell in January is quite remarkable. He won three times in March, including those back-to-back hurdle wins around Stratford in the space of a fortnight.

From there, Stepney Causeway went up to Ayr in April and scored for a fourth time in five starts for Skelton during the Scottish Grand National meeting. He has earned some ante-post quotes for next year’s Arkle, should his connections decide to switch him to fences.

Running at their local track has helped both Stepney Causeway and For Pleasure on their career path so far. It may well be worth following these Stratford success stories when the jumps season returns to the big stage in the autumn as a result.

Atlantic Storm a precursor to public attendance on May 22

Posted on May 17, 2021May 17, 2021 by Peter McNeile

All the talk at Stratford yesterday was of the return of racegoers the following day. Since July last year, whilst the professionals of the sport have been thankful to be able to carry on their business on the track, the process has been largely functional without the ability to celebrate winners with owners, recruit new ones, or merely accept congratulations from the public. With last week’s announcement, all that is set to change for the better; one more step on the road to normality.

Some courses lend themselves better to course specialists, and in the case of Atlantic Storm, trained by Rob Summers at Tanworth-in-Arden, that’s certainly the case. A winner of seven of his 43 starts, he’s now won 3 of these around Stratford’s tight bends, since being bought out of a selling hurdle here in October 2018. It’s standard-bearers like these that keep small trainers in the sport, when faced with the large battalions.

Stratford remains one of the few courses still running selling races. Generally considered low grade contests, they do occasionally throw up some great theatre in the ring afterwards. Sadly, there were no surprises when the Sam England-trained Pepper Street justified 11/10 favouritism to win yesterday’s seller, and the winner went home too after there were no bids.

French-bred Shaman du Berlais was the most impressive winner of the day, making a winning debut over fences in the 2m6f handicap chase for Kerry Lee. A graduate from UK Point-to-Points at Cocklebarrow and Didmarton, the eight year old had reasonable form for Tim Vaughan, but hadn’t been seen on the track since September 2019. A change of scene seems to have done the trick after a long layoff.

Shaman Du Berlais and Richard Patrick win at Stratford. 16/5/2021 Pic Steve Davies

Seamus Mullins has a good record around Stratford, although Plumpton would have to be his favourite course. However, he was off the mark for this new season at the fifth attempt around Stratford with 10/1 shot Barrowmount in the Maiden Hurdle, as was Neil Mulholland, sporting a 100% strike rate from his single runner and winner of the handicap hurdle with The Wicket Chicken.

The Wicket Chicken and Sam Twiston-Davies win at Stratford. 16/5/2021 Pic Steve Davies

Tickets are now selling for Stratford’s fixture on May 22, where public attendance will be permitted.

Skelton and Hughes match strides

Posted on March 29, 2021May 6, 2021 by Peter McNeile

Racing is always better served under blue skies and moderate temperatures, and so it was for Stratford’s,second meeting of the season as an 8 race card welcomed owners back to the racecourse for the first time since November. It felt like the beginning of the start of normality.

One of the themes of this last month of the season has been the tussle for the top place in the Jockeys’ Championship. Brian Hughes’ plan to swerve Cheltenham in order to build up a lead elsewhere didn’t play out as well as he’d planned, but the Skelton team drew a blank at Cheltenham too, since when a four-timer at Southwell has lit up the race to the Championship on April 24.

The Championship was the dominating story of the day’s racing, when Harry Skelton’s four-timer further eroded the slender lead of the current champion, Brian Hughes. The card opened as the well-backed Skelton-ridden Stepney Causeway made virtually all to win the opening Novices’ Hurdle as a 4/11 favourite should, by 15l from Brian Hughes of Faitque de L’Isle.

Hughes responded in kind 30 minutes later when riding Nightfly to victory for Northamptonshire-based owner-breeder Dee Flory, on her first racecourse visit since before Christmas. Some 80 owners accompanied her to see their horses run on this first day with a lower restriction of admission.

The Skelton pair fought back again to narrow the gap in the feature Visit racingtv.com Handicap Chase. 10 Year old Rocco was always handy and took up the running from Colorado Doc down the back straight for the final time. Skelton Jnr was not going to make any mistake and put yards between him and the runner-up to bring his score to 122 and the deficit back to 3.

With his tail up, Harry Skelton concluded the card with the last two winners, in Dan Gun and Get Sky High in the second division of the handicap hurdle and the bumper.

So much the trend nowadays in racehorse ownership is among groups rather than individuals, and who can be surprised? After all, it’s so much more fun to be sharing in the joy of ownership among friends than on your own. Certainly, it’s sure that owner Andrew Gemmell was enjoying himself most of all in the company of other members of the syndicate he was permitted to join – The Frisky Fillies. Lest I be branded a chauvinist, they chose the title themselves for their horse Flemcara, who won the handicap hurdle in the middle of the card under Tom Bellamy. Andrew, you may recall, has been blind since birth, but is also the owner of Paisley Park, one of the gutsiest horses in training.

Emma commented afterwards, “It’s difficult to know who enjoyed that more – the horse or rider. Both came back with big grins on their faces! Flemcara has been chasing, but didn’t take to it as he does hurdling, and will stay over the smaller obstacles.” Certainly, if you followed the winner, you’ll have seen ears pricked for much of the second circuit, even when asked for an effort – a sure indication the winner was relishing the contest.

The winner didn’t have a hard race, so may reappear before the end of the season, ground conditions permitting.

Andrew Gemmell with trainer Emma Lavelle at Stratford. 29/3/2021 Pic Steve Davies

The first division of the 2m 6f handicap hurdle resulted in a welcome winner for Henry Daly, who has endured a torrid season he’ll be glad to forget. This winner at least gets him into double figures, but he’s not a man seen on the racecourse frequently when the sun is beating down, so may put this lockdown year down to experience. French-bred Guillemot, owned by former Senior Steward Sir Thomas Pilkington, was breaking his duck with a pair of blinkers to assist. As it was, Henry stayed just long enough to greet his winner and for an interview before retreating back to Ludlow.

We’re off! A new season at Stratford

Posted on March 15, 2021May 6, 2021 by Peter McNeile

Stratford’s new 2021 season opened under intermittent blue skies and a temperature slightly above the average for the time of year. But whereas one might have expected a buzz of anticipation around a season of summer jumps action ahead, or even the Cheltenham Festival the following day, the atmosphere remains subdued and professional.

The number of horseboxes in the car park outnumbered the volume of personnel at the course all engaged in going about the day-to-day business of horseracing. The nearest to a crowd was the smattering of walkers on the railway bridge overlooking the 2m start.

However, that didn’t take away from some interesting action on the course, with good ground appearing at last after a winter of wet and bottomless conditions.

The season began as it had finished, led by Warwickshire’s leading trainer, Dan Skelton in the juvenile hurdle, whose Stepney Causeway made all and won by 2 ½ l under brother Harry – further confirmation, were it needed, that the Skelton camp is in fine form approaching 28 of the best races of the year later this week. The Skelton run of form was compounded by the later win of Vision des Puy in the Handicap Hurdle, picking off long time leaders Glory And Fortune and Global Society 150 yards from the line.

In the Novices Handicap Chase, the well-known colours of Andrew Wates, whose winning record includes Rough Quest in the Grand National of 1996, were carried to victory by Kap Auteuil, picking up his second such race this year. The 22l victory under Harry Bannister, despite a hike of 12lb, shows there may be more to come and no-one was surprised if the 6/4 favouritism was any guide.

“Andrew Wates has been an immensely patient owner, and he’s had to wait a long time for this fellow to come good,” said trainer Toby Lawes afterwards, reflecting on his seventh winner of the term.

The West Country took home a winner of the following Novices Handicap Hurdle when Blazing Saddles was a competent if unspectacular winner from Isthebaropen and White Turf, under Matt Griffiths for Jeremy Scott, this the pair that enjoyed a heart-stopping success at Ascot in February when the Dashel Drasher won the Betfair Ascot Chase by the scruff of the neck.

And it was as far west again for the feature Handicap Chase over 2m 6f as Joueur Brasilien, another French-bred, took up the running from long time leader Orrisdale and held off the Skelton challenger Accordingtogino to win by 3 ¾ l, bringing success to west Wales and Rebecca Curtis.

Brian Hughes on Joueur Bresilien beats Jockeys Championship rival Harry Skelton on Accordingtogino in the Richard and Jill Hurst Ruby Wedding Celebration Handicap Chase at Stratford. 15/3/2021 Pic Steve Davies

I watched that race with trainer Kim Bailey, one of very few trainers to attend the fixture in person. And if truth be told, a trainer’s main raceday role being to chaperone owners, their absence is very understandable, especially among those with strong teams to despatch for Cheltenham during the week. The Bailey yard has enjoyed a tremendous winter with a fine run of form and a first Grade I for 25 years. Kim, however, confessed to feeling very stressed about his best Festival team in years, “Actually, I get stressed about every runner I don’t own myself,” he remarked. Such is the life of a top trainer, where expectation often exceeds reality. Not every ugly duckling turns into a swan.

One team this season where reality has exceeded expectation is Bailey’s neighbour across the Withington valley at Ravensbrook Farm – Fergal O’Brien. It’s next to impossible to keep the likeable O’Brien out of the headlines nowadays, and his momentum was maintained in the Novices Hunters Chase, appropriately enough for a track and a trainer that trade on their roots in the Point-to-Point field.

For a field that had seen more racing than most of today’s competitors put together, the field was most unruly at the start, wound up by 10 year old Golden Tobouggan, who sweated up and had to be taken to post early. No surprise therefore to see him and Alex Edwards make the running , but not before he’d sidelined another candidate in Maitre Express by kicking him at the start and forcing his withdrawal. The race itself was marginally less eventful, but at the business end, it was I’m Wiser Now who took advantage of the freewheeling style of Golden Tobouggan and Gottgottgetaway to take the inner berth up the straight and win by 5 ½ l. With the Point-to-Point season due to restart on March 29, it remains to be seen whether subsequent hunter chases will fill as well as those to date, but so far, they’ve produced some of the largest fields in recent years. Meantime, however, this notched O’Brien’s 86^th winner of the term.

The afternoon had brought bright Spring sunshine to see out the Bumper to conclude the card, and with it, another local winner in the Charlie Longsdon-trained Parramount. Well backed at 6/4 favourite, he proved the second leg of a double for Champion jockey Brian Hughes, successful earlier for Rebecca Curtis. Hughes plans to swerve Cheltenham, and focus on the lesser fixtures during the week, where he can pick a hat-full of rides and consolidate his lead at the top of the Riders’ table. And whilst he may be ruing the modest challenge by northern-trained horses at this week’s Festival, that decision may give him the last laugh come the evening of April 24 when the season closes.

THE GOING

Author: Peter McNeile