Alan Johns (photographed) took the riding honours at Newbury with a power-packed finishing effort on Kalium. A mistake at the penultimate flight when challenging the leaders briefly threatened to eject Johns, but he regained his equilibrium and was the centre of a trio that jumped the last level. On the long run-in of over 300 yards Kalium took a slight lead, only to be passed with about half a furlong to go. He then fought back gamely to regain the advantage in the final three or four strides.
The five-year-old, who cost his owners a six-figure sum before joining the Tim Vaughan yard last autumn, had won twice since then but this was his toughest task yet. He was trying 2m3f for the first time in a competitive handicap hurdle. Afterwards Johns told ITV viewers that the horse had no zest when finishing fifth last time out, whereas on this occasion he soon realised he was on a very different proposition. On this showing he could be a serious contender for a decent Saturday handicap in the next month or so.
Sean Bowen extended his lead in the jockeys’ championship by winning Bangor’s £25,000 hurdle on Saturday on The Four Sixes. Though he had off-putting form figures of PUP going into the race, his supporters had little to worry about. He led throughout and didn’t need a great deal of stoking up to score by seven lengths.
Rebecca Curtis’s good run continued when Andy Amo landed the three-mile hurdle later on the card. He made all and won easily in spite of several sloppy jumps. The bare form may not be strong, but if he can improve his hurdling a step up in grade will be achievable.
Ben Jones picked up another Saturday winner on the Emma Lavelle-trained King’s Threshold, who completed a hat-trick when he took the three-mile chase that concluded Newbury’s final jumps card of the season. Those three wins have all come since a tongue-tie started being used. The ease of his victory suggests he might still be ahead of the handicapper.
A Welsh jockey rode a Group 1 winner on the flat in Australia on Saturday. Ashley Morgan, who was born near Cardiff, won the Kia Ora Galaxy Handicap at Rosehill on Private Harry. It was worth £287,000 to the winner. Morgan won 70 races on the flat in the UK from 2007-15, principally for Mark Tompkins and Chris Wall.
He found it difficult to control his weight and eventually retired from the saddle and went to work in an office. But the old desire to ride flared up again, he lost weight, and heard about a job riding work for Californian trainers. He seized that opportunity, and started applying for jobs in Australia, where there are nearly 400 racecourses, and rode 45 winners in his first season. Since then Morgan’s career Down Under has gone from strength to strength.
Our next fixture at Chepstow is the Grand National Party race day on Saturday 5th April. The first race is off at 12.40pm and there’s a DJ set from Mathew Horne from Gavin and Stacey after racing
