A sleeping giant in the Welsh racing ranks could be set to waken. The Racing Post’s James Stevens on last week’s racing news from Wales.
Rebecca Curtis has undertaken a major renovation in a bid to bounce back to the glory days when her yard was among some of the country’s most powerful.
In the early 2010s the likes of O’Faolains Boy, At Fishers Cross and Teaforthree were among the stars at her Pembrokeshire operation.
Yet in more recent years she has lacked the firepower to compete in the top jumps races although she still advertised her skill in preparing a horse for the big day when Lisnagar Oscar chalked up a 50-1 shock in the 2022 Stayers’ Hurdle.
There is renewed optimism about this season though, with Curtis investing in a new gallop – using deep sand which is used with great success by a lot by Irish trainers – as well as a number of other upgrades.
And they appear to be working as, with six winners, Curtis has already had half as many winners as the whole of last season while an 18 per cent strike-rate is her best in four seasons.
Among the winners was Ben Solo at Chepstow’s season opener last month where the exciting five-year-old powered clear of better-fancied challengers from the Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls yards.
She told the Racing Post: “They’ve all been running really well. We’ve put a lot of investment into the yard and renovated the gallops, which seems to have helped. I’ve got my round track more like the Irish gallop, which is really deep like I’ve wanted it. I think it’s helped me get them really fit this year.
“My thinking was if you carry on doing the same thing you get the same results and for the last five years we’ve been doing well but I’d like to do better. This is a bit of a new venture.
“I think a lot of Ben Solo, who won well at Chepstow, and Haiti Couleurs was unlucky not to win at the same meeting. Douglas Hyde is also a nice type.”
Pritchard one to watch
Callum Pritchard is one of the newest Welsh riders around but is quickly becoming a more recognised name as he showcased his class at Newton Abbot.
He changed the fortunes of a serial second Livin On Luco with a fine ride in the 2m5f handicap chase on Wednesday. The six-year-old, trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, had to be pressed for a long way and Pritchard never tired as he persistently kept on to capitalise on Sherborne after his mistake at the last.
That gave Pritchard just the second winner under rules this season but he joins fellow Welshman Ben Jones as a rider for the ever-growing Ben Pauling operation and should flourish.
There were also winners for Jones and Connor Brace this week.
All change in jockeys championship
Sean Bowen has dropped to second in the race to become champion jockey this season with Harry Skelton stretching clear by seven after a fantastic week.
Skelton has had a whopping 17 winners in the last fortnight from 50 rides and looks the biggest danger to Bowen, who also had to settle for second last season.
Bowen reached 66 winners when winning for Jonjo and AJ O’Neill at Wetherby on Friday on favourite Genois but it proved a frustrating week with six runners-up efforts across the country.
