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APRIL 2014
The Crabbie’s Grand National takes centre-stage this month, and a year on since Auroras Encore became the first Yorkshire-trained winner of the world’s most famous race over Jumps for 53 years, his trainer, Sue Smith – based at High Eldwick near Bingley – could be gunning for more Aintree glory with both Mr. Moonshine and Vintage Star, now that Auroras Encore has been retired after being injured at Doncaster in January.
The big race takes place on Saturday, 5th and for the first time, there’s total prize money of £1 million up for grabs in this marathon over almost four and a half miles with 30 unique spruce fences to be negotiated.
It looks as if last year’s winning rider, Ryan Mania will be on board Mr. Moonshine, a convincing winner at Warwick in February and who runs in the same ownership as last season’s 66/1 winner Auroras Encore. Vintage Star runs in the colours of Trevor Hemmings, the owner of two previous Grand National winners – Hedgehunter (2005) and Ballabriggs (2011). Cape Tribulation, the 2012 Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase winner at Wetherby for Malton trainer, Malcolm Jefferson, could also take part in the ‘National’, while another recent Wetherby winner, Rose Of The Moon could represent David O’Meara, who is based at Nawton near Helmsley. More renowned for training big race winners on the Flat, O’Meara sent out Mont Ras to win at Meydan racecourse in Dubai in February. Tidal Bay is set to carry top-weight in the Grand National and although now trained in Somerset by Paul Nicholls, the 13-year-old is well known in Yorkshire racing circles, having won the last two renewals of the Grade 2 West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby.
This month sees several of the county’s tracks begin their respective campaigns on the Flat for 2014, with Redcar kicking-off their seasonon Monday, 7th. The seaside course is in action a fortnight later with the traditional Easter Monday meeting (21st), which has a range of family attractions. There’s a trio of fixtures at Pontefract – Tuesday, 8th, Monday, 14th (featuring the Pontefract Marathon Handicap Stakes – Britain’s longest handicap race on the Flat) and Wednesday, 30th (Northern Racing College Day).
Catterick now focusses on the Flat, with meetings at the North Yorkshire track on a couple of Wednesdays (9th and 23rd); the sole meeting at Thirsk is on Saturday, 12th, while racing on the Westwood at Beverley in East Yorkshire is primed for Monday, 16th and Thursday, 24th.
Yorkshire’s ‘Garden Racecourse’ Ripon opens its doors on Thursday, 17th, followed by a Saturday afternoon card on the 26th.
Doncaster hosts a ‘double-header’ on Friday afternoon and Saturday evening (25th & 26th) – the second leg being the first of 26 evening meetings this summer in Yorkshire.
The variety of racing in the county is emphasised with action over Jumps at Wetherby’s annual ‘Family Day Sunday’ on the 13th, featuring the ninth running of ‘The Mascot Gold Cup’, described as the largest mascot race in the world; an event organised by Yorkshire Young Farmers in aid of various charities, in particular Sue Ryder Care and supported by the White Rose York branch of Foresters.
The mascots will limber up in the parade ring prior to racing and then race over the final furlong of the track in front of the grandstands after the opening race. There are about half a dozen ‘fences’ to be negotiated and it can be complete chaos! Over 80 mascots took part in last year’s race, representing many football clubs, sporting organisations and businesses. There’s a variety of attractions for youngsters, especially in the Course Enclosure, including performances by the National Festival Circus.
There’s a further meeting over Jumps at Wetherby on Tuesday, 22nd.
The annual Middleham Stables Open Day takes place on Good Friday (18th), when many stables in the historic North Yorkshire town are open to the public. It’s a great opportunity to take the family to see the equine stars of the Yorkshire racing scene, while you can also mingle with trainers and jockeys.