3 minute read
Six of the seven teams achieved a winner at the second fixture of the Racing League at Chepstow on Thursday evening.
Despite a delayed start to proceedings due to a fire in the weighing room, Wales & The West were able to extend their lead with a gap of 77 points to the second-placed Irish. Wales & The West achieved a double with jockey Saffie Osborne providing both victories aboard Chinese Knot and Executive Decision.
"It has been another pleasing night. We have a very good group of trainers with a nice spread of horses. They are not the biggest trainers in the world but, in some ways, I think that is a help. Some of the bigger trainers have other fish to fry, whereas this level of prize money is very important to our owners," said Team Captain Jamie Osborne.
"We are well positioned at the moment, although we are only a third of the way through the competition. We are not home and hosed yet, but I think it will take a good one to beat Saffie! She is in the fortunate position whereby she is unlikely to have any other commitments that will take her elsewhere. Each jockey is allowed 24 rides across the competition, so she averages four rides a meeting and we are quite careful about what she rides.
"Saffie is starting to look a more complete rider. What you see in the finish is what you see, but what I see watching all her rides is that she reads the race very well now. She is inevitably in the right place and she knows where the winning line is. That is what makes a difference."
The Irish ended the first fixture at Great Yarmouth in sixth position, but a victory with Ado Mcguinness' Star Harbour in the ten-furlong handicap and multiple placings across the card leap-frogged the team into second-place in the league standings.
Team Captain Kevin Blake said: "I am particularly happy to see an Irish trainer come over and win, because it is a big effort in terms of expense and you want to see that rewarded. Star Harbour has run very well in some big handicaps, including when placed in an Irish Cambridgeshire. These races are far from soft touches, but he is a classy horse when things go right."
The next Racing League fixture will be held at Windsor on 17 August.
Current Standings
Wales & The West 319pts
Ireland 242pts
London & The South 231pts
The North 217pts
The East 187pts
Yorkshire 147pts
Scotland 58pts