There could not have been more
relieved and indeed happy owners at Pitchcroft last week than the Worcester
Racing Club syndicate. Their 10 year old
Fade To Grey (pictured), who is blind in his left eye, was a former course winner in 2011
when his score sheet included two firsts and two second places. In 2012, the horse suffered a near
career-ending injury at Newton Abbott and has been nursed back to the
racecourse by Cheltenham based trainer, Sean
Lycett.
The horse has had three runs on
the flat this year before being tried back over hurdles at Worcester ’s first May meeting. The plan went wrong that day and he missed
the start, pulling up shortly afterwards. Declared to run in the feature
hurdle last week, not only did he redeem himself, but put in a brave performance
to be beaten by just two and a half lengths.
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The winner, First Avenue is owned and trained in
Epsom by Laura Mongan and had previously sprung a surprise win in the listed
Paddy Power Imperial Cup at Sandown last March.
The runner up was also an
interesting contender. For Two, trained
by Paul Nicholls and ridden by his newly appointed stable jockey Sam
Twiston-Davies, is owned by Andrea and Graham Wylie. The five year old won a newcomers race at Auteuil in 2012 and has been placed in 5 of his 6 starts
for Nicholls.
Life at Jackdaw’s Castle under
trainer Jonjo O’Neill must suit the winner of the 2 mile 7 furlong handicap
chase. Playing the Field, who won very
readily with 13 lengths to spare, had been at the yard for just 3 weeks. Owner, Sarah Hall-Tinker said she had recently
been introduced to O’Neill by close friend and former Grand National winning
jockey, Bob Champion.
Bumpers can throw up some
interesting results and last week was no exception. The race looked to be at the mercy of the
O’Neill trained Magheral Express, to give Tony McCoy a swift double on the
card. The horse who changed hands for
£50,000 last year looked to be the winner up the home straight, but under a
ride described as ‘unbelievable’ by trainer, David Pipe, he was caught on the
line by All Force Majeure, himself a 48,000 euro purchase as a three year old.
Pipe, who has hit the ground
running at the start of the new National Hunt season and currently leads the
jumps trainer’s table with a strike rate of 41% winners to runners, went into
the meeting with 9 wins in the first 13 days of May.
Twenty six horses appeared in the
six day entry stage for the annual Hunter Chase which is the first race on the
card at Worcester
tomorrow evening. The race is
specifically aimed at the 13 hunts which make up the West
Midlands area. Included in
list was Vincitore who has won twice at Worcester
in the past, including the Fred Rimmel Memorial Novice Chase in 2011 when formerly
trained by Charlie Longsdon.
The first race tomorrow is due
off at 5.40pm.
