TRAINER John Wainwright was in nostalgic mood today after his mare Biplane flew home at Redcar – 36 years to the day after he trained his first career winner at the same track.
Royal Course, ridden by Lindsay Charnock, won at Redcar in the North Yorkshire trainer’s first season back in 1987.
And Wainwright rolled back the years when Biplane, piloted by former champion jockey Paul Hanagan, landed division two of the Join Racing TV Handicap.
“It’s nice to still be having winners at Redcar, 36 years to the day after the first of my career!” said the trainer, who has a small string at Malton.
“Biplane’s been on the go all winter, and she’s really tough and versatile,” said the trainer, who succeeded his dad, Snowy Wainwright.
Snowy won the 1975 Gimcrack Stakes at York with Music Boy. He also notably trained the legendary Badsworth Boy to win a six-furlong Redcar maiden as a two-year-old in 1977. Little did anyone know then that the chestnut gelding would go on to be a National Hunt great, with a hat-trick of wins in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, when trained by Michael Dickinson.
Wild Side, trained at Newmarket by George Boughey and ridden by 5lbs claimer Connor Planas, made the most of a light weight to rack up a hat-trick by landing the Woodsmith Construction Straight Mile Handicap in the style of a filly with still more to offer.
The young jockey said: “I was happy throughout the race. She challenged beautifully and she’s a very game filly.”
Shropshire owner breeder Ray Bailey has had around 200 winners over 28 years and he added to his tally when Alseeyerthere showed an impressive turn of foot to land the Join Racing TV Handicap.
The Al Kazeem mare is trained by Steph Hollinshead and was confidently ridden by David Allan, who had told the owner she was a talented filly when she was third at Redcar last year.
“We knew she was good enough to win but she’s had a few setbacks and came home to us for nine months for a rest and then went back into training,” said Mr Bailey. “Steph said she was showing a lot of promise at home and David said she’s got a hell of a stride on her. I think there’s a lot more to come.”
It was the 18th win for her dam, Magic Destiny, and the plan is for Alseeyerthere to go home to Mr Bailey’s stud at the end of her racing career.
The trainer said: “She showed a nice turn of foot and has learned a lot from her first few runs. She’s a big unit and the tongue-tie made a difference today.”
There was a big cheer in the winner's enclosure after a first win for the 100 Club – an enterprising new syndicate initiative by Michael and David Easterby – after Bay of Hope took The Celebrate The Life of Joe Newton Handicap.
It was also a double for jockey David Allan as the three-year-old gelding gamely held off the challenge of Michael Dods’ quirky Rockonmecca.
David Easterby explained: “We invented the 100 Club, which involves 100 people putting in £1,000 each. We have two 100 Clubs going, with two horses in each. They run for two years, and then the horses are sold privately, no matter how good they are, so everyone gets something back.”
Flying Frontier, trained at Newmarket by James Tate and ridden by Callum Rodriguez, justified odds-on favouritsm in the RacingTV.com/freetrial Novice Stakes. Simon and Ed Crisford’s Liseo ran on to be second despite having to be snatched up a furlong out.
“Still a big baby but a horse to look forward to” was how jockey David Nolan described El Jasor after the Le Havre colt, trained at Newmarket by Charlie Fellowes, outstayed favourite Perfect Play in the Start Your Racing TV Free Trial Handicap.
Nolan went on to land a double when Talha, trained at Malton by Richard Fahey, landed the Come Racing On Ladies' Day Tomorrow Maiden Handicap on his handicap debut.
The day had started with a surprise in the opener when debutante On Borrowed Time, owned and trained at Malton by Ollie Pears, and ridden by Cam Hardie, came with a late surge to overhaul George Boughey's hot favourite Mimi Kakushi in the Watch Racing TV Free For 31 Days Selling Stakes.
The trainer said: “She’s won it well and she’ll probably go for a decent seller at Chester on Friday night.”
There was no bid at the auction.
