After a week without turf racing in the UK, we secured an additional fixture at Ffos Las on Monday of this week. Thankfully there were no weather problems and the seven race card went ahead without any issues. Ben Jones rode Endless Escape to victory in the opening race for trainer Ben Clarke and Sean Bowen secured his 93rd winner of the season aboard Mr Harp in the final race on the card.
Our next meeting is on Tuesday 31st January when there are seven races from 1.35pm. Tickets are just £15 in advance with our Day At The Races package including a ticket, a drink, a pie and racecard for £19.50p (advance bookings only).
Prior to our fixture on Monday, the last turf racing took place at Hereford on Monday 16th January, which was distinguished by a double for Richard Patrick, riding for Kerry Lee.
The first winner, Greenock Abbey, was an easy one. Most of the opposition in the 2m novice chase failed to get round. The other one was harder work. Coming to the final hurdle he was level pegging on Fay Ce Que Voudras, going slightly the better, only to make a complete hash of the obstacle. Patrick nearly came off three or four strides afterwards, but in the act of regaining his seat he lost his irons. Undaunted, he roused his mount to great effect, and she shot through a narrow gap between the rails and her rival to win, ultimately, quite comfortably.
On a foggy evening at Wolverhampton on Saturday Ron Harris had his first winner of the year. His 2/1 favourite Eye Of The Water held on by a nose to score over seven furlongs for the first time.
The horse has been wonderfully consistent for his owner Malcolm Wright. He has been in the frame in 28 of his 57 races, winning six races, finishing second twelve times and third on ten occasions. Having said that, his last victory was in August 2019, so a visit to the prime spot in the winners enclosure has been long overdue.
The news broke earlier this week of the death of 88-year-old former trainer Milton Bradley who was based at Sedbury near Chepstow. Milton was very much a local legend in the world of horse racing.
Born on 5 January 1935, he became renowned for training numerous prolific winners, even though he usually only had modest horses to work with. Initially he made his name with jump horses, especially those that relished the firm ground in the summer. He began training in 1969 after proving himself in the worlds of pony racing and point-to-pointing.
Bradley’s winningmost horse was Mighty Marine, who won 23 races in the 1970s. Seven of them were during his 1975/76 campaign. Next season he won seven in a row, in a purple patch spanning just 39 days. He had cost his lucky owner just £100.
His most famous horse was The Tatling, who he claimed for £15,000. He won 15 more races and almost £700,000 in prize money, including the 2004 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. He loved his racing so much that he carried on until the eve of his 15th birthday, winning his 176th and final race at Wolverhampton on December 13 2011.
Milton retired in January 2021 to bring a 53-year career in racing to an end. By then he had trained 1,037 winners. He was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 ROA Welsh Horse Racing Awards. He will be greatly missed
