Friday 12th January, 2024
We have three runners tomorrow with Totterdown, Lesser and Urban Champion. Totterdown runs at Warwick in the two mile handicap hurdle at 12.40pm with Finn Lambert onboard claiming five pounds. It’s a competitive event but he appears in good form and let us hope he gives The Adlestrop Club a competitive run.
Lesser is declared in the 2.50pm at Wetherby with Adam Wedge onboard. He has been off the track for sometime but is unbeaten having won a point-to-point, a bumper and two novice hurdles. He is a course and distance winner and although he will get further in time, it looks a good starting point for him. He has plenty of ability and hopefully he will show that he retains tomorrow.
Urban Champion runs in the mile and a half handicap at Wolverhampton run at 8.30pm. It is a step up in trip for him and if he settles, he has shown enough ability in the past to be competitive.
Iron Horse has been retired from racing following his run at Docnaster on Wednesday. He hasn’t jumped with the same fluency since his fall at Chepstow when looking the likely winner in the spring.
He has been a grand servant and we have made the decision that now is the time for him to have happy retirement. It was wonderful that his owner/breeders Eustace and Carol Theodore, Karen Anderson and Amanda Langdale were all present for his final run.
They had bought Iron Horse’s mother, What A Vintage, some nineteen years ago and have been on a great journcey since with What A Vintage winning a bumper and over hurdles and Master Vintage, Iron Horse’s brother, giving us all so much excitment over the years.
It was also a special day as conditional jockey Harry Atkins rode Iron Horse and his mum Vicki led him up (pictured). Harry worked weekends for us when he was a lot younger and used to ride out in his school holidays. He has always been a natural rider and looks to have an excellent career ahead of him.