William in line for top award
Johnstone up for Owner of the Year
Recently crowned champion Flat owner of 2017 at Ayr, William Johnstone could add to his honours on Friday as he is short listed for a highly prestigious award.
William is up for the Owner of the Year at the Magic Moments In Northern Racing Dinner at Gosforth Park Hotel beside Newcastle Racecourse.
Euchen Glen’s win in the Shergar Cup at Ascot on August 12 earned William his nomination and it would be a great achievement if he won the award as he also bred the horse.
The evening is hosted by my good friend Gordon Brown and there are several Scots in addition to William on the various short lists.
Jamie Gormley, the apprentice based with Iain Jardine, is up for Flat Jockey of the Year for his ride on Tor at Chester in August while Iain himself is up for the trainer’s gong for Nakeeta’s win in the Ebor at York.
The jumps award features a few Scots with Callum Bewley in the running for the top jockey prize for his ride on the Jim Goldie trained Great Fighter in the QTS Handicap Hurdle at Ayr at the Coral Scottish Grand National Festival in April.
Another young rider on the short list is Rachael Macdonald while Borders based owners Paul and Clare Rooney could win the Top Jumps Owner for Willoughby Court’s win in the Neptune Investment Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.
And there’s a special achievement prize for connections of Grand National winner One For Arthur with Lucinda Russell, Derek Fox and the owners Belinda McClung and Deborah Thomson being honoured. The Racehorse Owners Association holds its annual dinner in London on Thursday, December 7 when Ayr is one of the courses in the running for Racecourse of the Year.
This is fought out between the tracks that have ROA Gold Award status and, as one of the six large courses in the UK holding that honour, we go straight on the short list.
Gordon Thom, who for years ran the highly successful New Hall Stud at Coylton, is in line for an award as owner of Sepal who won four races on the bounce and Lucinda Russell and co are once again in the running for a prize. I’ll bring you news next week on how our nominees fare at the Magic Moments In Northern Racing awards.
A horse that impressed me when winning at Ayr earlier in the year was Beer Goggles, trained by Richard Woollacott who won the Seko Logistics Handicap Hurdle over three mile at the Coral Scottish Grand National Festival.
The horse ran a fair race at Aintree to finish third in a Class 2 contest and heads to Newbury on Friday to contest the Class 1 Grade 2 Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle with man of the moment Daryl Jacob riding.
It’s a tough race with the brilliant Thistlecrack, winner of this race in 2015, making a return to the track after almost a year out.
But I think Beer Goggles will run well at a huge price and is well worth an each way bet and I believe odds of 33- 1 are readily available.
Also running at Newbury tomorrow is the Ian Duncan rained King Of Fashion who ran fourth at Ayr on November 4 on his seasonal return.
He will be fitter for that run and can be backed at odds of 14- 1 to win the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle.
Ian’s gelding won a maiden hurdle at the Craigie track in January of this year and is a horse I have been following ever since.