The star of the Racing League meeting at Chepstow on Thursday was Saffie Osborne, who rode a treble, outdoing Oisin Murphy, who partnered two winners. Osborne’s exploits put her team, Wales and the West, in clear second place in the Racing League table, just behind East. Her 64 winners this season makes her long odds-on to pass last year’s personal best of 70.
For some the highlight will have been the invasion of the sheep near the half-mile marker before the first race. Sheep used to be a regular sight on racecourses, grazing and keeping the grass down, but that was between, not during race meetings. The stewards interviewed the relevant officials and forwarded a report to the British Horseracing Authority.
The Chepstow stewards were busy that evening. They also gave permission for ten horses to wear a red hood to the start, three to be mounted in the chute and two to be taken down early. The representatives of two trainers whose horses won, showing improved form, were asked for explanations. Another trainer whose joint favourite ran poorly was quizzed. After the final race an enquiry was held to consider possible interference by the second to the third and a horse that fell. The stewards decided that the interference between them was negligible and let the result stand, but handed the jockey of the runner-up a ten-day suspension for careless riding, which caused the other horse to fall.
David Evans’ two-year-old Harmonia travelled up to Thirsk on Friday and won for the second time in a row. She has shown greatly improved form since stepping up to seven furlongs and competing in Yorkshire. A second at Beverley was followed by a three-length win at Catterick over a filly called Shielas Well, for which she was raised eight pounds. Her latest success, running off joint top weight, was by two lengths; Shielas Well was second again. A wide draw was no disadvantage for Harmonia, who was still a little green according to her jockey. A hat-trick must be on the cards.
On Sunday at Leicester David Probert rode Evans’ faithful servant Lihou to victory in the six-furlong handicap. It was the horse’s twelfth win. He was in second place for most of the race and in the final furlong was gradually overhauling the long-time leader while the rest of the pack were closing in on them fast. Lihou hit the front in the very last stride. He is named after a very small island just off the coast of Guernsey. His stablemate Ultramarine ran his best race for a long time to finish third at 28/1, beaten a head and a neck.
Chepstow’s next meeting is on Thursday afternoon.
