JOHN and Jess Dance have been named as champion owners at Redcar for 2022 with five winners from 17 runners.
The couple’s haul of winners included a sparkling treble on April 18 with Phantom Flight, Il Bandito, and Asjad. They went on to score with Sound Pressure on June 18 and Orbital Chime on October 24.
In the Spring of 2021, John, owner of Vertem Asset Management, announced that he had bought the historic Manor House Stud, at Middleham, and would be installing Sir Michael Stoute’s assistant, James Horton, as his private trainer.
He also launched new gold and black colours to signify that his horses would run in the name of his wife, Jess, as well as him.
Phantom Flight (below), a 100,000 guineas Siyouni colt, was the first winner for the new operation when he outbattled Frankel filly, Take My Chances, in the hands of PJ McDonald.
After securing his treble, James said: “I never imagined a day like this, but I thought they were all in good form and in the right races. It’s great to have had John and Jess here to see it because they’ve put so much into it all.
“I always liked Redcar when I was with Sir Michael Stoute, he liked to bring nice horses up here because it’s a lovely track.”
The Dances are investing heavily in redeveloping Manor House Stud, formerly owned by Lenore ‘Lennie’ Peacock, and the place where the last northern-trained Derby winner, Dante, was born and raised.
Redcar general manager Amy Fair said: “We are delighted that John and Jess Dance are our champion owners for 2022. They are huge supporters of racing and it’s been a real thrill for Redcar to have played a part in getting their new exciting venture off to a successful start.”
Redcar's champion trainer for 2022 was Tim Easterby while champion jockey was Jason Hart.
The main picture shows John and Jess Dance welcoming Phantom Flight to the Redcar winner's enclosure in April
Pictures below are of: Il Bandito in winning action; Asjad after making it a treble; Sound Pressure after winning in June; and Orbital Chime in the winner's enclosure in October.
