Billy Loughnane has set his sights on two of British racing’s most famous records, while Kieren Fox has been handed a ten-day ban after a ride at Wolverhampton. There is also a pair of Grade 3 chases at Punchestown and a Listed novices’ chase at Ffos Las to look forward to this afternoon.
Here is the racing news today, rounded up ahead of Wednesday’s action.
Loughnane takes aim at McCoy and Richards
Billy Loughnane will be crowned champion jockey at Ascot on Saturday, but he is not ready to put his feet up just yet. The 20-year-old is poised to pass his personal best of 223 winners in a calendar year, and he said on Tuesday that he will be chasing Sir Gordon Richards’ 1947 Flat record of 269 winners, as well as Sir Anthony McCoy’s all-time British record of 289.
“It’s in my sights,” Loughnane said at a Great British Racing media call. “I’m just going to do the rest of this month and November, and then assess in December whether I feel it’s possible. I’m not blinkers on, full-blasting at the moment, but I’m going to keep riding every day and assess the situation.” He was less optimistic about matching Richards’ 26 championships. “I don’t think I’ll be riding in 26 years to be honest,” he joked.
The youngest champion jockey for more than a century also reflected on the horse that made his season. “Winning the Guineas was the best buzz I’ve had on the racecourse,” he said of Bow Echo. For the full story of his title-winning campaign, read our breakdown of Billy Loughnane’s season in numbers.
Kieren Fox handed ten-day ban
Kieren Fox has been suspended for ten days after the Wolverhampton stewards ruled that his mount in Tuesday evening’s 7f novice was not run on its merits. The 37-year-old rode Charlie Pike’s Missmisfortune, a 40/1 outsider who stayed on into fourth, a length and a half behind the winner Soft Landing.
Fox told the inquiry that the filly took a keen hold and ended up further back than intended, and that he believed he was “at his strongest” in the final furlong. Pike’s representative was also satisfied with the ride. However, the stewards found that he failed to put the filly in a position to challenge and then appeared to ride “without sufficient vigour for periods in the home straight”. Fox, who returned to the saddle in February after six years away, will miss 27 to 31 October and 2 to 6 November.
Grade 3 double-header at Punchestown
Punchestown stages two Grade 3 chases this afternoon, both with small but select fields. Five go to post for the novice chase at 3.55, where Willie Mullins’ Bunting bids to follow up an easy chasing debut success at Ballinrobe in August. Emmet Mullins’ Vitorio Piel, runner-up in a Listed novice handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse in April, makes his debut over fences, while Gordon Elliott runs Chanceawetmorning and Miss Fourie.
Only four line up for the Grade 3 chase at 4.30, headed by Henry de Bromhead’s Gorgeous Tom. The eight-year-old ran a fine race at 25/1 to finish third in the Galway Plate in July. Elliott’s Croke Park returns for the first time since finishing down the field in the Topham at Aintree in April.
Listed and Class 2 action at Ffos Las
The all-chase card at Ffos Las is headlined by a four-runner Listed novices’ chase at 3.30. Mickey Bowen’s Tamarind Bay has already won three times over fences since June, including a Class 2 handicap at Bangor, and his experience could prove decisive against the Dan Skelton-trained Captain Teague, Emma Lavelle’s George’s Lad and Paul Nicholls’ Tutti Quanti.
There are two Class 2 handicap chases later on the card. Bowen’s King Roly won at Worcester only last week and takes on Nicholls’ Viroflay in the Native River Handicap Chase at 4.05. The Faucets Handicap Chase at 4.38 sees 2023 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase winner and King George runner-up Il Est Francais make his debut for Dan Skelton under top weight, while Henrietta Knight’s Southoftheborder returns from a summer break after winning at Aintree in May.
Racing today
Nottingham — first race: 13:19 · last race: 17:22
Wetherby — first race: 13:25 · last race: 16:52
Punchestown — first race: 13:35 · last race: 17:40
Ffos Las — first race: 13:45 · last race: 17:13
Kempton — first race: 16:25 · last race: 20:30
[View today’s racecards] · [Latest non-runners] · [Today’s results]