Month: February 2012
28-02-2012
Many congratulations to Joanne Brown on enjoying her first winning rider under Rules at Catterick this afternoon when she scored on ANDY VIC in the lady riders’ handicap hurdle. The diminutive ANDY VIC is owned and trained by her husband Ian who is a blacksmith. This is Ian’s sole horse in training under Rules and the horse has never previously finished in the first 3 from 10 starts!
After the race Joanne said “The kids asked if they could have a day off school but I told them they couldn’t!”
27-02-2012
WINDSOR PARTNERS AMATEUR RIDERS’ HANDICAP CHASE (FOR THE GAY KINDERSLEY MEMORIAL SALVER)
Two of racing’s greatest characters were remembered at Plumpton this afternoon. A minute’s silence was observed to remember Josh Gifford, the course’s second winningmost trainer, and Windsor Partners kindly sponsored their annual Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase for the Gay Kindersley Memorial Salver which produced a dramatic finish. Ben Poste was unlucky when his mount BALLINHASSIG blundered badly at the last when staying on and unseated him. Well done to Lucy Gardner who produced FLYING AWARD (having only his second run over fences) with a perfectly timed run to snatch victory on the line by a head from SOLE AGENT.
Meanwhile the Fegentri General Assembly 2012 was held in Doha, Qatar, where Baron Henri de Montesquieu called for a minute’s silence by the assembled company in honour of his dear friend AJA Honorary President Gay Kindersley, with whom he rode in the fifties and sixties when the true Corinthian spirit was enjoyed along with life to the full.
23-02-2012
Cheltenham Festival’s charity race in aid of Cancer Research has raised over £400,000 over the last 2 years and the £500,000 mark is now well within our grasp with the third running of the race on Thursday 15th March!
This year’s riders – Candida Baker 🙂 Gina Bryce 🙂 Tina Cook 🙂 Shan Cothi 🙂 Niall Cronin 🙂 Niall Hannity 🙂 James Hughes 🙂 Lindsey Hunting 🙂 Jo McCain 🙂 Wendy Normile 🙂 Jelly O’Brien 🙂 and Stuart Parr 🙂 are all frantically gaining full fitness in readiness for the race and at the same time fundraising like crazy at every opportunity. If you would like to support a particular rider, you can find them on Just Giving; if you would prefer to support the race in general, please visit www.justgiving.com/festival and any gift however small will really help us reach our goal. Go on – you know its for a brilliant cause! AND WE REALLY NEED YOUR HELP! 🙂 Thanks 🙂
22-02-2012
Many congratulations to ALICE MILLS on her victory at Ludlow today when riding against professionals in the Henley Hall Gold Cup Handicap Hurdle which she won with ease on Michael Chapman’s TAYARAT.
The partnership made all and sustained their lead to stay on in a thrilling finish and record Alice’s first victory under Rules. Click here to enjoy the closing stages of the race:http://horses.sportinglife.com/Video/Racing/0,27770,484084_4,00.html
22-02-2012
If you are a sports fan, you can’t escape the opportunity to gamble and we welcome a new link to our site: THE BETTING DIRECTORY. Click on Horse Racing Odds under USEFUL LINKS to head to their informative site.
In addition try the handy new link from the RACING POST for all the latest about Cheltenham Festival
20-02-2012
Those familiar names SIMON WALKER and SERENA BROTHERTON once again dominated the Amateur All-Weather season which finalised today at Wolverhampton with Simon Walker taking the title for the 4th time in his highly successful career, having previously won it firstly in 05/06 and then in 07/08 and 08/09 as well as being runner-up in every intervening year!
No stranger herself to the winner’s enclosure or to championships, Serena Brotherton was runner-up this time, having won this championship back in 09/10. Many congratulations to all those who won on the All-Weather this season, especially to those who rode their first winners, and most of all to our new champion.
|
NAME
|
1st (5 points)
|
2nd (2 points)
|
3rd (1 point)
|
TOTAL
|
|
Mr Simon Walker
|
3
|
4
|
–
|
23
|
|
Miss Serena Brotherton
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
12
|
|
Mr Joe Coffill-Brown
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
|
Mr Patrick Millman
|
1
|
1
|
–
|
7
|
|
Miss Hayley Moore
|
1
|
1
|
–
|
7
|
|
Miss Becky Brisbourne
|
1
|
–
|
1
|
6
|
|
Mr Aaron James
|
1
|
–
|
1
|
6
|
|
Mrs Donna Bamonte
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
* James Banks
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
Miss Chloe Boxall
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
Mrs Freya Brewer
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
Miss Hayley Davies
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
Mr Nico de Boinville
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
Miss Nicola Dumelow
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
Mr David Dunsdon
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
Mr William Easterby
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
Miss Chloe Madgin
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
Mr Michael Mitchell
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
* Jack Quinlan
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
Miss Sally Randell
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
20-02-2012
It was a difficult choice to select two Fegentri representatives from a huge number of excellent applicants but the AJA are pleased to announce that the lucky pair to represent Great Britain for 2012 will be HAYLEY MOORE and MIKEY ENNIS. They travel out to Qatar where the Fegentri 2012 General Assembly takes place in Doha on Monday 27th February with a men’s race and 2 ladies races over the following 3 days. Sadly Hayley missed the first Fegentri ladies race of the year in Oman as this was originally non-Fegentri and offered a great chance for PERNILLA HERMANSSON to represent GB; similarly Mikey missed out at Cagnes-sur-mer last weekend with no invitation extended from France but such is the nature of Fegentri and plenty of rides worldwide await both jockeys.
Thanks to the kind invitation of Lara Sawaya, Festival Director to HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nayhan’s Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival, more opportunities than ever before can be shared between our lady jockeys with the running of a new Arab series, THE SHEIKHA FATIMA BINT MUBARAK LADIES IFAHR CUP 2012. HELEN CUTHBERT enjoyed the first race of this series in Oman in January.
PIP TUTTY visited Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne a fortnight later finishing 2nd and enjoyed the added bonus of seeing Black Caviar recording another historic win. Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ktz5YuBoGoU to get a flavour of the great atmosphere. ADELE MULRENNAN will represent GB next in Houston, Texas in early March.
We really appreciate the bonus of these Arabian races to allow more lady jockeys a share in the unique experience of race riding abroad. The series asks for a different rider for each race and, unlike Fegentri, riders do not need 5 wins to participate. We are working on more opportunities for our gentlemen riders in the near future to level out the playing field.
17-02-2012
Many congratulations to Nico de Boinville (3rd for Great Britain in last year’s Fegentri Mens Jump Championship) on joining an elite band of winning royal jockeys by enjoying success today at Fakenham for Her Majesty the Queen aboard Nicky Henderson’s Barbers Shop bred nearby at Sandringham.
This was Nico’s first NH winner under Rules with Barbers Shop jumping his two rivals into submission. He now has the Christie’s Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham in his sights but needs to win or finish second in a Hunter Chase or win a point-to-point before the end of February in order to qualify. After the race Nico said “It was a real privilege and an honour. It was the perfect way to register my first winner over jumps. He jumped well and travelled great. Obviously there has been talk of the Queen Mother Memorial and the Foxhunters but I would not have a clue where he will go at this moment in time.”
17-02-2012
Ireland’s champion point-to-point jockey Derek O’Connor, successful at last year’s Cheltenham Festival on both Zemsky and Chicago Grey, broke his leg at Musselburgh yesterday when taking a heavy fall from Simonsberg in the hunter chase. Unfortunately the horse was fatally injured.
Derek said “I might be getting an operation later today. Its disappointing obviously and I am probably looking at 8 to 10 weeks out of action.” The timing could not be worse with not only Cheltenham but also the Irish Grand National, Aintree and Punchestown looming over the next few weeks. We all wish Derek well for a speedy recovery.
17-02-2012
Congratulations to Sam Waley-Cohen on getting off the mark at Newbury this afternoon with Long Run in preparation for the Gold Cup only a few weeks away. Seeming happy with their performance, Sam said “That is what we came here to do and you never know whether you are going to do it or not. I was really pleased with his jumping and that is exactly the sort of confidence booster you want to go to the Gold Cup with. He has gone out there and done it really well.”
In spite of challengers from What A Friend and stable companion Burton Port, when Sam asked Long Run for a big one at the last he jumped brilliantly. Next stop Cheltenham and we all wish the partnership all the best in their bid to repeat last year’s incredible success.
