We have a short break from racing until our flat meetings start on Monday 4th July. It is an evening fixture with seven races starting at 5.50pm. Advance tickets are two for the price of one and we also have a great value package in Bridles Restaurant priced at £49 per person. All the details are on the website. We also race on Monday 11th and Monday 25th July.
There was Welsh success at Royal Ascot when the David Evans trained Rohaan bounced back to form with a bang by taking the Wokingham Stakes for the second year in a row.
The owners were seriously considering retiring the four-year-old after seven poor runs since his triumph in the 2021 race, and getting badly cut falling on the gallops. A few weeks ago his homework suddenly improved and it seemed he was his old self again. Ryan Moore was convinced enough to take the ride and they were drawn on the favoured stands side. Among the back markers at halfway, he produced dazzling acceleration to come through the field on the stands side and win, going away.
In reply to being asked at what stage he thought he would win, Moore said, “Two and a half furlongs out. I wasn't sure what he was going to do, but then he started coming and I knew he'd win then.”
Rohaan is owned by Crystal Palace footballer James Tomkins and club coach Dean Kiely. Coincidentally the last horse to win the Wokingham twice was Selhurstparkflyer. Rohaan’s SP was 18/1; he provided Moore with his 73rd Royal Ascot winner. Expect to see the horse in Group company next time.
David Probert was unseated when his mount left the stalls and he was brought back from the start in an ambulance but he was expected to resume riding at Chepstow on Monday.
Christian Williams and Peter Bowen spotted a race at Perth on Saturday with above average prize money for modest novice chasers rated 0-110. Williams entered Aye Aye Charlie, who fitted the bill by having run and lost 12 times over fences. The ten-year-old used to be rated as high as 145 over hurdles, but today he found his level at last. With only three rivals to overcome once Bowen’s Fanamix had been pulled up, Jack Tudor was able to steer him safely home to collect the £7,407 first prize.
Gordon Elliott and Sean Bowen resumed their successful weekend forays to Scotland with Copperwell taking Perth’s maiden hurdle. Considering their combined strike rate at the track is 48%, 9/4 was a good price.
Peter and Sean Bowen were at Worcester on Sunday and combined to win the opener, a 2m7f chase with Dalkingstown. This dour stayer who needed every yard to overhaul his main market rival. It was the first time he’d been tried with both a tongue-tie and cheekpieces.
The final race at Worcester, a novices handicap hurdle, also went to Wales. Bernard Llewellyn’s Canal Rocks was third last time out, beaten four lengths, by a horse that won twice since. Conditional Charlie Price was on board again and drove Canal Rocks into a narrow lead on the run-in, and he held off a late challenger by a half a length.
