WINCANTON Racecourse's first race meeting of the new season got off to a flying start with managing director Steven Clarke confirming prize money had been increased to £1.2million for the new season to the gathered media who were treated to a parade of champion trainer Paul Nicholls' horses before racing.
Despite the gloom in the financial markets, Wincanton is bucking the trend, pledging further investment into prize money to ensure racing at the Somerset track remains of the highest calibre. Clarke, who was appointed MD at Wincanton in January 2006, said: "We are very lucky to have some of the country's top trainers right on our doorstep, including Paul Nicholls, David Pipe and Philip Hobbs which ensures we get really competitive and quality racing here. We are delighted to support owners and trainers with an increase in the prize money offered."
Nicholls, who trains just 11 miles from the racecourse, said: "We've been involved with this press day for many years and it's great to work closely with and support Wincanton whose start of the season very much ties in with ours. The terrific prize money is an added incentive and we are looking forward to running some nice horses there and to a season which, I hope, will be as successful as the last one."
Among the horses on show was Denman and Nicholls said the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner is on course to start his campaign after Christmas.
He also revealed he has a powerful team of novice chasers including Kicks For Free, The Tother One and Nakai and the trainer predicted the sensational Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Master Minded could be better than ever this season.
Wincanton, winner of the Race goers Club best small course in the South West Award in 2007 and was also the first course to be awarded the Gold Standard Award by the Racehorse Owners Association, is the premier jump racing track in the south-west region with four of its 17 meetings televised on a Saturday. Its races include February's Kingwell Hurdle, won last year by Katchit who went on to victory in the Champion Hurdle at the Champion Festival. Other big race days include Badger Ales Chase Day and Connaught Cup Day while Ladies' Day , Countryside Day and Children's Day also draw in the crowds.
Wincanton will again run its trainers' championship, won last year by Philip Hobbs, and it has combined forces with Exeter Racecourse, for whom Clarke became MD in 2007, to offer a new Racehorse of the Year award, sponsored by Plymouth-based Coad Wine Cellars. Members are also offered a £3 discount if they visit Exeter.
Clarke said: "We are really looking forward to the next few months. Last season was memorable for many reasons; not least the Denman and Kauto Star duel. It really put National Hunt racing on the map and it's an exciting time for jump racing."
Last week I was lucky enough to visit Paul Nicholls' stables at Ditcheat on the media day which was held to coincide with the opening day of Wincanton racecourse's new season.
It was great to see some of the top horses in the flesh including Denman and Kauto Star. Denman is back to health following a spell when he has not been well at all. Paul reported that the horse had been losing weight and getting stressed by the smallest amount of effort. It turned out he had an irregular heart beat but, following an op and medication, he is back on the yard and looks great, if not the big bruiser of a horse he looked when winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He has a long way to go yet and will not run until after Christmas, Paul said that he had taken a longer than expected to recover from the drugs given after the op.
Kauto Star is now being looked after Nick Child who, when he is not at work, is a burgeoning point to point commentator in the Wessex area - any point to points who need a commentator can get hold of Nick, who will be pleased to help out.
Both the horses, along with Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Master Minded, are in the 'show' boxes in the entrance to the yard where they can see all the visitors. Of course it couldn't run totally smoothly - I was supposed to be videoing the horses on my work camera to upload to the website but the batteries ran out and the replacements that I had dutifully taken, were also duff! I ended up videoing using my phone and the pics will end up on the web if only I can work out how to get the video off! It was great to see Neptune Collonges who has run some brilliant races under former point to point jockey Liam Heard.
Paul was a great host and we were able to look around all the stables which are in lots of small groups with a horse walker sort of in the middle and a weighing machine. We were handed copies of the glossy booklet which Paul has printed for his open day and it was amazing to see page after page describing really classy horses. Some of his owners had around 16 horses in training and Paul readily admitted that they didn't seem to have been hit by the credit crunch!
Ruby Walsh was just leaving the yard as we arrived and they had schooled 22 horses over fences that morning - now that I would have liked to see.
Then it was back to Wincanton where we were treated to lunch followed by racing. I hardly ever bet but put a couple of pounds on David Dennis on a horse called Brave Jo. It fell at the first so I texted David's brother Tim to tell him of my mispent wager. ' it runs in the family' was his reply!! Tim is about to become a calendar pin-up - Mr November on the Injured Jockeys Fund 2008 edition.
Wincanton is offering around £1.2m in prize money during 2008-9 and stages some top class races, so is well worth a visit this season.