Quinn grand slam
Ross man makes history in England
ROSS MAN, Jimmy Quinn, made a little bit of racing history last month when he rode Captain Sedgwick (7/1) to victory at Ffos Las - he was completing the grand slam, having now ridden a winner at every track in Britain just a couple of months after his 50th birthday.
The veteran has been operating over there since 1988 and has had almost 1,530 winners in his long career.
His most successful season was in 2002 when he topped the ‘ton’ for the season for the only time with 101 winners.
He has been winding down a bit in recent years and in the 2016 season he had 27 winners from his 292 rides.
It is hard work enough these days and he frequently makes the trip for just a single ride.
His son, Josh, is now starting to make his way in the racing game and has had seven winners from his first 46 rides, a pretty good return.
Daryl Jacob has been appointed number one jockey to up and coming National Hunt trainer, Ben Pauling, who is based near Cheltenham. Pauling only began training in 2013 but has been making an impact with over 90 winners so far, and he is sure to benefit from the experience of the Davidstown rider.
It was good to see Ferns man, Jimmy Fortune, returning to action at Newbury on Friday after being absent since May 19 with back problems. He came through unscathed from four rides without making it to the winners’ enclosure.
It was a quiet enough racing week in Britain and things will pick up considerably next week with the York meeting bringing out many of the big guns.
Pat McDonald began his week well at Ayr with a win aboard Jim Goldie’s Star Cracker (5/1), and he had a nice priced double at separate tracks on Tuesday - on Brockley Rise (12/1) for P. Evans at Thirsk, and on Ornate (5/2) for Robert Cowell at Nottingham that evening.
On Thursday he picked up a winner at Beverely with Go Now Go Now (6/1) for Mark Johnston.
Pat Dobbs had to use all his skill to score at Salisbury on Wednesday afternoon on 14/1 shot Waseem; he was short of room but squeezed through on the rail close home to get up by a head from the favourite, Trick of the Light (11/4).
He went on to Kempton for one ride that evening and it nearly paid off - he finished second on George (17/5) for Sylvester Kirk, just a length behind James Doyle on the favourite, Elizabeth Bennett (6/4).
Tom O’Brien scored in the final race of the week in the concluding handicap hurdle aboard Cosmic Tigress (6/1) for J.J. Quinn.