Yorkshire Racing News

Yorkshire Racing & Breeding News
2008 ~ 2007 ~ 2006 ~ 2005 ~ 2004 ~ 2003 ~ 2002 ~ 2001 ~ 2000 ~ 1999

Date
09/05/2008	There's a certain amount of deja vu at Chester when Tom Tate's Celtic Sultan wins the opening £13,247 Warwick International Handicap. Two races later Brian Ellison's Carte Diamond is a fantastic third (beaten out of second by a neck) in the Ormonde Stakes G3, he now looks likely to join stablemate Tilt for a crack at the Northmberland Plate. Evening racing sees wins for Bryan Smart, Declan Carroll, John Quinn, Richard Fahey and Chris Thornton at Ripon whilst Richard Fahey, Mark Johnston and David Barker all have winners up at Hamilton.
08/05/2008	Chester Day Two and Yorkshire again win the opening race, this time it's Tom Tate's Mull Of Dubai who wins the £12,664 Bank Of Ireland Handicap, not to be kept out of the action however is Stuart Parr who's Not My Choice wins the last to make it two Chester winners in as many days. At yet another 'Hurdles Only' Wetherby meeting there are winners for Alan Swinbank (a double) and Micky Hammond.
07/05/2008	Yorkshire win the opening race of the Chester meeting when Stuart Parr's Doncaster Rover lands the £12,478 Lily Agnes Conditions Stakes. Later on the same card Brian Ellison's Tilt is third in the Chester Cup and Richard Fahey's Green Park is runner-up in the Breitling Watches & Waltons Of Chester Handicap. On home ground at Beverley there are winners for Richard Fahey, James Bethell, John Weymes and David Barker.
04/05/2008	Finally a Yorkshire trained flat black type winner when Bryan Smart's Captain Gerrard lands the Palace House Stakes G3 by a neck from Sakhee's Secret. The sprinting world is potentially at Captain Gerrard's feet and he will now be aimed for the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, via either York or Sandown. No other Yorkshire winners at Newmarket (on a day dominated by the French), but let's not get too greedy. Up at Hamilton there are winners for George Moore, Brian Ellison and Patrick Haslam.
03/05/2008	The day of the 200th 2,000 Guineas, and unfortunately there is no Yorkshire interest, indeed there are no White Rose winners at Newmarket although Richard Whitaker's Damika and Tim Etherington's Fullandby are second and third respectively in the £31,155 Stanjamesuk.com Heritage Handicap. A better showing on home territory with winners at Thirsk for Paul Midgley, Kevin Ryan, Richard Fahey (Extraterrestrial in the £11,657 Thirsk Hunt Cup) and Tim Easterby. Over jumps at Uttoxeter Tim Walford's Gypsy George puts up an excellent performance to lift the £19,515 Totepool Handicap Chase, and could have the Welsh National as his long term target. Evening racing sees winners at Hexham for Sue Smith and Ronnie Barr and at Doncaster for David Nicholls. Unfortunately no Yorkshire interest in the Kentucky Derby either, which might seem rather obvious, until you remember that it is a 'mere' 22 years since the Manor House Stud bred Bold Arrangement was a very close second in the Run For The Roses.
02/05/2008	Yet more black type, this time it is David Nicholls' Tax Free taking the 'close but no cigar' award when finishing second in the Cork Stakes L at, erm, Cork. Yorkshire trainers dominated at Musselburgh with winners for Mel Brittain, Bryan Smart, Alan Swinbank (a double), Robin Bastiman (Borderlescott in the £12,462 Pommery Champagne Bar Conditions Stakes) and David Barron, whilst Kevin Ryan had a winner at Southwell.
30/04/2008	More encouraging, if somewhat frustrating, black type placings at Ascot today where Mark Johnston's Drumfire was a decent enough third in the Paradise Stakes L and should do better next time. The next race was the Sagaro Stakes G3 and here Johnston's Peppertree Lane came home in second beaten only a short-head by Shipmaster, with better fancied stable mate Soapy Danger somewhat dissappointing back in fourth, first placed Shipmaster having being bred by Soapy Danger's owner-breeders the Jacobs! At Ponty there are local winners for David Barron and Alan Swinbank.
29/04/2008	More minor black type, this time for David Nicholls' Inxile, third in today's Prix Sigy L at Chantilly. Domestically Nicholls has a winner at Southwell, as does Ollie Pears whilst Ferdy Murphy has the winner in the opener at Sedgefield.
27/04/2008	Plenty of winners over the last couple of days, but nothing to write home about. Or write from home to you about perhaps. Either way it's a different story today with two overseas placings - specifically Kevin Ryan's Eastern Romance finishing an excellent second in the Premio Carlo Chiesa G3 at Capannelle and Alan Swinbank's Alfie Flits finishing a fairly close third behind Yeats in the Vintage Crop Stakes L at Navan. Richard Fahey's Anna Pavlova had a pleasant weekend in Paris and then came back without running at Longchamp, so much for the credit crunch hitting the tourist industry! Domestically Richard Fahey and Alan Swinbank have winners at yet another 'hurdling only' meeting at Wetherby. The end of the National Hunt season ; in 1982 who would have thought that 28 years on there would be two Yorkshire trainers in the Top Ten of the Flat Championship, and precisely zero in the National Hunt equivalent? Multiple Champions Dickinson and Easterby of course were flying the National Hunt Flag for Yorkshire in those halcyon days, whilst the Yorkshire flat trainers were headed by Mick and Peter Easterby, Bill Watts and Steve Norton, whose appearances in the Top Ten in the Flat Championship were relatively rare occurences.
24/04/2008	The first Yorkshire success of this years Punchestown Festival when Ferdy Murphy's Kalahari King lands the opening £14,360 AON Hurdle, presumably he'll be tried over fences next season. Mundane fayre closer to home with wins at Southwell for David Nicholls and Alan Swinbank at Southwell and for Patrick Haslam, Richard Fahey, Alan Brown, Richard Whitaker and Mark Johnston at Beverley, whilst over jumps Malcolm Jefferson's Brooklyn Brownie is third in the £21,917 Perth Festival Handicap Chase. Kieren Fallon has launched a website http://www.kierenfallon.co.uk no comment.
21/04/2008	"First new British racecourse in 81 years......" etc., etc., ...... I'm sure you've seen the articles, anyway it happened yesterday, but there were no Yorkshire winners. Although Tyke trainers David Nicholls (Turnkey in the £11,216 Riu Palace Meloneras Handicap) and Alan Swinbank had winners at Ponty today it was a sad day indeed for Tim Easterby with his Fayr Jag (winner of over £423,000 and a Group One winner at Royal Ascot in 2004) dying as a result of breaking a shoulder in a freak incident before being loaded for the third race. Elsewhere Swinbank also won the bumper at Sedgefield whilst Sue Smith had a winner over hurdles at Hexham.
19/04/2008	Seconditis at Newbury with Mark Johnston's Zaham edged out by a neck to occupy the runner-up berth in the Dubai Tennis Championships Stakes G3 (the John Porter Stakes to all right thinking people) and Richard Fahey's Benandonner finishing in the same position in the Spring Cup Handicap. Meanwhile over the Irish Sea at Naas David Nicholls' Tax Free is just headed to finished second in the Woodlands Stakes L. Up in Scotland Ferdy Murphy's Kalahari King, 1lb out of the handicap, puts up a decent performance to be third in the Scottish Champion Handicap Hurdle Gd2. On home soil the locals do well at Thirsk with wins for Geoff Oldroyd, Mick Easterby, Richard Fahey (Utmost Respect in the £7,477 Michael Foster Memorial Conditions Stakes) and Richard Whitaker (Mey Blossom in the £7,771 Thomas Lord Handicap). Evening racing sees Mel Brittain and Richard Fahey amongst the winners at Nottingham and Ruth Carr win the last at Wolverhampton.
18/04/2008	A brief flurry from the dying beast that is the jumps season when Ferdy Murphy's Three Mirrors wins the £18,786 Hillhouse Quarry Handicap at Ayr, a race he also won last season, John Quinn has a winner later on the same card. At Thirsk there are winners for the locals in the shape of Mark Johnston, Mick Easterby, David Barron, Noel Wilson, Bill Ratcliffe and Tim Easterby, in fact only the opener goes to a 'foreign' trained horse. Karl Burke has a winner at Yarmouth's evening meeting.
16/04/2008	A good start to the flat season proper at Newmarket for Mark Johnston today when Campanologist takes a step up from his form last season to land the Feilden Stakes L in decent style. Closer to home there are winners at Beverley for Richard Fahey, Ollie Pears, Tim Walford, Mark Johnston and Patrick Haslam, whilst Johnston makes it a treble for the day by taking the last at Wolverhampton's evening meeting.
12/04/2008	Not much happening is there? Still, the phoney war ends next week, so hopefully there will be something worth reporting. Winners at Donnie today for David Nicholls (Northern Fling in the £10,904 Urban-I Handicap) and Alan Swinbank. Evening racing at Wolverhampton sees a double for Mark Johnston and a winner for Brian Ellison.
05/04/2008	There's not even a Yorkshire runner in the big race at Aintree but there was a Yorkshire 1-2-3-4 in the closing John Smith's Champion Standard Open NH Flat Race Gd2 when Tom Tate's Honest John comes home in front of Alan Swinbank's Touch Of Irish, Malcolm Jefferson's Cape Tribulation and Sue Smith's Cloudy Times. Earlier Malcolm Jefferson's According To Pete was a decent third in the £34,206 John Smith's Extra Cold Handicap Hurdle L. Alan Swinbank has a winner in the opener at Chepstow whilst on the flat Mick Easterby, Linda Stubbs and Mark Johnston all strike at Newcastle. Evening racing at Kempton sees a winner for Ruth Carr.
04/04/2008	No wins at Aintree today for the Tykes, with the best performance coming from Ferdy Murphy's Three Mirrors who is second in the £37,572 totepool Handicap Chase. On the all-weather meanwhile there are winners for David Nicholls, Richard Fahey and Kevin Ryan at Wolverhampton and for Mick Easterby at Southwell.
03/04/2008	Day one of the National meeting at Aintree and there's a Yorkshire trained winner in the last when Sue Smith's Auroras Encore lands the £34,206 John Smith's Handicap Hurdle L . On the flat there are winners at Leicester for Kevin Ryan and Mark Johnston.
29/03/2008	Not much Yorkshire interest in Dubai today so it falls to Kandidate, jointly bred by the Providence and Foston Studs, to provide the black type interest when this grand campaigner improves on his good desert form by winning Kempton's Magnolia Stakes L by a hard fought head. Up at Doncaster it's a poor show by the locals with the only Yorkshire trained winner coming in the shape of Mark Johnston's Soapy Danger, a dual group winner two seasons ago, who leads home a Yorkshire 1-2-3 in the £16,192 Doncaster Shield Conditions Stakes.
22/03/2008	Finally the start of the Flat Season proper at Doncaster and early on Richard Fahey's Benadonner is a good second in the Spring Mile Handicap. The following race is the Cammidge Trophy L and here Karl Burke's Aahayson lands the spoils with Kevin Ryan's Wi Dud back in third. In the traditional curtain raiser for the season, the £77,900 Lincoln Handicap John Quinn's Blythe Knight, a winner of this race two years ago, is a good second with Julie Camacho's Rio Riva back in fourth. James Bethell's Granston is a further winner later on the card. At Haydock there is a double for Sue Smith and a win for Tim Easterby whilst Mark Johnston has a win at Kempton and there are also wins for Peter Beaumont and Bob Woodhouse up at Carlisle. Evening racing on the all-weather at Wolverhampton sees another winner for Mark Johnston.
15/03/2008	Sue Smith caps an excellent few days for her stable when Himalayan Trail comes home a massive 22 lengths clear in the £57,020 Midlands Grand National Handicap Chase L at Uttoxeter this afternoon under conditional Tjade Collier. Malcolm Jefferson wins the last at Uttoxeter whilst Harry Hogarth has a winner up at Newcastle. There are nearly no local winners at Wetherby until Tom Walford saves the day by landing the closing bumper. On the flat at Lingfield the Yorkshire runners in the Winter Derby are disappointing but Mick Easterby's Atlantic Story lands the £12,464 diamondracing.co.uk Handicap and Karl Burke's Geezers Colours is third in the Spring Cup L. Evening racing at Kempton sees Mark Johnston's Campanologist land the £16,192 32red.com Best Casino Since 2003 Conditions Stakes.
14/03/2008	The Final Day of the Cheltenham Festival sees two winners for Yorkshire with Ferdy Murphy's Naiad Du Misselot leading the way by taking the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle Gd3, the race was 1/2 a furlong shorter than normal (due to the 'reshuffle') and this might have been crucial as the French bred gelding held on by a nose. Later a member of the Easterby clan get's in on the act when Cherry Coward's Amicelli lands the £24,088 Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup by six lengths under Ollie Greenall, the famous Aintree equivalent now beckons. Malcolm Jefferson again collects minor honours when Calatagan is third in the Grand Annual Handicap Chase Gd3. Kevin Ryan has a winner at Lingfield.
13/03/2008	Cheltenham Day .... erm .... two? three? ....... The penultimate day of the Cheltenham Fesitval today sees a better show by the Yorkshire contingent with Sue Smith's admirable servant Mister McGoldrick leading the way by landing the Racing Post Plate Handicap Chase Gd3 by an amazing distance (for a handicap) of 13 lengths, made all the more incredible by the fact that he hasn't won anywhere apart from the rather flat Wetherby since 2004, so this really was a run against type. In the next race Malcolm Jefferson's According To Pete is a good third in the Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle L , whilst earlier Yorkshire interest of a sort was provided in the Queen Mther Champion Chase where Sir Rober Ogden's (of Sicklinghall) Voy Por Ustedes was a good second. Yafforth permit holder Peter Atkinson scored at Hexham as did Ferdy Murphy.
12/03/2008	Cheltenham Day Two is OFF due to high winds on the track. All the cancelled races will be spread amongst the remaining two days. Richard Fahey has winners under both codes at Huntingdon and Wolverhampton.
11/03/2008	Cheltenham Day One sees Ferdy Murphy's New Alco put up the best Yorkshire performance when a good second in the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase Gd3 (which he won last season), he heads for Aintree next.Elsewhere there are wins at Sedgefield for Patrick Haslam and Alan Swinbank and at Southwell for Kevin Ryan.
08/03/2008	A dull week in the run up to Cheltenham (by complete coincidence I'll be 'working' from home on Friday!) continues today where the best result comes in the opener at Sandown where Malcolm Jefferson's Tot O'Whiskey is third in the EBF Sunderlands 'National Hunt' Novices Handicap Hurdle Final Gd3. It's a similar story at Wolverhampton with Mark Johnston's Lovelace third in the opening Lady Wulfruna Stakes L, although the Kingsley House team also have a winner later on the card with the well bred Al Samha and Ian McInnes also has a winner.Johnston's fellow Middleham resident Kate Walton has a winner at the eventually curtailed Ayr meeting.
01/03/2008	March at last, there's proper racing to look forward to this month. Today's best result comes in the totepool Premier Kelso Hurdle Gd 2 where Alan Swinbank's Ignotus comes home 3/4 of a length ahead of George Moore's Pagan Starprincess. Ferdy Murphy's Quality Control wins the last on the same card. There are three local winners closer to home at Doncaster where Sue Smith's Ela Re wins the third (her Leac An Scail having been a good second in the prior race, the £16,265 Sands Venue Entertainment Handicap Hurdle), James Bethell has a rare National Hunt winner when Little Bob lands the Novices' Hurdle and Scarcroft's Clive Mulhall's Doeslessthanme wins the bumper. Evening racing at Wolverhampton sees Ruth Carr get her first winner since taking over from grandfather David Chapman whilst there are also winners for Mel Brittain and Ian McInnes.
25/02/2008	A dream return to the saddle for Joe Fanning following six months on the sidelines when he pilots the Mark Johnston trained Yes Mr President home by seven lengths at Wolverhampton, where there are also winners for John Weymes and James Bethell.
23/02/2008	Winners at Newcastle today for Declan Carroll, Patrick Haslam and Alan Swinbank whilst Malcolm Jefferson's Elvis Returns is second in the £30,985 Totesport Eider Handicap Chase. At Lingfield meanwhile Mick Easterby's Atlantic Story won the £9,971 Diamond Racing Handicap whilst Mark Johnston's Dubai's Touch was a strong second in the Winter Derby Trial Stakes L, beaten only a head having being off the course for 125 days, not to mention hanging in the straight.
16/02/2008	Close but no cigar at Wincanton for John Quinn's Blythe Knight is second in the Kingwell Hurdle Gd2. It's a smiliar tale at Haydock with George Moore's Pagan Starprincess second in the opening Victor Ludorum Juvenile Novices Hurdle and Sue Smith's Vor third in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Gd2. There are winners at the less prestigous Uttoxeter meeting for Richard Fahey and Geoff Harker.
08/02/2008	Yorkshire are dominant in the second race at Nad Al Sheba today, the £36,180 Meydan Stakes Handicap, with John Balding's Turn On The Style winning and the David Nicholls' pair of Buachaill Dona and Indian Trail occupying third and fourth. To cap a good day in the Gulf Nicholls' Machinist picks up £12,060 for finishing second in the last race on the card. Karl Burke has a winner at Wolverhampton whilst at Southwell Bill Ratcliffe makes it two winners in as many days, later on the card there is also a winner for Mick Easterby.
07/02/2008	It's the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 G3 at Nad Al Sheba today and Kandidate, jointly bred by the Providence and Foston Studs, is a useful second, having won the same race last year. Closer to home there are winners at Southwell for Richard Fahey and Ian McInness and at Wolverhampton for Bill Ratcliffe and Bryan Smart. Ferdy Murphy's stable jockey Graham Lee suffers a crushing fall at Huntingdon which leaves him doubtful for Cheltenham having been unconcious for several minutes and breaking his jaw in two places.
04/02/2008	Mark Johnston's Leamington wins at Southwell to mark the Middleham trainers 2,000th winner after only 21 years training, with more than 100 winners every season since 1994. Tim Pitt's Basalt wins the next, his first winner from his new location at Malton.
02/02/2008	Not much of interest this week, apart from David Chapman's last ever runners before handing over to his granddaughter. There are local winners today at Doncaster for John Quinn (Leslingtaylor in the £13,012 Watch & Bet Novices' Chase) and Ferdy Murphy. Wetherby was cancelled.
26/01/2008	A reasonably good day at the office for the locals at Doncaster with Kate Walton's Nevertika landing the second race, Tim Easterby's Edmo Yewkay taking the £13,012 Skybet.Com Handicap Chase off bottom weight and Sue Smith's Coe putting up a good performance to be second in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Gd2.
19/01/2008	This is where I put all the exciting news from the world of horse racing and breeding in Yorkshire. When there is any. Which there isn't.
03/01/2008	Bolton Grange Stud bred Grecian Dancer, catalogued in the December Sales but withdrawn, is sent over to France by Charles O'Brien where she lands the Prix Miss Satamixa L by a hard fought nose. Somewhat closer to home John Weymes wins the opening two races at Wolverhampton.
01/01/2008	A good New Year for the locals at Catterick with wins for Tom Tate, Karl Burke, Sue Smith and Alan Swinbank, whilst David Barron's Partners In Jazz lands the £10,525 Make A Date In 2008 @ Pontin's Handicap at Southwell.

2008 ~ 2007 ~ 2006 ~ 2005 ~ 2004 ~ 2003 ~ 2002 ~ 2001 ~ 2000 ~ 1999

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