The belated conclusion of the St Leger meeting at Doncaster resulted in David Probert’s third Group 2 victory of the year. The Doncaster Cup – founded in 1766, and therefore even older than the Leger – went to his mount, Coltrane. The slow pace didn’t favour the 2/9 favourite Trueshan, and Coltrane capitalised on it, just holding on in a driving finish.
However, a Group 1 remains frustratingly elusive for Wales’s leading flat jockey. Hoo Ya Mal, his ride in the world’s oldest classic, finished unplaced at the end of a messy race.
Chepstow’s Sunday meeting, a transfer from Bath, got under way with a winner on the flat for local trainer Deborah Faulkner. Fossos, who was having his tenth run over Chepstow’s five furlong course this year, had finished third there on Thursday. This time he made all the running, other than being headed briefly a furlong out, and was well on top at the end.
The final race of the flat season at Chepstow went to John Flint’s Lilandra, who bolted up. She’s not a frequent winner, but the result was in no doubt from half a mile out, when she galloped clear of the field and stayed there.
Wales’s premier track resumes on 7-8 October with the important Unibet Jump Season Opener, two days when the National Hunt racing really gets into its stride. It’s followed on Sunday 9th October by the £50,000 Dragon Bet Welsh Champion Hurdle meeting at Ffos Las.
The Queen’s interest in racing dates back to 1942, when she accompanied her father King George VI to see his horses exercising at Lambourn. Her final winner as an owner was Love Affairs on Tuesday, but her last at Chepstow was Kiteflyer (photographed) on 10 May this year.
Presumably backward as a two-year-old, but highly regarded by his trainer Sir Michael Stoute, his debut came in the Wood Ditton Stakes at Newmarket’s Craven meeting. He finished third there and was unextended to win that Chepstow novice stakes by four lengths. He ran third, carrying a penalty, in a similar race next time out and hasn’t been seen since. Kiteflyer has been given a rating of 86 and he may be being saved for handicaps next year.
Her Majesty’s previous Chepstow winner was Natural History, who in August 2018 won a lowly mile and a half handicap by eight lengths under David Probert. He won two races at Chester and Goodwood the following autumn before finishing second in the Group 3 St Simon Stakes at Newbury. He was then sold out of Andrew Balding’s yard to go hurdling with Gary Moore.
The Queen’s record at Ffos Las is three winners from four runners. The last of them was Take To Heart on 22 June 2017, which led throughout a novice hurdle for Nico de Boinville and Nicky Henderson. The following year he was the easy winner of a three-horse contest at Towcester, on what was its last day of racing. He’s now point-to-pointing.
Our next meeting is Sunday 25th September – it’s our first Community Race Day where we are inviting non-profit making organisations to promote themselves by taking a stand. Please email me at
khire@ffoslas-racecourse.co.uk
for further information. The first race is off at 1.32pm and tickets are just £10 in advance (and £15 on the day) with children aged 17 and under going free.
