Top jockey in line for 'Lesters' honour (From Gazette & Herald)

Top jockey in line for 'Lesters' honour

A Ryedale apprentice, currently on a busman's holiday in Dubai, is to make a dash back to Britain this weekend in order to collect a special prize.

Paul Mulrennan has won the Flat Ride of the Season award for his thrilling victory in the Zetland Gold Cup last May at Redcar on the Mick Easterby-trained Blue Spinnaker and the feat will be acknowledged on Saturday in London at the 'Lesters', the jockeys' very own annual awards night.

Mulrennan, who is attached to the Easterby yard at Sheriff Hutton, learned last month that he had been nominated for the award.

He was picked alongside senior jockeys Ryan Moore and Kerrin McEvoy, the latter having earned his nomination for his exemplary front-running display aboard Rule Of Law in the St Leger at Doncaster last September.

The competition, run in the Racing Post newspaper, was decided by a phone poll, and Mulrennan proved a runaway winner.

"I am thrilled to win it," said the young rider, who extricated Blue Spinnaker from behind a wall of horses entering the final furlong before producing a whirlwind finish to clinch the verdict by a series of heads and necks.

He said: "I would like to thank everyone who sent in a vote for me. I really can't believe that I've won."

Mulrennan left for Dubai just before Christmas to spend a month working for the powerful Godolphin operation, which transfers all its horses from Britain to its desert base for the winter.

"Spending some time with Godolphin, riding work on such top-quality horses is an experience not to be missed. I can only benefit from such a stint," said Mulrennan.

He has, however, received permission from his temporary employers to pay a flying visit back to Britain to receive his award.

"I was very keen to be there in person, if at all possible, and the people at Godolphin were very good about letting me having a couple of days off to come back specially."

The 'Lesters', which will be staged at the Grosvenor House Hotel, will play host to more than 600 guests. While Mulrennan knows his fate in his particular section, several other local jockeys who are up for awards do not.

Kevin Darley has been nominated for the Flat Jockey of the Year award. Dave Allan and Tom Eaves are in the running for the Apprentice of the Year prize. Russ Garrity is in line for a Special Recognition jumps award and Dale Gibson, who lives at Boston Spa and rides alongside Paul Mulrennan at Mick Easterby's stable, has been nominated for the Flat Jockeys' Special Recognition trophy.

Whatever the outcome, a thrilling night is in store.

Russ Garritty has ended a long-standing hoodoo and done the Gazette & Herald's Ten To Follow a good turn in one fell swoop.

The Great Habton jockey has, remarkably, gone almost seven years - and 63 losing mounts - since last riding a winner at Musselburgh racecourse.

But he ended that barren spell last week on Moor Spirit, trained by Peter Beaumont, and duly followed up aboard the Tim Easterby-trained Doe Nal Rua, one of this season's Ten To Follow nominations.

Returned at 9-2, Doe Nal Rua, who had three-quarters of a length to spare over recent course winner Family Venture, was a third winner for the ten-strong local squad, following on from Simply Mystic and Flight Command.

Moor Spirit, a stablemate of Flight Command, provided Garritty with a decisive victory in the novices' chase, the 3-1 chance prevailing by nine lengths from the odds-on favourite Noblefir.

Musselburgh also proved a happy hunting ground for fellow Ryedale jockeys Fergus King and Padge Whelan.

King scored on South Bronx, while Whelan, teaming up with his Malton boss Richard Fahey, gained an eight-length triumph in the bumper aboard Ripntear, who, despite proving a real handful before the race, displayed genuine ability once the action got under way.

Ryedale racing lost a long-standing friend last week, following the sudden death of journalist Bill Anderson, who lived at Thornton-le-Dale.

Apart from occasionally writing about his beloved sport and the personalities within it, Bill took a keen interest right across the board. Back in the 1970s, he enjoyed success as an owner, not least with the useful Grey Aglow, trained in Norton by Jimmy Etherington and regularly ridden by his then-apprentice Barry Hood.

For a full tribute, see page 7.

The New Year did not start too well for Robert Winston, who, having topped 100 winners in 2004, began 2005 with a suspension.

The York-based jockey picked up a two-day ban for careless riding at Southwell on New Year's Day which will see him sidelined on January 12 and 13.

On a happier note, Ryedale apprentice Tony Hamilton was aboard a winner at the same meeting. He delivered the goods on Air Mail, trained near York by Noel Wilson, who has already made his New Year's resolution. His aim is to double the ten winners he saddled on the Flat last year.

Mick Easterby also set off 2005 on a winning note. The Sheriff Hutton trainer was on the mark at Catterick with Real Shady, ridden by top amateur Tom Greenall wearing the colours of his father, Lord Daresbury, the chairman of Aintree racecourse.

A total of £12,000 was raised by various sections of the racing industry at Wetherby on Monday for the Disasters Emergency Committee Tsunami Appeal.

The racecourse made a £1 donation for each of the 4,000 paying customers, while Sky Bet, the Harrogate-based sponsor of the featured Castleford Chase, matched that figure to bring the tally up to £8,000.

The remainder was raised by jockeys riding at the meeting, who donated riding fees amounting to another £4,000 in the form of sponsorship for Steve Charlton, a jockeys' valet, who had his head shaved for the appeal.

Ryedale jockey Russ Garritty did the honours, robbing the 50-year-old of a full head of hair.

"It's up to everyone to do a bit to help these people who have been left with nothing," said Garritty.

Other racecourses throughout Britain, including Catterick and Sedgefield, have also supported the appeal fund, while scores of private individuals within the racing industry have done likewise.

Following on from giving his good pal a close shave, Garritty was among the winners at Wetherby. He scored on novice hurdler Pay Attention, who made it two wins from two starts over jumps, carrying the colours of Ryedale Partners, one of the highly-successful syndicates run within the Tim Easterby stable by Tony Raby from Kirkbymoorside.

Mick Easterby was also on the mark with Narciso, who was given a powerful ride by Tom Greenall to just get the better of Tom Fruit, trained by his nephew, Tim.

The £50,000 Castleford Chase, run as an extra race after being lost at the abandoned Christmas meeting, proved an eventful contest.

Well Chief, the odds-on favourite, came to grief at the fourth-last fence with Timmy Murphy, leaving the way clear for Mister McGoldrick, ridden by Dominic Elsworth for Bingley trainer Sue Smith, to clinch his sixth course victory.

Following two well-attended days' racing over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, Catterick's season over jumps continues with a seven-race programme on Thursday, January 13, starting at 12.50pm.

The feature races are The Ilkley Handicap Chase (a contest for stayers which is held over the extended three miles and one furlong), The Leeds Handicap Hurdle (two miles, three furlongs) and The WL and Hector Christie Memorial Trophy - a novices' handicap chase over two miles.

The latter race commemorates William Christie and his son, Hector. William Christie passed away in 1962 at the age of 103. Educated at Eton and Oxford, his family were land-owners in Wensleydale.

In the Victorian era, he was an amateur rider, and rode winners in six different countries. Known as 'The Squire of Jervaulx Abbey', Christie owned racehorses until he was 100 years old, and served as a steward at Catterick. His son, Hector, trained Fortina (owned by Lord Grimthorpe) to win the 1947 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Updated: 12:16 Wednesday, January 05, 2005