It felt like an on-track family fun day in what was a superb day for family affairs underneath the sunny Nottinghamshire skies at Southwell today as we saw fathers, sons, brothers, and spouses all victorious in a fantastic afternoon of racing over the jumps.
The day started off how it ended, with winning relations as jockey Sam Twiston-Davies ran home for trainer and dad Nigel on Checkitout to come home in the first race ahead of Tizzard & Cobden’s favourite Faustinovick over 3m and 60 yards.
The Skelton’s, Harry and Dan, brothers, Harry a jockey and Dan a trainer, a duo often formidable at Southwell, winning the last race of the day on Aronius ahead of Captain Jack in the class five 1m 7f 182y.
Those usual winning suspects however sandwiching perhaps the best related moment of the afternoon, the 15:20 fifth race of the day won by the England’s… A popular husband and wife team as jockey Jonathon won for trainer Sam on the appropriately named Gold Runner to claim a tidy £3,796 in winning the Class 4 Handicap Hurdle after beating Linelee King into second.
Other winners of the day included the popular jockey/trainer combo of Nico de Boinville and Nicky Henderson who saw 15/8 favourite Falco Blitz come home in the class three 13:45 race short of 2m 5f ahead of Samarquand with only four of the six horses finishing.
In the third race of the day, the 14:20 Novices Hurdle, Evan Williams trained Only The Bold to win at 9/4 as jockey Adam Wedge saw off the challenge from 40/1 outsider Voyage De Retour in second.
The 14:50 class 4 Novices Hurdle over 1m 7f was won by Starvoski ridden by David Bass for KC Bailey as the 6-year-old beat Fortunes Melody with Darryl Jacob on the 8/11 favourite finishing second.
Finally in what was the penultimate race of the day, Minella Tara came home for Paddy Brennan on Fergal O’Brien’s Graham & Alison Jelley owned foal which beat of Can You Call and Sublime Heights on soft ground all around to win the class 4 with a winning prize of £3,769.
They’ll be more racing from Southwell on Wednesday.
*Main image @Southwell_Races action as Jonathan England (left) rides home Gold Runner.
