Category: News

Here at Stratford, we make no pretence that our races are some sort of trial for Cheltenham. Our summer fare sets up competitive racing for best in class chasers and hurdlers from March to November. And whilst we love staging high value races as much as the next man, we recognize that a vast majority of horses in training are of a class that doesn’t merit running at Grade I courses, and our calendar caters well for them.

That said, every so often comes along a horse you can see is destined for the top flight. And at the time, or in hindsight, those that attended can say knowledgably that they recognized that latent talent in a modest race at Stratford.

Enjoying his fourth consecutive novice chase victory in today’s events from Newton Abbot is exactly one such example. Regulars at Stratford last summer will have enjoyed seeing Hang In There win two competitive handicap hurdles for Marlborough trainer Emma Lavelle. This is the sort of horse about which a trainer describes any hurdle career as “a bonus”.

To date, it’s difficult to fault his chase career. A second place on debut back in May, he has won his next four races by an aggregate distance of 108l. Emma would be the first to acknowledge that small 3 and 4 runner fields have presented easy introductory opportunities, but the style of victory has already got the handicapper rating Hang In There on 148, with the season barely underway. There is little to suggest the eight year old son of Yeats will not improve the 10lbs or so required to be able to win a Grade I like the Marsh Chase next March.

Talking to the Racing Post, Lavelle commented,

“He’s a decent horse, he just wants nice ground, he’s probably better than what you’d describe as a summer jumper,” Lavelle added.

“He’s had a straightforward summer winning these novice chases and more than earned the right to have a crack at a better quality race round a proper jumping track. I’d say we’ll look at the Rising Stars at Wincanton [November 5] as his target race.”

Modest in the extreme, Lavelle is hiding her excitement well. Her gelding is better than that for sure, and she knows it. But managing the expectations of owners Tim Syder and Andrew Gemmell, as well as the hype merchants of the Press is key.

We’re unlikely to see Hang In There back here for a novice chase this season, and if his season develops as anticipated, not for some time until the handicapper anchors him and his rating falls, but you can at least say, “I saw him here first”. Meantime, register on this site to check out your ante-post odds for upcoming big races as the autumn season gathers momentum.

Stratford – home for nurturing talent. Remember it well.

“Racing for the industry” was the phrase former Stratford Clerk of Course John Ford described mid week racing, but that was long before the era of summer jumping, which transformed the fortunes of courses like Stratford, Perth and Newton Abbot, willing and able to draw spectators to watch afternoon and evening cards from April to October. Our final evening fixture of the summer saw 44 runners spread across 7 races – enough for one or two scintillating finishes and a respectable crowd.

Your columnist spotted Nigel Twiston-Davies in Winchcombe last week searching for a haircut. Had I but known that our Nige was smartening himself up for a successful double-grab at Stratford on Monday, I might have acted on the Twiston-Davies attempt at sartorial elegance. That best-turn out feel however is largely reserved for the horses, and it shows. Four year old maiden Bagheera Ginge put two promising placed efforts at Uttoxeter behind him in a convincing pillar – to – post victory in the opener, where runners were sprawled behind in Indian file. 26l separated the first and third finishers in what might not necessarily have been the best contest. But Tom Bellamy looked admirably stylish in front to notch up his 14th winner of the term.

Son Sam had to work rather harder for his riding fee an hour later when another juvenile, Flintstone, was perfectly produced to reel in long time leader Mutara after the last to win by the day’s shortest distance – 1 1/4l. Twiston-Davies has had a quieter summer than of late, running half the number of horses than last year, but the tally is much the same, and autumn is always a key season for the Naunton yard. Expect this sort of form to escalate over September and October.

Brian Hughes’ motto is “have saddle, will travel”, and he’s been a regular fixture at Stratford this summer, keeping his winner tally moving inexorably forward. Gary Hanmer was responsible for Monday’s Hughes winner in our feature Dominic Chapman Memorial Handicap Hurdle with 6/5 favourite Isthebaropen. Sadly the race cut up to just 4 runners, but there was little not to like about Isthebaropen’s attitude and comprehensive 12l winning margin. Whilst this was only Hanmer’s second winner at Stratford this season, he’s earned his way to a top 15 place in the Trainers’ Championship through 15 winners to date, and this sort of early season prominence is what aspirant trainers have to achieve to get noticed.

Another aspirant trainer not seen much at Stratford is John Flint, whose Monmouthshire yard is largely focused on the flat nowadays. Nevertheless, his Jumps runners are to be respected, and the all-Welsh partnership with Connor Brace produced Blaze A Trail, a winner here last month, to repeat that performance in the IJF South West Hub Now Open Handicap Chase, beating Polly Gundry’s Smith’s Bay 4 3/4l.

A small field faced the starter in the Grundon Waste Management Novices Handicap Chase, and in truth, there were only ever two in it. Commentator’s nightmare Punxsutawney proved the swifter of he and Neil Mulholland’s Cremant, the 7/4 favourite, to win by 1 1/4l. That said, it begs the question of what novice chasers are learning in small fields. If they ever stumble into a big 20 runner handicap, the learning curve may still be quite steep. Winning trainer Brian Ellison is highly successful on the flat and over jumps from his base on the top of Sutton Bank overlooking the Vale of York, but this was only his 20th runner over obstacles this summer, whilst attention is largely on the flat.

The Stratford Racing Club is a perfect example of the syndicate approach to ownership that brings more people into the sport. Another advocate of this approach is trainer Alexandra Dunn, in whose Devon yard you can own a small share from just £35 – no typo. That this inclusive approach is working was amply demonstrated by The Garrison’s 1 3/4l win in the Class 5 handicap chase, his first win for the yard.

No Stratford fixture would be complete without a winner for the self-effacing Fergal O’Brien, currently leading the trainers’ table with winnings of £432,000. Favourite backers were well content to see maiden Irish Point-to-Point winner The Galahad follow up on last month’s Newton Abbot success under Jack Hogan in the concluding bumper.

The 2 week break from Jump racing was perfectly timed to coincide with the latest heatwave in our glorious summer, but it was as if it might never have happened as the leading proponents of Summer Jumping took the initiative once again for our first August fixture.

A total of 47 horses turned out for the seven race card on good ground, but it was an all – military affair that stole the riding honours for the day in the Walls & Ceilings International Ltd Handicap Hurdle over the minimum trip. Colonel Lesley, trained near South Molton in Devon by Claire Harris jumped his way into the lead two out, and held off a sustained challenge from the ranker Sergeant, from the in-form yard of Wiltshire maestro Milton Harris, winning by a neck. The pair drew 16l clear of the third, and gave the buoyant mid-week crowd a terrific buzz. Claire is only in her second full season, and already making a sound start, this her second winner of the term.

The metronomic winner machine that is Ravenswell Farm will have seen the August break as an irritating interruption of normal business. Fergal O’Brien has made a virtue of the little fish are sweet approach to early season racing and a first and last race double allowed him a short – priced advance to 49 winners. He is rapidly becoming the twenties answer to the prolific Martin Pipe back in the eighties. Eagles Realm was untroubled to follow up on his July win here in the opening Wildix Way Novices Handicap Hurdle, whilst 4 year old daughter of Kayf Tara, Leave Her To Me, had to draw on all of Paddy Brennan’s most forceful riding to get home by a length in the concluding bumper.

Eagles Realm was the first leg of a quickfire double for jockey Kielan Woods, successful 30 minutes later in the Stratford Racing Club Novices Handicap Chase with 14l winner Sea Prince, trained at Edgcote by ALex Hales. With three trainers now based at this historic racing estate, we should be seeing plenty more winners from this former home of Spanish Steps.

It’s a common misconception that Temple Guiting handler Jonjo O’Neill trains almost solely for billionaire J P McManus. That McManus has more horses in training than he can count is also another falsehood; the reality of ownership in the top flight is that you need to kiss many frogs to achieve the greatness of a Grade I winner. Six year old mare La Domaniale may not hit those dizzy heights for McManus and O’Neill, but it’s difficult to fault her development this summer with two wins at Uttoxeter and a 1 1/4l victory here sandwiching runner – up berths at Worcester and Market Rasen. She’s certainly good enough now to merit a rating for a decent handicap. O’Neill jnr has had a torrid time with injuries in recent months, but to be back among the winners is welcome.

One man who knows a thing or two about riding winners is champion Brian Hughes. Rarely is a trip south wasted, and this one was no different. Rides for Donald McCain and the Pogsons may have fallen short, but Laura Morgan provided a 58th winner of the season on all-the-way winner Tardree, who never saw another rival, in the Walls & Ceilings International Novices Hurdle, with 16l back to the runner-up and a further 70l to the third. It’s a wonder the judge hung around that long.

Longest – priced winner of the day came in the 3m3f handicap chase, when Call of the Loom reeled in long time leader Regaby to provide some cheer for Wales. Christian Williams is not best known as an exponent of the summer season, but under a busy ride from Jack Tudor, ran out a 6 1/2l winner of this Class 5 event.

A total of 39 runners faced the starter in the six races programmed on June 28 for a sunny summer evening at Stratford, in which local Cotswold trainers put in a good showing.

The evening’s most valuable race started the card, but attracted just two runners in the Stratford Supporting Racing Staff Week Novices Chase. Well thought-of Cary’s Commodity from Jonjo O’Neill’s, and Calva d’Auge, from Paul Nicholls, are both rated 135+ and until Tuesday at least, both maidens over fences, runners-up both is small fields at Uttoxeter and Kempton respectively.

The spate of small runner fields, especially in novice chases, doesn’t preclude an exciting finish in what has to be a game of cat and mouse. In this particular exercise, Calva d’Auge looked to be going better turning in, but when Jonjo Jnr asserted on Cary’s Commodity, the race was over in a matter of strides. He won unchallenged by 17l in the end, and looks well capable of further improvement.

In the evening’s other novice chase, a handicap 90 minutes later, the handicapper could afford to give himself a pat on the back. Five of the six runners were still in close contention as they approached the last, with Smith’s Bay, Cremant and Tigerten semmingly holding the advantage. From an unpromising position, Luca Morgan conjured a great run from the Ben Pauling – trained On Springs to win by 2 3/4l, so ensuring Pauling’s thirteenth winner of the term from his new yard at Naunton.

Kielan Woods notched a 16th winner of the season on D J Jeffreys’ Reams of Love in the following maiden hurdle at 20/1 in a performance that belied his starting price. DJ is yet another product of the Cotswold racing scene. Formerly assistant to Charlie Longsdon, he originally set up near Stow, but has now moved to Hinton-on-the-Green, just south of Evesham. There’s little of not yet in the yard, but smart placing is ensuring the Jeffreys name is appearing in winners’ lists and attracting attention.

If there is one trainer you can be assured of following successfully in the summer months, it is Gary Hanmer. French-bred Sir Tivo made it seven wins over fences in this Watch on RacingTV Handicap Chase over the minimum trip, leading from the off until briefly headed, before rallying again. Runner-up Admiral’s Sunset trained by David Weston near Marlborough, was close enough to suggest a win will not be long coming. Hanmer has now passed the £100k prize money marker for the season, this being his 12th winner since the start.

Another making the best of a season where the big stables are largely absent is Laura Morgan, not far behind Hanmer in the trainers’ list. She maintained her healthy 22% strike rate with her 11th winner in the concluding bumper where debutant Illusion of Time, impeccably bred by Sea The Stars, recouped a little of that breeding cost in his 1 1/4l victory.

Old Radleian Jamie Snowden has made the most of his alumni status at the Oxfordshire college by persuading the Alumni association to indulge in a racehorse, and they received just reward in the 2m 6f handicap hurdle when College Oak made all and won by 4 1/4l from in-form Milton Harris’s Mr Yeats and favourite Justified.