Looking Back 89) Elite

                        Elite Reg

Thank you to Jon Partridge who got in touch with today’s suggestion for our Looking Back Series – Elite Reg.  Jon is a member of the David Pipe Racing Club (follow this link for more details of a great fun way to be involved in all the action at Pond House! https://www.davidpipe.com/horses-for-sale/david-pipe-racing-club) and he was a member of the Martin Pipe Racing Club which owned Elite Reg.  He was a 1989 born bay gelding by Electric and his dam was called Coppice.  While he was not one of the best horses to have been through Pond House he won 15 races and was the winning-most horse for the club.

He began his career on the flat for trainer Paul Cole.  He made his debut as a two year old in July 1991 but in three runs that year he finished nearer last than first.  He was then gelded and had seven runs as a three year old the following summer.  He did manage a third and fourth placing but was ultimately disappointing.

It was then time for a change of codes and he made his hurdling debut at Exeter in November 1992 for trainer Charlie Egerton and Jamie Osborne was the jockey on board.  He finished second and was claimed by MCP for owner Tony Lomas. 

He made a winning Pond House debut in the hands of Jonothan Lower in a selling hurdle at Aintree, scoring by seven lengths.  He went on to win his next two starts as well, a novice hurdle at Warwick and a novice handicap hurdle at Doncaster. 

In May 1993 he won a claiming hurdle at Haydock with Richard Dunwoody in the saddle and he went on to make it another three wins a row, following up at Chepstow and Worcester that month.  He then found things a bit tougher that summer both over hurdles and on the flat and was switched into the ownership of the Martin Pipe racing club in October of that year.

In 1994 he began a novice chase campaign but fell on debut at Worcester.  He got his first win over fences on his third attempt in November at Newton Abbot.  He won unchallenged by a distance with Richard Dunwoody on board.  He finished fourth on his next start but then got further wins over fences at Newton Abbot and Southwell in December.    A further seven placings followed between that win and his next win, back over hurdles at Market Rasen in July 1995.  Returned to fences again he won his next two starts as well and all three wins were in the hands of David Bridgwater. 

Another second place followed along with a rare below par effort but he was soon back to winning ways once again.  He was a winner over hurdles at Perth in September 1995 and won on his next start back over fences at Uttoxeter in November. 

He unfortunately blundered and got rid of his jockey at the first at Aintree in 1996 and got the final win of his career at Stratford that July.  He finished second after this at Uttoxeter but unfortunately picked up an injury which kept him off the track for over two years.  He did return for two final runs in 1998 but it was clear he was unfortunately not the horse he once was. 

Elite Reg was extremely versatile, tough and consistent throughout his career over jumps.  He won 15 races from 55 career starts but if you actually discount his flat runs his record his even more impressive.  He never won on the flat from thirteen starts but it makes his jumps record, 15 wins from 42 starts at a 36% strike rate.  This is a very very good stat by anyone’s standards.  He was also placed a further 18 times as well and rarely ran a bad race.  Rated 132 at best over fences he won over £52,000 in prize money.