Bell rings for starlet Kyne as Ryedale raiders head north (From Gazette & Herald)

Bell rings for starlet Kyne as Ryedale raiders head north

1:33pm Wednesday 24th June 2009 in

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Jamie Kyne, Ryedale’s rapidly rising star apprentice, has been snapped up by dual Classic-winning trainer Michael Bell to ride in Saturday’s showpiece event at Newcastle.

The £180,000 John Smith’s Northumberland Plate – best known as the “Pitmens’ Derby” – is one of the richest handicaps in Europe.

Kyne, who is attached to John Quinn’s Norton yard, and who is fast making a name for himself as one of the best 5lb claimers in the country, has been booked by Newmarket-based Bell to ride The Betchworth Kid in this historic two-mile event.

Bell, who earlier this month won the Epsom Oaks with Sariksa, also trained Motivator to win the Derby in 2005. Furthermore, he sent out two winners at Royal Ascot last week, most notably Art Connoisseur, who notched a 20-1 success in the Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes.

The day before Art Connoisseur strutted his stuff in front of the Queen, Kyne, pictured right, was plying his trade in less auspicious surroundings, but in a hugely rewarding manner.

Last Friday, the teenage apprentice had no fewer than 11 rides when undertaking a Scottish double-header at Musselburgh and Ayr, which resulted in three winners.

More pertinently, those successes came for three different trainers: Quinn, who has been so instrumental in his career, Alistair Whillans and Ian Semple.

Word is clearly spreading that Kyne is hot stuff. With 17 winners this season – seven for Quinn – he is currently in second place in the apprentices’ championship behind another Ryedale rider, Frederik Tylicki, who is currently on the 21-winner mark.

Tylicki’s career received a major boost in July last year when he won the John Smith’s Cup at York on Flying Clarets for his Malton-based guvnor, Richard Fahey, and Kyne could receive a similar lift if he succeeds in getting The Betchworth Kid home in front on Saturday.

Tough and consistent, the gelding is currently priced at around 16-1 to come out on top in a race which will also feature a wave of locally-trained horses.

Brian Ellison, a native of the North East, whose racing interest was fuelled at an early age by the Northumberland Plate, has always yearned to win this showpiece event, not least because it falls on the weekend of his birthday.

Norton-based Ellison intends saddling Carte Diamond, Tilt and also Dunaskin in his bid to hit the jackpot.

Neighbouring handler Tim FitzGerald is aiming to run Inchnadamph, while the mud-loving Hits Only Vic, trained at Sledmere by Declan Carroll, and Tim Easterby’s Bollin Felix add further weight to the Ryedale challenge.

All signs point to Newcastle this weekend. Friday’s evening card is dominated by the £20,000 Gosforth Park Cup, in which Tim Easterby promises to be strongly represented.

The Great Habton handler has both last year’s runner-up Hamish McGonagall and Captain Dunne, recently just touched off in the Epsom Dash on Derby Day, among the entries, which also include Tim Etherington’s Fullandby and the Noel Wilson-trained Pavershooz, recent winner of the Scottish Sprint Cup at Musselburgh.

Ishetoo is another to note. Trained near Thirsk by Alan Dickman, he won a valuable handicap at York last month when ridden by a certain Jamie Kyne, who has been booked to pilot him again in Friday night’s feature sprint.

It could be an exciting weekend for Ryedale’s red-hot apprentice.

Paul Hanagan enjoyed his first-ever Royal Ascot success last week when Cosmic Sun – returned at no less than 66-1, and who paid out at more than 80-1 on the Tote – pulled off the biggest shock of the five-day meeting when landing the King George V Handicap.

Trained by Richard Fahey, the three-year-old, who was always well placed just behind the leaders, struck the front over a furlong out and was always finding plenty for Malton jockey Hanagan, who had a length and a quarter to spare at the line.

“What a thrill to ride a winner at Royal meeting,” exclaimed the North’s top jockey.

“He gave me a great ride. You wouldn’t have thought he was a 66-1 shot the way he travelled and then picked up for me in the straight.”

Fahey admitted the success of Cosmic Sun, a maiden after 10 previous starts, and 3lb out of the handicap, was “a little bit of a surprise”. The Malton trainer, whose only previous winner at the meeting came courtesy of 20-1 shot Superior Premium in the Cork And Orrery Stakes, nine years earlier, added: “He has, though, always been a nice horse. It’s always nice to have a Royal Ascot winner and it was a special day for everyone involved, especially the owners.”

Although Rose Blossom, Fahey’s highly-touted juvenile, failed to trouble the principals in the Queen Mary Stakes, he had further cause for celebration when She’s A Character clinched fourth place in the prestigious Albany Stakes.

Tim Easterby was another Ryedale trainer who had reason to be pleased. His high-class filly, Anglezarke, a winner at York last month, finished a highly creditable third at 33-1 in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes, while his smart juvenile Little Scotland finished a very respectable fourth in the Windsor Castle Stakes.

Few jockeys this season can boast of having already trebled their winning score of last year, but Wendy Gibson is the exception, following her latest shock success in the Ripon Ladies’ Derby. Partnering 25-1 shot Dimashq for her boss, Westow-based Paul Midgley, Gibson brought home the largely unconsidered outsider with three-quarters of a length to spare to register her third victory of the campaign. Coincidentally, her sole success last season came on Dimashq at Musselburgh.

Gibson is setting a hot pace in the ladies’ championship this season, though her lead was reduced earlier this week when Lorraine Ellison posted her second success, thanks to the odds-on Aureate, trained by her father, Brian. That horse is expected to be out again at Carlisle today (Wednesday) in the Cumberland Plate.

Dimashq’s success contributed to a profitable few days for Midgley, who was also on the mark with Summer Lodge at Musselburgh and Singora Lady at Pontefract.

And he continued that run of success yesterday, when Summer Dancer, ridden by Philip Makin, beat the Julie Camacho-trained Party In The Park at Beverley.

Tony Hamilton is enjoying a cracking season and the Ryedale jockey is proving a man to follow at present.

He had a double at Ripon last Thursday on Requisite and Antigua Sunrise, while at Ayr on Saturday, he rattled up a treble aboard Firebet and Ghostwing, both trained by Richard Fahey, and Shy Glance, trained by Peter Monteith.

Hamilton is currently on 29 winners for the season and is fourth in the northern jockeys’ list behind Paul Hanagan, Phil Makin and Joe Fanning.

Ian Brennan may not be an instantly familiar name among the apprentice ranks, but that could well change in the coming months.

Previously attached to the Adrian McGuinness yard in his native Ireland, where he rode three winners, Brennan, who moved to John Quinn’s Norton stable in the spring, rode his first winner in Britain last weekend on his first mount since his transfer.

The 20-year-old Dubliner teamed up with the George Foster-trained King Of Legend and produced a stylish and effective display of jockeyship to nail a 7-1 success by one and a quarter lengths.

A stable-mate and good friend of Jamie Kyne, Brennan likewise looks to have a bright future.

“I am pleased he’s ridden a winner so quickly. He’s a good rider,” said Quinn, who will doubtless find further opportunities for Brennan as the summer unfolds.

The Quinn stable is buzzing at present, with a regular flow of winners, and Hippolytus did the business at Haydock last Saturday evening for local owner Lady Caroline Legard.

It was on the same course in 2003 that Lady Legard enjoyed such a proud moment as owner-breeder when her top performer Somnus, trained by Tim Easterby, beat Oasis Dream in the Group 1 Sprint Cup.