By our own admission, our final fixture of the season is hardly the grand finale we might wish for. A drab Thursday in October, despite coinciding with half-term, is more for aficionados than for socialites. But as any racing fan will tell you, midweek racing often uncovers little gems so you can tell your friends, “I saw him win at Stratford”. Yesterday was one such day.
Be Aware, owned by Andrew Cohen, who enjoyed such horses as Hennessy winner Suny Bay back in the day, had been running in top handicap hurdles through last term, beaten 1/2l in the Greatwood at Cheltenham and third in the Ladbroke Hurdle at Ascot mid-December. A switch to fences produced an immediate result, swerving a novice event to drop straight into handicap class. The two top weights, Grandeur d’Ame and Be Aware, had the race between them turning in, The Widowmaker and Cerendipity ranging upsides at the last. Alan King’s charge jumped the last in front, but keeled over on landing, allowing Harry Skelton to drive Be Aware out for a 4l advantage at the line. He looks likely to feature in some top flight novice events given his rating.
Another novice, this time making a debut under Rules, was Taurus Bay, bought for £155,000 by Ben Pauling on behalf of an ownership combo including Harry Redknapp after winning his maiden at Comea. Ben Jones had the 4 year old prominent throughout and despite some novicey jumping, he was a handsome winner over Precious Metal, a respectful 8 1/2l second in the second division of the “National Hunt” Novices Hurdle. Again, plenty to look forward to.
Henrietta Knight, back in harness after a retirement break, was frustrated a second time after Precious Metal’s defeat, this time in the 0-100 Handicap Hurdle, in which her Motazzen found Soldier’s Leap a length too good at the line. The Dubawi gelding (how high are the mighty fallen?) was staying on at the close, so might benefit from a longer trip. Take nothing away from the winner, however, a ninth winner for Tom Ellis, who is already on track to surpass last season’s first foray into Rules racing. Jack Andrews was in the plate.
Diana Whateley has enjoyed some top flight horses in her time, and looks to have another exciting prospect in Wandering Ego, who scored a maiden victory over hurdles, having won his bumper in good fashion at Wetherby in May. An odds-on favourite, he won as a jolly should, with a handsome 14l margin over Park Talk for Harry Derham in the first division of the “National Hunt” Novices Hurdle. Like Taurus Bay, he looks one to follow.
Another favourite to content punters was five year old mare A Path To Ronda who made steady headway from the rear to take up the running and win with something in hand in the Mares Maiden Hurdle for Gavin Sheehan and Charlie Longsden. Evens never made a gambler rich, but a winner’s a winner, all the same.
The day had begun with a class of race now limited to two jumps venues: Stratford and Leicester. The seller is a rarity nowadays, a sale after even rarer still. Daisy Hitchins has an excllent record at Stratford from her small yard in Devon, and struck again with Sea Thrift under 7lb claimer Robbie David, taking down the favourite by 2 1/2l. Robert Bellamy, trying his hand at the auction gavel for the first time, was unsuccessful in raising a bid for the six year old.
The Rowe family has owned Stratford Racecourse for several generations, Michael the latest incumbent to chair the company. His father John is remembered in the closing handicap chase of the season, inappropriately a class 5 handicap over 2m 5f for such a splendid supporter of racing. He would have seen great irony in Another Folly, 1 3/4l winner for Ceiran Gethings and Jane Williams, an altogether suitable name for the curiosity that is racecourse ownership.
As the weak light faded, the season was played out by a bumper, a textbook ride by Tom Bellamy for boss Alan King on Galaxy Star, denying Jane Williams a quickfire double with Graceful Glance, who will surely be winning soon too.
It’s five months until Stratford is graced by racing again, but the early onset of autumn has offered the chance of plenty of stars of the future to grace the Stratford turf since September. Keep your eyes peeled and remember where you saw them first.
