A review of racing on 24th July and a look ahead to 30th.

Back in 1964, the Beatles told us money Can’t Buy Me Love and as I have highlighted in the past, it can’t always buy success either.

At Pitchcroft on Wednesday, there were five horses running who have changed hands at some point in their careers for over 100,000 Euros. None of these have recouped their purchase price to date.

Petroupetrov trained by Tim Vaughan was the first of these and unfortunately he finished lame in the opening chase.

In the fourth, we had Naledi and Royal Trooper.    Naledi is trained in Hereford by Richard Price and prior to this meeting, had only won one race from 58 starts.  Indeed the form in the racecard read: ‘Poor maiden hurdler who is unlikely to gain his first success here.’  However, with skilful steering by Thomas Garner, he was involved in a driving finish with AP McCoy aboard Royal Trooper.  McCoy looked the certain winner between the last two hurdles but Naledi stuck his nose out to win by a very close margin.  At the age of 9, he will never be a world beater, but something’s finally clicked.

This brings me to the other two horses, both of whom ran in the final hurdle of the day.

Record Breaker was from the Donald McCain yard, and Advisor is trained much closer to home at Hindlip by Martin Weston.

Advisor is an ex flat horse who used to be owned by the Royal Ascot Racing Club.  Now at the age of 7 his jumping career has included a spell with Paul Nicholls during which time he was ridden by Ruby Walsh to 11^th place in the 2010 Triumph hurdle at Cheltenham.

Having been placed 3^rd at Worcester in June, he travelled on the bridle for the trainer’s son, Tom to record an easy 12 length victory, his first since winning at Hereford in December 2011. Record Breaker finished fifth.

Jonjo O’Neill’s Another Hero was potentially the best horse on the card.  The 4 year old is unbeaten and has won both his bumpers as well as two novice hurdles.  O’Neill is quoted as saying the horse loves the summer ground, so it will be interesting to see if he can also cope with softer conditions in the winter and realise his potential.

Tony McCoy rode his 50^th winner of the season at Stratford. His target of riding 50 winners before this week’s Galway Festival is all the more remarkable when you think he missed the first six weeks of the new season through injury.

A Galway bound horse on Wednesday, is Claines trained Changing the Guard who is going to the meeting with a good chance.  A former Worcester runner up, the horse won the 2 mile novice chase at Newton Abbot last week, continuing the current run of good form for his trainer, Richard Newland.

Tomorrow evening sees a special annual meeting at Pitchcroft, the Pershore Plum Festival Family evening.  All races are sponsored by different Pershore businesses, and with the re-running of the Land O’Plums chase, the Pensham Selling Hurdle and the Tiddesley Wood Yellow Egg Plum handicap hurdle, there is a real local flavour to be savoured by all racegoers.

 

Evening racing at Worcester continues tonight with gates opening at 3.50pm.