A Week in British Horseracing – Read the Top Stories

by , 15 December 2023

Being a former NHS General Practitioner, Richard Newland has an unconventional background for a racehorse trainer. But, after a spell as an owner, Newland seamlessly switched careers and enjoyed significant success when landing the 2014 Grand National with Pineau De Re.

Long before hitting the headlines with victory in the world’s greatest steeplechase, form students knew Newland had shown a knack for significantly progressing horses from other stables. He often transformed his new inmates and landed an impressive sequence of victories with them.

Dr Richard Newland poses with Grand National winner Pineau De Re.

Pictured in 2014, Dr Richard Newland poses with his Grand National winner, Pineau De Re. ©GettyImages

A case in point is Beau Bay, who raced 27 times before joining Richard Newland. The French-bred had competed nine times on British shores without success before entering Newland’s Worcestershire academy.

The trainer’s innovative approach to training horses – which embraces technology but uses old techniques such as turning horses out to graze all day after morning exercise – worked the oracle with Beau Bay. The horse won seven races for his new handler, and his BHA rating rose from 102 to 142.

From Small Acorns, a Duo May Blossom

Dr Richard Newland’s training career began in 2006 with just three horses. This season, he has sent 62 individual horses to the races. Over the past five seasons, the trainer’s 1,479 jumps runners have yielded 236 winners. His yard has been a prolific source of National Hunt Flat winners, with 22 per cent of runners in that sphere being successful.

But all good things must come to an end. Or do they? On Tuesday, Dr Newland sent out his final winner – Easy To Follow in the Best Racing Odds Guaranteed At BetMGM Hurdle at Fontwell – as a trainer in his own right. Now, on the racecard, the Newland name comes alongside that of Jamie Insole and under the umbrella of a dual license.

Insole rode two winners as an amateur rider when working for Nigel Twiston-Davies. He later moved to dual-purpose trainer Alan King and most recently completed five years working for Charlie Hills, where he reached the position of assistant trainer.

One Runner, One Winner for New Collaboration

The new alliance sees Newland run a mixed yard alongside his new training partner. It reportedly now houses 30 flat horses – primarily juveniles bought during the autumn’s yearling sales – and the collaboration has taken no time to hit the scoreboard.

‘Dr Richard Newland & Jamie Insole’ was featured on a racecard for the first time on Wednesday morning, and the duo entered the winner’s enclosure later that day. Their Hill Station, available on 9/2 with race sponsor Bet UK, took up the running in a 12-furlong Lingfield handicap with more than a mile to race and never saw another rival after that. Winning by almost four lengths, his starting price was 15/8.

There is no saying what the future may hold for the pair. But, with Dr Newland’s proven ability to get the best from horses in his care, and Insole previously being involved with some great horses – such as crack sprinter Battaash and Irish Guineas winner Phoenix Of Spain – many more visits to the winner’s enclosure seem assured.

Hawke’s Winning Imposter Is the Real Deal

Another trainer who hit horse racing’s headlines is Nigel Hawke. Most will associate the Devon-based horseman as the person who steered Tiger Roll to success on his racecourse debut. Older racing fans will know he rode Grand National winner Seagram to Aintree victory in 1991.

Hawke has a relatively small string of mostly moderate horses to work with. However, this week, he proved that, given the tools to work with, he could perform a job brilliantly. In this instance, his ‘tool’ was a six-year-old gelding called ‘The Imposter’.

Last Saturday, this remarkable horse completed an outstanding six-timer when winning a Coral-sponsored Chepstow hurdle contest. The record is all the more impressive when considering it was The Imposter’s ninth race victory from ten starts – and the one occasion he did not cross the line ahead, he finished second.

The amazing sequence began in November 2022 and has seen The Imposter rise 51 pounds in the handicap. So, is his winning habit about to come to an end? Quite likely not. Talking to the Racing Post earlier in the week, Hawke said: “He might only be moderate, but you can’t knock him because he keeps winning. He’s got to get beaten at some stage, but it will take a good one to do it with the form he is in.”

Does Burke Have a 2000 Guineas Raider?

With the National Hunt season in full swing, most punters and racehorse trainers have at least one eye firmly focused on the Cheltenham Festival. And so, candidates for next season’s classics – while normally tucked up in a warm stable on a cold December evening – can understandably be easily overlooked.

Anyone who saw the action from Southwell on Monday evening will almost certainly put the name Night Raider into their notebooks. This March colt, a half-brother to a Group-3 winner, blitzed a ten-runner field, winning in a common canter by nine lengths. It was a striking debut.

Supporting the visual impression made by this £125,000 guinea purchase was the stopwatch and the family tree of other horses in the race. Second-placed Midnight’s Dream, trained by Roger Varian, is a half-brother to Group winner White Lavender. Third-placed Danielle, representing the powerful Gosden stable, is closely related to Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami and Stakes race winners Lion’s Pride, Crimson Rosette, Purple Ribbon, and Astronomos.

33/1 to Go One Better Than Libertarian

The betting firms offering odds about 2024s 2000 Guineas have given Night Raider a 33/1 quote for the flat season’s opening classic. Trainer Karl Burke’s post-race comments suggest this is a decent offer.

The North Yorkshire trainer said: “He got a slight niggle early in the summer, which meant we had to back off him, but he’s very much a horse that’s going to improve from two to three as he’s a big horse.”

“He’s been working nicely, but we’ve really drilled at home, there’s plenty of improvement in him. Visually, it was a stunning performance and the time and ratings back that up as well, but there’s still plenty in the tank for him to improve from two to three.”

Burke, whose career temporarily stalled following a 12-month ban handed down in 2009, has enjoyed a fruitful year, sending out more than 120 winners. Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes winner Poptronic has been his stable’s flagbearer.

Burke, a former jump jockey who trained the brilliant Laurens to win six Group 1s, has never won a Classic. He went closest in 2013 when Libertarian finished second in the Derby. Could Night Raider be the horse to finally give him classic success?

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