The rest period is over and we look towards the end of the 2017 season, ahead to 20 fixtures in 2018

With 12 race meetings at Pitchcroft in 12 weeks, it was time for short break to rest and refresh the track ready for the remaining 8 meetings, the first of which is tomorrow evening.

During the rest period the track has been vertidrained to allow moisture to penetrate and ease compaction, and a seaweed dressing has been applied to strengthen the turf.

Before the break, we enjoyed 2 meetings in quick succession from which a number of things stood out.

The first was a day of double for trainers Donald McCain and Richard Newland, with horses ridden by Will Kennedy and Sam Twiston-Davies respectively, the latter riding his 800^th winner of his career on the day.

McCain sent out Court Dismissed and Thyne for Gold to win the first 2 chases at odds of 12-1 and 8-1. By contrast, Newland’s runners, Mr Caffrey and Lovato were sent off at 6/4 and 7/4 favourites, both following up on last time out wins.

At the second meeting, horse number one in race one was the 2015 Cheltenham Festival Stayers Hurdle winner, Cole Harden. The horse first ran at Worcester in August 2013 when he won a National Hunt flat race.  In total, he has run in 24 races under rules and has won or been placed in 18 of those.  Unfortunately, chasing does not seem to be his game however, as he has now been beaten at odds on in all 3 runs over fences.

Ten-year old, former Worcester winner Ginger Fizz, trained by Ben Case was 4 years older than any of her rivals in the mare’s handicap hurdle. Defying the age difference, she beat regular runner at Worcester, Solstalla by 5 lengths under Daryl Jacob who had flown in from France to ride the mare en route to the Galway festival.

We have now had time to digest the recent publication of the 2018 fixture list.  This features a record of 1,508 meetings, 11 more than in 2017, and includes 19 fewer afternoons, but 30 additional evening meetings.

There will be a week-long break for jump racing after the 2017/2018 finale meeting at Sandown in April.  The first day of the new season will be at Uttoxeter on Saturday 5^th May and Worcester’s season will begin on Thursday 10^th May.

We will have 20 fixtures with very little change to the day/evening, weekday/weekend split.  The annual Ladies Day, always the best attended fixture, will be on Saturday 2^nd June.

We will also feature a very special and unique raceday in 2018, when we look forward to celebrating 300 years of racing at Pitchcroft!

Throughout the year, we will be recalling many fascinating events, races, horses and personalities from our colourful 300-year history, all of which are currently being recorded in a must-read book to be published in the spring of next year – more details to follow as we approach 2018.

The gates open for racing tomorrow at 3pm with the first race due off at 5pm.  The card will feature a novelty hobby horse race in aid of Muscular Dystrophy at 5.40pm.

Half way through the 2017 season at Pitchcroft

We certainly enjoyed the luck of the Irish at Pitchcroft’s Irish themed race meeting last week and were blessed with perfect weather for the occasion. Traditional music from the Emerald Isle courtesy of the Wild Murphys had everyone toe-tapping between races and contributed to a thoroughly good atmosphere created by the 2,500 racegoers who came out to support the course on a Tuesday evening.

On the track, it also paid to follow the Irish. 

Of the 7 winners, four horses were bred in Ireland, and one each in France, Germany and England. Aidan Coleman, originally from County Cork was on flying form notching a treble on the night, the first race for Lambourn trainer, Jamie Snowden and the last two for Jonjo O’Neill, who himself originates from Co Cork.

The local success was the one of the stories of the night. Claines trainer, Richard Newland has always been a great supporter of his local track and this summer has sent Slim Pickens to run here four times.  The horse has been with Newland since May 2014 and first won a novice hurdle at Worcester under Sam Twiston-Davies in June of that year.

From 17 races, the consistent gelding has won 4 times and finished second 6 times. In his 5 runs at Worcester, he has never been out of the first two. In the previous 3 runs this summer he has come up against one just too good for him but has battled all the way to the line.  Finally, last Tuesday was his day.  In another exciting finish, he was driven out to beat Martin Keighley’s Buckle Street by a neck under a confident ride from conditional jockey, Charlie Hammond.  Just one and three-quarter lengths separated the first four horses home.

Another Irish jockey, Daryl Jacob had his first official ride as stable jockey to Bourton-on-the-Water trainer, Ben Pauling aboard Calva D’Honore at the same meeting. However, the jockey’s winner on the night came aboard 11/10 favourite, Taws for Rod Millman in the mare’s maiden hurdle, another qualifying race for the 7bets4free.com Fixed Brush Hurdle Series final in October.

The summer is flying by as it always seems to and so are the race meetings.  We have reached the half way point in the season and it is therefore timely to look at the leading jockey and trainer championships, both of which are proving to be fiercely competitive.

Champion jockey Richard Johnson leads Aidan Coleman by just 12 points at the top of the Cheltenham and Three Counties Race Club sponsored table. There are only 6 points separating the next 3 places occupied by Sam Twiston-Davies, Noel Fehily and Harry Skelton.

Jonjo O’Neill leads Dan Skelton and Nicky Henderson, both tying for second place in the Foran sponsored trainer’s competition, ahead of Richard Newland. We look forward to seeing how the second half of the season unfolds.

The gates open for afternoon racing tomorrow at 11.50am.

Back to back meetings at Pitchcroft deliver results for local trainers

There has been plenty of action down at Pitchcroft recently, with 2 race meeting in just 4 days.

Despite Family Fun Sunday clashing with the well supported Olly Murs on stage at nearby Worcestershire County Cricket ground and Worcester University’s open day, over 4,000 people enjoyed the afternoon of National Hunt racing, interspersed with pony rides, mini quad bikes, inflatable fun and painted faces.

The local trainers didn’t disappoint. Three of the 7 winners included Murray Mount trained at Abberley by Henry Oliver, Sweeping Rock trained by John Spearing at the Fred Rimell’s former yard in Kinnersley, and the last race went the way of Included trained by David Dennis at Hanley Swan.

The big story of the afternoon came in the £18,000 feature handicap hurdle. A very competitive affair, the strongly fancied Philip Hobbs / Diana Whateley gelding, Wishfull Dreaming went off a clear favourite.  However, in the end, the first three horses home mirrored the exact same result of a similar contest earlier in the month on Ladies Day. 

Permit trainer, Rosemary Gasson was delighted to see Mr McGuiness get the better of Richard Newland’s Slim Pickens and Alan King’s Miss Crick for the second time at the course in just 3 weeks. Both Mr McGuiness and Slip Pickens hold entries for tomorrow’s Worcester meeting.

Three days later, we welcomed Britain’s Got Talent host, David Walliams to the racecourse for the first time, as guest speaker in the Birmingham City Football Club hospitality marquee.

The local success story continued at this meeting with new recruit to Richard Newland’s Claines yard, Theo storming up the home straight to win the shakespearestone.co.uk Conditional Jockeys Training Series Final Handicap Hurdle under Abberley jockey, Charlie Hammond.

Theo was purchased out of Shane Donohoe’s yard in Ireland recently, with only fair form and a bit of a ‘monkey’ reputation according to Newland’s assistant, Rod Trow. However, the 7-year old was on best behaviour, winning comfortably and seemingly relishing the change of scene, as further borne out by his Uttoxeter win on Sunday.

Roger Hart is very well known at Worcester and on the wider racing circuit as a tipster, Corporate raceday host and an organiser of ownership syndicates. He is less well known as an owner.  However, when Fort Worth trained by Jonjo O’Neill won on the bridle last week under a cool Aidan Coleman ride, a very excited Hart whooped his way across the parade ring to greet his winner.

Fort Worth was bought by O’Neill from Coolmore originally, and has run for O’Neil under different ownership until recently when Hart and 3 friends purchased the Presenting gelding, who jumped and stayed on impressively.

Hart tells the story that the ownership under which Fort Worth now runs, Sleeping Panther Racing, took its name from the many sleeping panther statues that can be seen on the streets of ‘Panther City’ as Fort Worth in Texas is nicknamed.

With Nicky Henderson on flying form last week, posting a treble and a third from his 4 runners, we look forward to the stories from tomorrow’s meeting, due off at 2.20pm.