Huntingdon’s final race was declared void after a withdrawn horse was ridden the wrong way round the track, while Night Of Thunder will stand for a European record fee in 2027. The entries are also in for the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, and Willie Mullins has another smart novice chaser on his hands. Here is the racing news today, rounded up for Wednesday.
Huntingdon race voided after Bellamy incident
The last race at Huntingdon on Tuesday, the PricedUp Bet Handicap Hurdle, was declared void on safety grounds. Tom Bellamy‘s mount, Alan King‘s Blues Singer, was withdrawn after refusing to line up, and the race was started without him. Unable to get the horse to go right-handed, Bellamy turned him left and headed back towards the oncoming runners via the bypass, prompting clerk of the course Kelly O’Boyle to call a stop-race flag at around halfway.
Chief steward Tony McGlone said the horse had been “galloping quite quickly against the flow of the runners”. Bellamy insisted he had made the right call, saying: “I did what I thought was the safest and best thing to do at the time. No one was in any danger and I’m not quite sure why the race was stopped.” Nobody was hurt, but the stewards have forwarded a report to the BHA for further consideration.
Mydaddypaddy among 12 Fighting Fifth entries
12 horses have been entered for the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on Saturday 28 November, and Dan Skelton accounts for four of them. Mydaddypaddy, who was taken out of the Molyneux because of the ground, heads the team, alongside The New Lion, Maestro Conti and Kateira.
Last year’s winner Golden Ace is back for another go, with Molyneux Hurdle winner Alexei also in the mix. Harry Fry’s Idaho Sun, who also holds an entry in Sunday’s Greatwood Hurdle, Jonjo and AJ O’Neill’s Wilful and Andrew Slattery’s Ebony King, the sole Irish entry, are among the others.
Storm Heart makes a winning start over fences
Willie Mullins and Paul Townend struck in the beginners’ chase at Fairyhouse on Tuesday, where Storm Heart beat favourite Ballyfad on his chasing debut. The Grade 3-winning hurdler looked to be dropping back in a competitive finish, but found a strong run on the inside and quickened clear after the last to win cosily by three-and-a-half lengths.
He was slow at a few of his fences, but the way he finished his race over two-and-a-half miles was hugely encouraging. Gordon Elliott’s Ballyfad, also owned by Gigginstown, jumped well but could not see out the trip as strongly, and Mullins’ Largy Hill was third.
Night Of Thunder’s fee soars to a European record
Darley has set Night Of Thunder’s fee for 2027 at €450,000, up from €200,000 this year. That makes him the most expensive stallion in European history to stand at a publicly advertised fee, although the figure includes Irish VAT, whereas Frankel and Dubawi both stand at £350,000 excluding VAT.
He will stand at Kildangan Stud in 2027, where he will be joined by his son Ombudsman, who has been priced at €45,000 ahead of his final start in the Japan Cup.
Racing today
There are four meetings today. Bangor, Warwick and Ayr stage jumps racing, while Dundalk takes over on the all-weather later in the afternoon.
| Course | Code | First race | Last race |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor | Jumps | 12:30 | 15:35 |
| Warwick | Jumps | 12:50 | 15:52 |
| Ayr | Jumps | 13:10 | 15:43 |
| Dundalk | All-weather | 14:30 | 17:32 |
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