Got Attitude shows his youngster rivals a clean pair of heels

Six months of planning and preparation came to fruition at Pitchcroft last Wednesday, when 9 horses came under starter’s orders for the opening 2014 handicap chase of the summer season.

Lemon’s Gent, owned and bred by Pink Floyd band member, Roger Waters relished the quick ground and stayed on strongly to beat Capisci, trained in Leominster by Sarah-Jayne Davies. Lemon’s Gent’s dam, Lemon’s Mill won 9 races under rules when trained by Martin Pipe and ran her last ever race at Worcester on 29^th June 1996 before being retired to stud.  Her regular jockey, now a successful trainer, was David Bridgewater.

The 2 mile 4 furlong handicap chase went the way of Cropthorne trainer, Tony Carroll and stable jockey, Lee Edwards. Got Attitude (pictured) was the oldest horse in the race at 11 and was having only his second run at Worcester when taking advantage of a drop in the handicap rating from a former career high of 135 to just 89. Looking back over his form, it is interesting to find a race in October 2011 run at Thurles in Ireland when Got Attitude came 3^rd behind last month’s local Grand National winner, Pineau De Re.

Hanbury breeder, Robert Chugg had two home bred mares running in the maiden hurdle. Supreme Present, in whom Chugg still has a third share, stamped her bumper form and won by three quarters of a length for trainer Kim Bailey.

The first ever Hobby Horse race to be run at Pitchcroft was in aid of Muscular Dystrophy.  The 10 runners sprinted over the final half furlong of the track to enthusiastic public applause and raised over £1,000 for the charity from their efforts.

The 2014 Horse Power list that appears in the June edition of Tatler magazine shows owner JP McManus, who regularly runs horses at Worcester, at the top of the jumps list. Tony McCoy, who last week celebrated his 40^th birthday and who also rode a double at Worcester appears at number two.

McManus was recently crowned leading jumps owner in Britain as well as in his native Ireland, although the latter contest went right to the wire at the Punchestown Festival with Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud operation. Victories in the British and Irish Champion Hurdles (with Jezki) as well as the Irish Grand National (with Shutthefrontdoor) were highlights that contributed to the title for McManus.

With the point to point season drawing to a close at the end of the month, the Wheatland held their annual meeting at Chaddesley Corbett on Sunday, and we still have the Clifton on Teme hunt at Upper Sapey, the North Hereford hunt fixture which this year takes place at Hereford Racecourse, and the Albrighton & Woodland meeting at Chaddesley Corbett to look forward to over the next two weekends.

The Worcester meeting next week will include the annual Hargreave Hale Stockbroker’s Hunter’s Chase for horses who have competed in the West Midlands area point to points over the past few months. In the meantime, all is set for afternoon racing at Worcester today when gates open at 12.05pm.