Things to know today
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The British Horseracing Authority puts the cost of the Budget to the sport at 57 million pounds a year, on independent modelling shared with the Treasury before the statement. Machine games duty rises from 20 per cent to 25 per cent, short of the 40 per cent some had feared. Chief executive Brant Dunshea said the increase will cause significant damage to racing’s finances and could prove devastating for the future of the sport, hitting prize money, the viability of racecourses, thousands of jobs and welfare projects and research. British racing takes nearly a third of its 350 million pounds of annual income from betting in high street shops, and Dunshea said there is now a clear risk of hundreds, if not thousands, of shop closures. The BHA will seek urgent engagement with the government (Sky Sports, At The Races) |
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Aegean Prince won the rearranged St Simon Stakes, the Group 3 over a mile and a half on the Rowley Mile at 14.20, by two lengths from Royal Playwright. Kieran Shoemark rode the four year old for Charlie Appleby, one of four winners on the card for the jockey and the second four timer of his career. Karl Burke’s seven year old Al Qareem, ridden by Clifford Lee, finished third, six and a half lengths behind. Six ran on going returned as good to soft, Old Harrovian having come out on unsuitable ground. Appleby’s assistant Alex Merriam said the horse must have soft ground, so the stable was really pleased the race had been saved. It was the first running of the St Simon at Newmarket in 25 years (Racing Post result, Racing Post) |
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Gordon Elliott criticised the Down Royal ground and pulled five runners from the opening day card. With Nolimit won the 13.00 maiden hurdle on his hurdling debut by four lengths under Jack Kennedy, from the Elliott trained Water Mill, and the trainer said the horse had never done a stroke the whole way round and that Kennedy found it straightforward. He also said it was not good enough, that these are winter horses and that you cannot depend on the rain when the track has a good watering system. Mange Tout was among the withdrawals, leaving the Listed bottlegreen Hurdle at 14.35 with four runners, and Ballyfad came out of the BetVictor Beginners Chase at 15.45. The going was changed to good to yielding on the hurdle course after the opener and the chase course was revised from good to yielding to good. Clerk of the course Brian Hamilton said it is a very hard place to water, that plenty of rain fell on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and has dried up since, and that they had done their best to get it right. The 14.00 Grade 3 Feathard Lady Mares Novice Hurdle went to Ash Hobbs for Darragh O’Keeffe and Henry de Bromhead, with the same stable’s Salsinha third (Racing Post, Racing Post result, horseracing.net) |
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Charles Darnay took the Listed Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle on the first day of the bet365 Charlie Hall meeting at Wetherby, beating Minella Rockett with Sacre Chef third in a field of eight. Jonathan Burke rode the dual Flat winner for James Owen, who said he was green early on but improved with every jump and that the plan is the November meeting at Cheltenham. Crebilly won the Crossley Handicap Chase for Jonjo O’Neill Jr and the Jonjo and A J O’Neill stable, holding Prairie Wolf by a neck, and Florida Dreams opened the card for Brian Hughes and Sandy Thomson. The going was good, good to firm in places (Racing Post, Racing Post result, horseracing.net) |
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Three more tracks fill out the day. Uttoxeter has seven over jumps from 12.35, Newcastle nine on Tapeta from 16.15, and Dundalk closes the evening with seven on Polytrack from 17.30 (Racing Post racecards) |
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Hollie Doyle has a date for her return, with eight rides at Southwell’s floodlit weekend fixture and the Ralph Beckett trained Chantilly Lace her likeliest chance. The 30 year old has been out since a complex lower leg fracture in a fall at Bath in May, spent three weeks in hospital in London and has been at Oaksey House close to five days a week since. She said it is good to finally have a starting point in sight, that she rode out for the first time about two weeks ago and that it is just like riding a bike. Wolverhampton follows on Monday, and she hopes to winter in Hong Kong (At The Races) |
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