IT was another good week for Sam Ewing, who rode two of Gordon Elliott’s four winners at Navan last Saturday, one for the Co Meath trainer on Monday at Ayr and another for his boss at the Scottish track on Tuesday.
One of the Navan winners was Jacobs Ladder, who landed the two and a half-mile maiden hurdle at odds of 6/1, beating the 6/5 favourite, Forty Coats, by half a length on his second start over hurdles. Successful in a Down Royal bumper on November 1st, the Mount Nelson bay landed an Oldtown maiden in February last year on his only point-to-point start. He was then trained by Peter Buchanan for his uncle Ian and was ridden by Noel McParlan.
Brian Hughes rode a winner at Market Rasen on Friday and another at Catterick on Wednesday, while there were single successes for David Maxwell, on his own In d’Or at Ascot on Saturday, and Danny McMenamin.
The latter notched up win 42 for the season, when landing the bumper at Ayr on Tuesday on the Nicky Richards-trained newcomer They’re Chancers, a five-year-old Milan gelding, who was purchased for owners Paul and Clare Rooney at the 2023 Derby Sale by Kevin Ross Bloodstock.
Popular Corinthian Maxwell, who was riding his first winner since losing his claim, gave his usual entertaining post-race interview.
We, and Luke Harvey, learned that, rather than have him kiss her as he had done following his claim-losing victory on the same horse at Taunton, winning trainer Venetia Williams avoided any such shenanigans by going to Haydock!
Futter farewell for ‘phenomenal man’
TWO days after the racing fraternity joined together in Dundonald to bid adieu to journalist Ron McKnight, they gathered again on Wednesday in Bangor for the funeral of legendary punter Mike Futter.
As an owner, Mike became known worldwide when, as a member of the Dee Syndicate, the Jimmy Mangan-trained Monty’s Pass landed the 2003 Aintree Grand National while, trained and bred in Co Meath by Tucker Geraghty, What Odds carried Mike’s colours to victory in point-to-points and hunter chases.
Among the local trainers who saddled winners for Futter was James Lambe, who regarded the colourful owner as “A phenomenal man, who loved winning, but was a graceful loser and he always acknowledged the stable staff. When things went to plan, everyone was looked after, and we had some great times together.
“He was a great supporter of the point-to-points in Northern Ireland, with Brian Hamilton and Paddy Graffin riding his horses, and we had winners such as Poor Tactic’s and False Tail, who Davy Russell won an open on one Saturday at Loughbrickland and the following Monday, he started working for Ferdy Murphy.
“We had winners in Britain as well and Francies Fancy still holds the record for the fastest two-mile handicap hurdle at Hexham. Mike Dillon was with us on that occasion and it was a great day. Mike was a great character and we had some colourful times together.”
IT was a good week for horses both trained and previously trained by Stuart Crawford.
At the Molson Coors meeting in Down Royal on Tuesday, Crawford saddled two runners viz Step Out, who finished third in the extended two-mile novice chase under Danny Mullins, and Now Where Or When, who landed the concluding three-mile Madri Excepcional Handicap Chase in the hands of Darragh O’Keeffe.
The successful Where Or When gelding, who was returned at odds of 12/1 and scored by half a length, ran in the colours of Margaret McCrudden, who bred the 10-year-old chesnut out of Now Its My Turn. That daughter of Goldmark is the dam of two other winners, Heliers Bay and Nowinittowinit, who are both mares by Flemensfirth.
Crawford attended Down Royal himself but, also on Tuesday, he was represented by four runners at Ayr, where he struck in the opening racingtv.com/freetrial Maiden Hurdle over an extended three miles with the J.J. Slevin-ridden 5/6 favourite Ayiko.
Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the six-year-old British-bred Champs Elysees gelding, who was having his fifth start over hurdles, won his bumper at the same track under the now retired Daryl Jacob back in December 2023.
Newlands graduates
Graduates of Newlands Farm to strike recently were the 10-year-old Shirocco gelding The Flier Begley, who landed the Unibet Middle Distance Veterans’ Handicap Chase at Market Rasen last Friday, and the 11-year-old Yeats gelding Largy Mountain who, the following afternoon, won the opening Level 3 conditions race at the South Wold Hunt point-to-point at Revesby Park, where he was one of three Irish-bred winners on the six-race card.
The former Warren Ewing-trained Mersey Street justified 2/1 favouritism, when landing the opening near three-mile Sky Bet, For The Fans Handicap Hurdle at Fakenham on Sunday.
The seven-year-old Califet gelding, who finished second on his only run for Ewing at Tyrella in March 2022, was winning his first race on his 13th racecourse start. He is trained at Jackdaws Castle by Jonjo and A.J. O’Neill.
WE know he has been receiving many messages on social media from friends here and abroad and we too would like to send our best wishes to former pony racing rider Conan Faulkner who, at time of writing, was awaiting surgery in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.
Conan works for my neighbour Ado McGuinness, but was heading off to France, where he worked previously, to go on a skiing holiday, when he suddenly took ill.
I know he is missed around the yard and the town of Rush in North Co Dublin, especially in the local SuperValu, which he visits most days!