Friday 3 June 2016

The Old Vic a star attraction

Champion trainer, Paul Nicholls has started the new National Hunt season as he means to go on, with plenty of winners.   The 2015/2016 championship went to the wire, with Nicholls and Willie Mullins going head to head to the final day at Sandown in April. 

Nicholls is now making every winner count and already leads the new title with over £100K in accumulated prize money.  The trainer has around 20 horses for summer jumping this year which means we will certainly see more of his runners at Pitchcroft, confirmed by his multiple entries for tomorrow’s meeting.

Nicholls’ only runner at last week’s Worcester meeting made it a winning one.  Southfield Vic (pictured) is a four-time hurdle winner and managed to record his first victory over fences in the novice chase to bring his total prize money to date to over £69k.   Former jockey and now Nicholls’ assistant trainer, Harry Derham commented afterwards that the Old Vic gelding who took the race on the bridle by 25 lengths, prefers a sounder surface and that he will have an entry at tomorrow’s meeting in another novice chase.


A less successful but equally interesting runner at the same meeting was Comely. Bred at Hanbury by Robert Chugg, the Midnight Legend filly was sold as a 3 year old for £36K to the Queen.  There were high hopes that she would emulate the Queen’s last runner and bumper winner at the course on Ladies Day in 2014, Special Agent, but unfortunately it was not to be and the half-sister to Banjaxed Girl was beaten by 48 lengths into fourth place.

An event we always look forward to is the annual presentation of the Richard Davis Award to the up and coming conditional jockey who has accumulated the most points from rides at Worcester, Cheltenham, Chepstow, Ludlow, Stratford, Towcester and Warwick racecourses.  Davis was a former jump jockey from Flyford Flavel, and his family presented the award to Cieran Gethings last Friday.  Former recipients of this award include Sam Twiston-Davies, Aidan Coleman and Sean Bowen.

A new addition to my column is a regular update of the ‘scores on the doors’, incorporating the latest standings of our leading trainer, jockey and owner competitions.  After three meetings, Philip Hobbs and Sean Bowen are at the top of the trainer and jockey tables respectively, while The Troubled Pink Partnership heads the owner’s table.  I am certain there will be a good juggling of positions as the season progresses.

Tomorrow is the highlight of the racing season at Worcester.  Ladies Day, traditionally staged on the same day as the Derby, has attracted 138 entries including local interest from the yards of David Dennis, Richard Newland, Tony Carroll and Ian Williams.  Worcester winners Thoonavolla, Myroundorurs, Carrigkerry and Castlemorris King are amongst those who could well share the increased prize money on offer for the meeting this year.


Gates open at 11.30am.