It's not every meeting that Worcester Racecourse can boast a 'first' for racing but something was witnessed at last week's meeting that has never been seen before at Worcester or anywhere else.

Barry Geraghty rode in a selling race. The top Irish jockey is now first jockey to JP McManus and included in his book of 3 Jonjo O'Neill trained mounts, the ride aboard Church Field, a 7 year old who on his only previous start at Worcester back in May of this year, came 10th in a field of 16.

Down a grade, the horse who has now amassed £35,089 in prize money during his career to date, won the race by 2¼ lengths.

In the subsequent auction, there was a three way bidding war between trainers Phil Middleton, Neville Ender (trainer of Grey Monk who was bought back in by Ender for 14,500 guineas at Worcester's previous meeting), and Jonjo O'Neill. The horse was sold to Middleton for 7,000 guineas.

To count Wishful Thinking, Menorah and Captain Chris amongst your owned horses must be a great feeling. Local owner Diana Whateley, has a new Alflora 4 year old gelding in training with Philip Hobbs called Wishful Dreaming. The horse is a full brother to Wishful Thinking, a very successful horse who has earned his owners £466,638 to date.

Wishful Dreaming had his third ever start at Worcester last week, following up his listed Cheltenham bumper victory on New Year's Day by winning the 2 mile novice hurdle.  He is certainly an exciting recruit to hurdles and one to keep an eye on.

An ex locally trained horse who has very recently moved to a new trainer is enjoying his change of scenery.  Jayo Time, formerly trained in Claines by Richard Newland to win at Worcester in July, moved to Kerry Lee's yard on the Shropshire and Welsh borders, following a Worcester claiming hurdle in August.

The 6 year old achieved his second win in a month for his new trainer at Ludlow's first meeting of the new season last week.  Jayo Time is now partly owned by senior Channel Four commentator, Simon Holt, who had much pleasure in calling his own horse to victory at Ludlow.

With just 2 meetings still to go at Worcester to the end of the 2015 season, it is looking ever likely that Jonjo O'Neill will scoop the winning trainer prize again this year, and Richard Johnson will claim the top Worcester jockey honours, something he very much hopes he will emulate nationally at the end of the National Hunt season next April.

Next week's column will include a review of the 2015 Worcester season, building up to the final meeting on the 21st October.  The gates open for afternoon racing tomorrow at 12.20 pm.

Purple N Gold Comes Out On Top

Racegoers dug deep into their pockets at the recent Worcester meeting, donating generously to Macmillan Cancer Support, and raising a fantastic £5,335 for the charity.

Throughout the year, racecourses and racegoers together, raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for a wide range of charities.

The feature handicap chase on the day was a very competitive affair. Seven of the 11 horses declared for the race had previously run over the course and distance, and of those seven, five were former Worcester winners including last year’s race victor, the Irish raider, Nearest the Pin.

The David Pipe trained, Purple N Gold (pictured below) came out on top, following up his August Worcester win and seeing off the Sam Twiston-Davies ridden Benefit Cut by 3¼ lengths.

With the unofficial start of the winter jumps season being staged as a two day meeting at Chepstow this weekend, we are all looking forward to seeing how Barry Geraghty’s new position as first jockey to JP McManus progresses. Geraghty, who has only ever had 5 rides at Worcester, the most recent being 2½ years ago, came to Pitchcroft to ride four Jonjo O Neill trained horses at the last meeting.

Unfortunately, he was out of luck with all 4 mounts on that occasion but I am sure he won’t be out of the winner’s enclosure for long.

As a permit trainer, when you travel 347 miles to Worcester from Malton in North Yorkshire, to run one of the few horses you own and train in a selling hurdle, it is extremely unfortunate to have to go up to 14,500 guineas to buy your horse back in the subsequent auction. This is exactly what happened to Neville Ender, trainer of Grey Monk.  The horse beat previous Worcester selling hurdle winner, Marju’s Quest into third place.  The runner up, Wind of Hope, is trained by Lucinda Russell in Scotland.  Russell was the under bidder by telephone, which must underline how she rates her own horse.  The quality of horses running was above the usual selling hurdle standard.

The Worcester staff enjoyed a team building day at Southwell’s jumps meeting last week, but it was a long way to go to watch Worcestershire trainers win 3 of the 6 races on the card!

Youm Jamil, trained by Tony Carroll at Cropthorne ran at Worcester in 2012 and 2013 and won the opening Handicap Chase.

Claines based Richard Newland sent Cut the Corner to the Nottinghamshire course to go one better than the three second places he has achieved at Pitchcroft this summer.

Finally, the Big Dipper, trained at Hanley Swan by David Dennis, also bettered his third place at Worcester by winning the 3 mile handicap hurdle.

We look forward to another afternoon of competitive racing at Worcester on Thursday, when gates open at 12 noon.

American Grand National Prep Run at Pitchcroft

National Hunt racing returned last weekend following the short September break.  The Worcester meeting prior to the break saw the ever-popular Hunt Ball return to the track after his hurdle win here in May (pictured coming into the Winners Enclosure further down the blog).  This was to be his prep run prior to the American Grand National on the 18^th October.  Having enjoyed a short holiday over the summer, the 2012 Cheltenham Festival winner was a picture of calm and confidence with ears pricked as he jumped to perfection and enjoyed his tussle to the line with two time Worcester winner, Mont Choisy, ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies.  Jockey Andrew Tinkler, who will ride Hunt Ball in the big race in next month, commented that he loved the quick ground.  Giving weight away all round, Hunt Ball seems to relish small fields, as all three of his hurdling wins have come in four runner races.

Sarah Henderson, daughter of trainer Nicky Henderson, accompanied the ten year old to Worcester and commented with a tinge of sadness, that Hunt Ball will travel to New York early in October and following the race in which he came 9^th in 2013, he will remain in the US and run over timber under a new trainer.

Hanley Swan trainer, David Dennis enjoyed further success at his local track on the same card when he sent out King’s Song to win the second division of the Hands and Heels handicap hurdle under amateur rider, Zak Baker.  However, there was a sting in the tail for Baker who broke the rules of the race by tapping his mount with the whip on the landing side of the last hurdle, which duly cost him a 7 day riding ban.

There is a new 95 minute documentary film on the horizon which will certainly be a must-see for all National Hunt racing fans.   The film has also been targeted at a much wider audience appeal with its tale of thrills, spills and brutal honesty.

Underlining its star quality, ‘Being AP’ was nominated from 6,000 films to one of only 400 screened at the Toronto International Film Festival last week.  The story follows AP McCoy’s final season in the saddle, although when the filming began, the crew had no idea it was to be the 20 times champion’s farewell season.

The early part of the story focuses on the extensive injuries McCoy sustained throughout his remarkable career and it includes a clip of his serious fall at Worcester last autumn, resulting in the shoulder injury which put paid to his dream of riding 300 winners in a season. The film has its UK premier on the 23^rd November and will be in cinemas from the 27^th.

Worcester Racecourse is pleased to support the national Macmillan coffee morning fundraising at its race meeting tomorrow, when gates will open from 12.20pm

Kennedy Comes Up Trumps

With three quarters of the season’s meetings now under our belt for the season, we are seeing an interesting pattern of Worcester course specialists emerging, and it is particularly pleasing to see a number of horses who have run well in defeat over the summer, finally getting their noses in front.

Kinnersley based John Spearing, who trains Over the Air for owner/breeder Mrs Peter Badger, was delighted that the horse’s Worcester form over the past 13 months which reads 22433 improved last week to record a win in the concluding handicap hurdle under regular rider and Cheltenham Gold Cup winning jockey, Nico De Boinville.

In-form jockey, Will Kennedy commented that this is the first year he has been in the enviable position of being given the choice of decent horses to ride in races.  Kennedy was faced with a difficult decision for the opening handicap chase between Jonjo O’Neill’s Clubs Are Trumps and Cut the Corner who is trained in Claines by Richard Newland.

Kennedy is the only jockey to have ridden Clubs Are Trumps (pictured below) to his 5 wins to date, including a victory at Worcester in July.  The jockey has also enjoyed success on the Newland trained horses this year.

Swayed towards the proven Clubs Are Trumps, the race turned into a great tussle between the Flemensfirth gelding and the Sam Twiston-Davies ridden Cut the Corner, who has now posted three seconds at Pitchcroft this season.  Clubs Are Trumps held on to his narrow lead over the last fence to win by one and three quarter lengths.

Miss Tenacious proved to be third time lucky at the course on the same day, having run to second place at Pitchcroft twice this year, and most recently behind Worcester specialist, Fairyinthewind. This time the eight year old mare was ridden up with the pace in the feature chase, and managed to reverse the form with Fairyinthewind to win on the line for her owner/breeders, brothers John and Paul Frampton.

Recruits from Irish point to pointing make popular jumpers in this country, as the Evan Williams trained Roadie Joe showed when following up his August Worcester bumper win with success in last week’s maiden hurdle.  He could be a horse to look out for.

With the winter jumping season fast approaching and the ground turning a bit softer, a good number of National Hunt trainers and bloodstock agents flocked to Doncaster last week to the DBS September sales to stock up on new recruits.

Alcester trainer Dan Skelton paid £46,000 for Savello who won the 2014 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and was sold by Gigginstown House Stud. Richard Newland was also in a buying mood, picking up 5 horses to bring his tally for winter jumping up to 16.

Afternoon racing starts at 2.10pm tomorrow.

Rain doesn't dampen the spirits at the racecourse

Having enjoyed a particularly dry spell over the summer months at Pitchcroft, recently it has been more a case of it never rains but it pours.  We had two feature race meetings in 5 days in August and both were run in the rain.

Despite the inclement weather doing its best to spoil the party, interesting stories emerged from both meetings.

Going from strength to strength, Hanley Swan trainer, David Dennis celebrated another winner at the track.  Marju's Quest won a selling hurdle for owners, Favourites Racing.  The horse last won at Worcester under AP McCoy in September 2014.

Dennis defied the interest of a telephone bidder in the subsequent auction but had to go up to 10,500 guineas to take the horse home.

Bromsgrove trainer, Claire Dyson enjoyed another winner at Worcester when Dr Dreamy came from off the pace to record his first win in 22 starts, and beat the course winning favourite, Patricktom Buru by half a length.

Horses for courses is a saying that is often proved to be accurate. Some horses just do perform better on specific tracks.

Two Worcester specialist mares were seen to great effect at the two meetings.  Fairyinthewind, formerly trained by Alan King and now with Brendan Powell, has run at the course 7 times and won on 5 of those occasions, the first was in April 2013.  I therefore find it amazing that even though she carried bottom weight, she was sent off at 25/1 in the recent £20k feature handicap chase, in which she was also the youngest horse in the race.

Fairyinthewind stayed on well and galloped her rivals into the ground to land the spoils.  There are plans to bring her back to the course in September when I very much doubt she will start at such a big price.

At First Light, one of only two horses that David Weston currently trains, boasts a 100% strike rate at Worcester this summer – three wins from three runs.

Up in trip, her latest victory came thanks in part to the final hurdle departure of John Ferguson's Great Fighter.  Following a break, we may well see her next in the new mare's race at Cheltenham.

We have seen a selection of Irish raiders at Worcester in August.  Gordon Elliott, Paul Flynn and John Joseph Hanlon have all sent runners over.

Hanlon's Nearest The Pin, a 2014 course winner, could only manage fourth place in the feature chase, but Baby Jake returned home the winner of the £8,500 handicap hurdle and may well return to the course again in September.

Evening racing starts at 5.10pm tomorrow.

What's Happening At Worcester

Despite the short break in the National Hunt calendar to allow the jockeys time away with their families, it has been anything but quiet at Pitchcroft over the last 3 weeks.

In addition to hosting the annual CAMRA beer festival, the days have been well spent working the racing surface and checking over the chase fences following a quick succession of 12 race meetings in just 3 months.  This brief rest for the track will see it in good stead for the next 8 meetings, two of which fall in this week.

This is an excellent stage in the season to review the Connellys Red Mills trainer’s championship, looking back over the success stories that have led to the current table positions.  Three trainers stand out from the rest.  Last year’s winner, Jonjo O’Neill is again leading the way by some 46 points, followed by Tim Vaughan and John Ferguson who, with just 2 points between them, are running neck and neck as contenders for the runner up position. Flying the flag for Worcestershire trainers is Claines based Richard Newland who is lying in 6^th position.

O’Neill started more slowly this year, as the yard adjusted to the retirement of champion jockey Tony McCoy in April, but with both Richard Johnson and Will Kennedy taking many of the Jackdaws Castle rides now, the winning momentum is gathering pace and the trainer achieved an amazing 1,125 – 1 four-timer on one Worcester card in July, with his only four runners that day.

Unable to be present due to a wedding commitment in Ireland, O’Neill missed watching his son, Jonjo Jnr ride his first winner under rules when he successfully drove yard favourite, Temple Lord, a previous Worcester winner, to victory in the concluding Amateur rider’s handicap hurdle.

As we progress through the second half of the season, it will be fascinating to monitor the tussle for the top honours and to see who is awarded the Connolly’s Red Mills feed prizes.

Royal visitors are rare are the Racecourse, but the recent Pershore Plum Festival racegoers were treated to a glimpse in the paddock of the Duchess of Cornwall who arrived at the course on a private visit to watch her mare, Mollyanna run in the Pickled Plum Pub Pershore national hunt novices hurdle.  This is the Duchess’s first National Hunt runner with trainer, Jamie Snowden and it was the mare’s first outing since coming over from Colin Bowe’s yard in Ireland.   She ran well for a good way but faded into fifth place up the home straight and will undoubtedly come on for the run.

Racing in earnest begins again at Pitchcroft tomorrow evening with vintage style Ladies Evening, featuring James in concert, and for the younger racegoers, Family Fun raceday on Sunday offers plenty of entertainment to enjoy, both on and off the track. Gates open at 3pm for tomorrow’s meeting.

Johnson storms ahead in the jockey table

Richard Johnson is currently leading the jockey table for the season at Worcester, and deservedly so, after riding a treble at the course last week. Two of the wins were for trainers he regularly rides for.  Risk a Fine is trained by Philip Hobbs for local Worcestershire owner, Diana Whateley, who counts Captain Chris and Menorah amongst her good horses. The jockey’s second winner, Colley Row was the first leg of a double on the night for trainer, Tim Vaughan. Johnson rides less frequently for Jonjo O’Neill and JP McManus, however his strength and experience were put to good use aboard American Legend in the handicap chase, and the horse won comfortably by 7 lengths.

A horse who clearly likes running at Worcester is At First Light.  Bred and trained by David Weston, he is the owner’s only horse in training.  The gelding has won both of his starts at Worcester this summer under Cheltenham Gold Cup winning jockey, Nico De Boinville and on both occasions he has beaten the David Dennis trained, Hawdyerwheesht into second place.   Hawdyerwheesht is another horse who seemingly suits the track at Pitchcroft, having been placed a number of times and a winner himself at the track last week.

Claines trainer, Richard Newland has been in the news again this week.  Renowned for his skilful placing of horses to win big races, he sent recent Worcester two-time winner, Gioia Di Vita and 2014 Worcester runner, Gran Maestro to run in the £35k Betfred TV Summer Hurdle at Market Rasen.

Both horses ran superbly well.  Gioia Di Vita stayed on into 5^th place under Sam Twiston-Davies and Gran Maestro held off the Barry Geraghty ridden Hammersley Lake, who ran in both the Cheltenham and Punchestown festivals this year, to win by a neck under jockey of the moment, Will Kennedy at a big price of 16-1. Gran Maestro has been knocking on the door of the big time.  He ran a cracking race to come second behind Phillip Hobb’s Brother Ted in the Bet 365 handicap hurdle at Sandown in April at odds of 25-1.

The racing industry is firmly getting behind a very special charitable initiative and tomorrow that initiative comes to Worcester. Richard Farquhar, a lifelong racing enthusiast and father of four, is walking 3,000 miles between all 60 racecourses in mainland Britain between March 2015 and April 2016 and aims to raise £1.4 million to be split between Racing Welfare and Pancreatic Cancer UK. Farquhar lost his father, Peter to Pancreatic Cancer in 2012 and feels his father would wholeheartedly approve of this venture.  The track walk at Worcester will start around 1.15pm with the aim of crossing the winning line at 1.50pm, shortly before the first race at 2.10pm. We will all be on hand to cheer him over the line.