BRITAIN'S first-ever race for stable staff will be run at Beverley later this month to support the Betfair Malton Stables Open Day, which is to be held on Sunday 31st August.

The race, run over five furlongs, will be held one week earlier and will feature 11 riders from Ryedale stables, with a wide variety of ages, the youngest being only 17.

Some of those taking part have had rides in races in the past, but the one requirement for this event is that none of the riders can have ridden a winner.

The field for the race, which promises to be a thrilling climax to Beverley’s meeting on Sunday 24th August, comprises Helen Warrington, riding for Nigel Tinkler, John Thirsk (John Wainwright), Vicky Pears (Ollie Pears), Georgia Dukes (Tony Coyle), Jaimie Kerr (Tony Coyle), Billy Hardy (Richard Fahey), Rachel Laird (Brian Ellison), Rebecca Shepherd (Brian Ellison), Liam Bottomley (Geoff Oldroyd), Craig Lidster (Geoff Oldroyd) and Annie Eddery (Tim Etherington). All of the riders have each pledged to raise £500 for the charities supported by the Open Day.

“It’s something different,” said Tim FitzGerald, chairman of the Malton Racing Association. “It should be good fun, it will aid the charities we’re supporting this year and it will be a great day for those taking part by offering them the opportunity to ride in a real race. Stable staff complete a tremendous job within racing and that should never be forgotten.”

A total of 20 trainers will be opening their yards on the final Sunday in August for what is always a popular event with racing fans coming from far and wide to view the horses and take a peek behind the scenes. The majority of stables will be opening from 9am to 1pm, the exception being David O’Meara, whose sizeable Nawton yard will be open from 8am until 11-30am.

There will be various other attractions at many of the stables. The renowned Gary Witheford will be demonstrating ‘Natural Horsemanship’ and will also his method of ‘Starting’ unbroken yearlings at Tim Etherington’s yard, Dean Crossman will be conducting a demonstration of Equine Dentistry at Brian Ellison’s stables, while Chris Napthine will be doing something similar at the Lawrence Mullaney yard and a farriery demonstration will take place at Richard Fahey’s Musley Bank establishment.

The hugely popular former top steeplechaser Monet’s Garden, who was such a hit last year, will again be stabled at Tim FitzGerald’s yard where there will be parades and displays by retired racehorse, hosted by New Beginnings Racehorse Re-homing Centre, and Wendy Hoggard of White Rose Saddlery, will be doing saddlery demonstrations at Malcolm Jefferson’s Newstead base.

The afternoon events, sponsored by Great British Racing, will include a celebrity quiz in the Milton Rooms with trainers, jockeys and the Injured Jockeys’ Fund fielding teams, and including such as John Francome, Jim McGrath and Jack Berry, along with the ‘Kids Love The Races’ roadshow and exhibitions of the progress of Jack Berry House and the new Racing Welfare Centre.

 

• BARAWEEZ has become the second Ryedale-trained horse this summer to win one of Ireland’s major Flat handicaps.

The gelding, trained by Brian Ellison, scooped first prize of 60,000 euros when landing last Sunday’s Ahonoora Handicap on the closing day of the Galway Festival, and, just for good measure, Ellison also picked-up third place with Pacific Heights, his other runner in the seven furlong race.

Baraweez, who was following in the hoofprints of Paul Midgley’s Line Of Reason, winner of the similarly valuable Paddy Power Scurry Handicap at the Curragh on Irish Derby Day at the end of June, had finished a close-up third in the Topaz Mile at Galway just six days before his triumph. That effort convinced Ellison to go again with the four-year-old.

“It was always the plan to run in both races, provided he showed he handled the track, and he did,” explained the Norton trainer, who was delighted to see his useful new recruit hit the jackpot at the second time of asking.

Baraweez is now owned by Andrew Barnes – also the owner of Pacific Heights – who paid 30,000gns to secure him at Tattersalls Newmarket Sales last October. Previously trained in France, where he showed promise but failed to win in four outings, by Freddie Head for Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, Baraweez had originally cost 340,00gns as a yearling.

He has won four times this year, though he was disqualified at Newcastle for interference, for Ellison, who is no stranger to notable success in Ireland. Last autumn, he won the Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh with Montefeltro.

 

• JULIE CAMACHO has a useful and progressive gelding on her hands in Wilde Inspiration, who made it two wins and two seconds from just four runs this season when getting home in a thrilling finish at Thirsk last Saturday.

“He’s maturing and strengthening-up all the time and hasn’t done much wrong,” said Steve Brown, the Norton trainer’s husband and assistant of the 17,000gns purchase out of Ralph Beckett’s yard. Next stop for this bargain buy could be a £75,000 race at Chester on Sunday week.

 

• TIM EASTERBY has his sights firmly focused on the £300,000 Weatherbys Sales Race at Doncaster next month with Mattmu, who is developing into a smart juvenile.

The colt followed-up his Haydock maiden win with a fluent success at Chester last Sunday. Easterby, who has always had a high opinion of Mattmu, confirmed: “He’ll go to Doncaster and he’s also in the Redcar Two-Year-Old Trophy in October.”

 

• LIFE just gets better and better for George Chaloner. The high-flying apprentice, who narrowly failed to add last Saturday’s 32Red Stewards’ Cup on Richard Fahey’s third-placed Alben Star to his big-race victories on Baccarat in Royal Ascot’s Wokingham Handicap and Angel Gabrial in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle, is close to winning £400,000 in prize money this season.

Chaloner won on Fahey’s English Summer at Chester last Sunday and followed-up the next day with a sensational double at Ripon on behalf of Richard Whitaker aboard Woodacre and Pipers Note to take his seasonal tally to 27 winners.

Sam James is another apprentice going well. He recorded an excellent treble for his boss David O’Meara last Friday, winning on Summer Stroll at Thirsk in the afternoon and Algar Line and Scoreline at Musselburgh in the evening.

 

• HARRIETT BETHELL fulfilled a long-held ambition at Beverley last week when winning the race named in memory of her grandmother.

The Lady Jane Bethell Memorial Lady Riders’ Handicap is held in honour of the former racecourse patron and Harriet was all smiles after winning on Unex Michelangelo, trained by Mick Easterby, who was winning the race for the third successive year.

“For obvious reasons, it’s a race I’ve always wanted to win,” said Harriet, who is attached to the Norton yard of Brian Ellison. “It was great.”

 

• MICK EASTERBY could hardly have his horses in better form. The veteran Sheriff Hutton trainer proved the point by sending our four winners from his seven runners last Friday.

Easterby won at Thirsk with the Kieren Fallon-ridden pair Syros and Hot Spice and followed suit with another double at Musselburgh’s evening meeting with Bowson Fred and Strong Man, both ridden by Barry McHugh, who also won on Easterby’s We’ll Deal Again at Thirsk the following afternoon.

 

• IT was girl power at Carlisle on Monday evening when all seven races at the Ultimate Ladies’ Night were confined to female riders, amateur and professional.

Malton apprentice Sammy-Jo Bell played a starring role, winning the feature event for Linda Perratt on Silver Rime, while Anna Hesketh from Sheriff Hutton, rode a double for her boss Dandy Nicholls aboard Rasselas and Bajan Bear. Rachel Richardson just missed out at Carlisle, but she had earlier scored on White Flag for her boss Tim Easterby at Ripon.