The future of our sport depends,
like most sports, on securing the engagement of the younger generation. There are a number of initiatives in racing
to entice the young to get involved, from accompanied under 18’s being admitted
free, to student discounts.
The support
from the Worcester University students at Pitchcroft last week was extremely
encouraging to see and we hope that some will venture down again, hopefully
sparking an interest in racing that could well span many years.
The Worcester leading trainer
contest of 2016 was a very close run thing, concluding on the final day of the
season when Neil Mulholland just pipped Phillip Hobbs and Dan Skelton by a mere
couple of points to take the title.
The 2017 trainer competition has
started competitively, with both Jonjo O’Neill and Dan Skelton hitting the
ground running with 3 winners and 2 seconds between them.
Skelton, who trains locally at
Alcester, sent out his well-bred, 5-year old mare, Whatzdjazz to win the
7bets4free.com Fixed Brush Hurdle Series mares maiden hurdle.
The race was the first qualifyer
in the new series which culminates in a £25,000 final at Worcester in October,
at which Skelton confirmed there was every possibility his mare would be
aimed. Whatzdjazz, who won her first
outing in a Fakenham bumper in February found plenty on the run in to see off
the challenges of Jonjo O’Neill’s 6/4 favourite, Big Penny, a £70,000 purchase
last year as a 4-year old.
Skelton’s other winner on the
card was Cobra De Mai, coming to Worcester off the back of his chasing debut
win at Warwick 11 days previously.
Cobra De Mai is by Great
Pretender, an increasingly popular sire and only one of two stallions by the
legendary Kings Theatre available to national hunt breeders.
Alan Phillips, a local trainer
based at Callow End, was delighted that his first runner of the new season was
a winner at his nearby track. Lined With
Silver was partnered to victory by popular weighing room joker and champion
jockey in Jersey for the past 4 years, Mattie Batchelor.
Phillips rode 87 winners between
1993 and 2003 in point to points, hunter chases and novice chases, and took up
training pointers in 2004. In 2013, he
took out a dual-purpose licence and now runs a small string of national hunt as
well as flat horses.
We stage less ‘selling’ races
than we used to these days. Having said
that, the race on last week’s card saw winning mare, Lakeshore Lady, in the
Giant Bolster colours of Simon Hunt, auctioned after the race and bought by
trainer Sheila Lewis from Brecon, for 4,400 guineas.
There was no success at the
opening meeting for last season’s Worcester leading jockey, Richard Johnson,
who was presented with a framed picture of one of his 2016 victories. I am however certain that he will be on the
score sheet in defence of his title very soon.
The gates open for racing at
Pitchcroft tomorrow at 12 noon.
