Connie’s Rose has been the star of Grace Harris’s yard this year, adding another win to her tally at Leicester on Saturday. In three months the mare has won twice and been placed six times. Harris bought her in March 2022 for 4,000 guineas, and she’s since won £60,000 in prize money for owners Paul and Ann de Weck, giving them a run for their money almost every time.
Five of Connie’s Rose’s career victories have come at Chepstow, but as she goes up in the handicap there won’t be so many races for her there and at Bath, her usual tracks. Her customary trailblazing tactics succeeded despite carrying ten stone three pounds. She wins on any going and seems equally as good over five furlongs and six. Connie’s Rose is entered at Newbury on Thursday evening.
David Probert won the most valuable race on Sunday’s Chelmsford card on the 12/1 shot Vetiver, a fillies race worth £56,000 to the winner. The Andrew Balding-trained four-year-old had won on stiff turf tracks at Beverley (twice) and Carlisle but the tight Essex all-weather circuit suited her just as well, landing a Listed race for the second time and enhancing her value as a broodmare all the more. David Evans took the last race on the card with Eagle Day, who’d been raised only three pounds for a Haydock victory a fortnight ago.
Not for the first time, the Bowens made the journey from Haverfordwest to Market Rasen worthwhile when Jerrash won a 2m5f chase there on Sunday. He’d won last time out at Bangor, on his third start for the yard, and defied an eight-pound rise to win this similar race. Sean rode for his father Peter and brother Micky. Jerrash runs in Peter’s name, so he is presumably for sale – although the asking price may have gone up after this result.
Newton Abbot proved a happy hunting ground for the Welsh on Friday. Robbie Llewellyn won the two-mile handicap hurdle with Feel The Pinch. It was the horse’s sixth win since joining the yard in March last year. Fellow Welshman Charlie Price, the winning rider, is enjoying a new lease of life as the stable jockey.
Debra Hamer scored with Hold Your Fort, his second course win in eleven days, both in 3m2f chases. The first was won by 23 lengths, but this latest run came soon enough to burden the horse with just a seven-pound penalty. He appeared to be a handicap good thing, and obliged by 15 lengths.
On the same card Jack Tudor won on the David Pipe-trained mare Only Fools. Her last three runs didn’t offer much encouragement, but the improvement was attributed to rain-softened ground, even though the official going was good. She’d trotted up on heavy earlier this year at Fontwell.
One of Chepstow’s annual highlights is Ladies Evening, which is coming up this Friday. As well as the fashions there will be an Abba tribute band adding to the fun. Tickets are still available and can be found at chepstow-racecourse.co.uk.
