VETERAN racing broadcaster Derek Thompson, who steps down from commentating this summer, had a moment to savour at Redcar today when his horse Cheerleader won at 66-1.
“Tommo” owns Cheerleader with his wife, Caroline, and the filly is trained at Loftus by Tina Jackson, the partner of his brother, Howard.
The three-year-old won the Join Racing TV Now Handicap comfortably in the hands of Joanna Mason, with a delighted Thompson frantically cheering his winner home from the press box.
He revealed that the Dandy Man filly, pictured below, had been bought after his wife “fell in love with her”, adding: “She’ll be watching from home, and the tears will be streaming down her face.”
Jockey Ben Robinson and North Yorkshire trainer David O’Meara also had a good day, landing a double with Willowinghurn in the opening racingtv.com EBF Restricted Maiden Stakes (Division 1), and old stager Muscika in the Watch Racing TV In Stunning HD Handicap (Division 1).
Willowinghurn, owned by the Hurn Racing Club from Beverley, was impressive on only her second run, with Robinson reporting: “David thought she’d run very well today. She’s a nice filly who’s on the up, and I never thought we’d lose.”
Muscika, now 11, was winning for the 18th time after getting the better of Michael Herrington’s Papa Cocktail by a nose. Robinson, who thought he’d been pipped, said: “I get on great with this horse and he always gives 110 per cent."
On a day for veterans, long-serving jockey John Egan was shown to good effect when Davvy, trained in Wales by David Evans, outstayed favourite Calafiori in the racingtv.com EBF Restricted Maiden Stakes (Division 2).
“I’m enjoying it more than ever,” said Egan, who’s had four winners in 10 days.
Rising star Billy Loughnane came with an attractive book of rides and didn’t leave empty-handed thanks to George Boughey’s Newmarket raider, Cadarn, scoring for the second successive Redcar meeting.
“It was a very nice performance – he’s coming to himself now,” said the teenage jockey after the gelding had made all to beat John Quinn’s Tropez Power by a length in the Marske Fabrication & Engineering Straight Mile Handicap.
The step up to a mile and six proved to be the key to the success of another Newmarket raider, the Alice Haynes-trained Bellator Bullet, in the Celebrate The Life of Joe Newton Handicap.
The son of Saxon Warrior stayed on well to upset Sir Mark Prescott’s 2-5 shot Analogical, with winning jockey Rowan Scott saying: “When we turned in, he came alive and has seen out the trip really well.”
Despite a tardy start, Willolarupi, trained at Malton by Declan Carroll, came home well to under three-pound claimer Zak Wheatley in the Watch Racing TV In Stunning HD Handicap (Division 2), denying Peter Niven’s Sugar Baby a second successive Redcar win.
Wheatley said: “If anything, he got there a bit too early in the end because he can be a bit quirky.”
The finale, the racingtv.com Handicap, was an exciting finish, with Faye McManoman landing the spoils on Nigel Tinkler's I Can Boogy by a neck from Tim Easterby’s Perfidia, with the Ivan Furtado-trained We’ve Got This a nose away in third.
We’ve Got This was running in the colours of The Graham Lee Racing Club, run by The Good Racing Company, which has raised £40,000 for the jockey, who suffered life-changing injuries when he was unseated at Newcastle in November 2023.
Graham was guest of honour at Redcar – the first time he has visited a racecourse to see the club’s colours in action – and there were touching scenes in the parade ring as members and well-wishers showed their support.
Graham said: “I’m very humbled by all the support I’ve had from The Good Racing Company and all the members.”
Former dual champion jockey Paul Hanagan, a director of The Good Racing Company, said: “We’ve Got This has run a great race. She’s still green but we’re getting there, and it’s meant a lot to Graham to be here in the sunshine.”
