- Monday, 20 July 2015 15:07
- Written by David Pipe
Despite there being very little in the way of National Hunt racing, there has been no shortage of newsworthy events over the past seven days, not least the surprise decision by champion flat jockey Richard Hughes to bring forward his impending retirement to after the meeting at Glorious Goodwood next week. As a fan of our great sport it is a shame that we lose the champion jockeys’ from both codes (flat and jumps) within a few months of each other.
Richard has been a great champion on the flat and has been a pleasure to watch in the saddle. He rode a Chester Cup winner for me aboard Mamlook (pictured left), while he was also twice placed in the Cesarewitch on the same horse. I would like to wish him well and I am sure he will make a great success of his new career as a trainer. By the way, did you know that Richard Hughes finished placed at the Cheltenham Festival on a horse trained by my father? If you don’t know who it was, the answer is at the bottom of this article.
There was good news from the Racecourse Association last week as they announced a near 10% increase in the number of racegoers through the turnstiles during the first six months of 2015. That is a great result and they should be commended for their efforts in marketing the sport. Equally though, they need to carry on the good work as I am sure the ‘A P McCoy farewell tour’ had a huge impact on the numbers of people attending race meetings this year – let’s keep the momentum going now and get more people back onto the racecourses.
I was privileged to attend a fund-raising event in aid of injured point-to-point rider Ed Barrett at the track at Trebudannon near Newquay yesterday (pictured right). There was a fantastic sit down dinner as well as a fund raising auction, not to mention an off-course bookmaker with live feed from Newton Abbot where you could indulge in a little flutter. It was a great occasion and the organisers should be congratulated, while they also managed to raise a lot of money for Ed which leads me to…
Who would like to play a round of golf with myself and riding legend A P McCoy at Oake Manor Golf course near Taunton? The champ has kindly agreed to give of his time to help raise funds for Ed Barrett and a round of golf for two people is available to join us at a mutually convenient date. As it is a fundraising effort I would like to invite sealed bids via e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or get in touch with my office on 01884 840715 by close of business next Monday (27th July). This is an extremely rare opportunity, so no timewasters please and please, please give generously – all proceeds to Ed Barrett.
Back to the racing front and looking ahead it is yet another sparse week for fans of the jumps. The stable has no runners at Cartmel this afternoon, while the remaining fixtures this week are at Worcester on Thursday and Uttoxeter (Friday and Sunday). We have a couple of entries (Lady Of Longstone and Flabello) at Worcester, although they are also engaged later in the week along with the likes of recent Worcester winner Kalifourchon while useful hurdlers Border Breaker and Weather Babe are engaged in the beginners’ chase. My Brother Sylvest and Houston Dynimo have entries in the valuable handicap 2m4f handicap chase at Uttoxeter on Sunday. For up to date details of the runners from Pond House, don’t forget to keep in touch with Chester’s Daily Chat or follow us on Twitter @DavidPipeRacing.
With the horses trickling back in from their Summer holidays it is starting to get increasingly busy around the stable and as such we are now recruiting staff. If you have ever wanted to join the team here at Pond House there are opportunities for Stable Staff/Work Riders and a Barn Leader/Assistant. For further information take a look at our recruitment page.
Finally, the answer to my little brain-teaser…Richard Hughes finished third behind Istabraq in the 1997 Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle aboard the late David Johnson’s Daraydan.
