The Racing Hub Round-up: the week’s top stories

Your weekly round-up of top racing stories in a nutshell, plus upcoming fixtures

Racing people

Adrian Keatley, who won the 2016 Irish 1,000 Guineas with Jet Setting in his second season as a trainer, is leaving his Rossmore Stables on the Curragh, and is moving to the north of England in a bid to maintain his training career, saying: “I’m going to rebase myself and start again. When you’re working hard and it’s costing you money it’s pretty braindead stuff to keep at it.

Former jockey Colin Hawkins, who won the Scottish Grand National on Fighting Fit in 1979 and the Massey Ferguson Gold Cup in 1977 on Even Melody, died on Christmas Day, aged 64.

Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls, who have won the jump trainers champions 16 times between them, received OBEs in the New Year Honours List.

Henderson said: “Paul sent me a congratulatory message and I sent him one back saying it was great for racing, which it is. I’m pleased for him.”

Captain Guy Disney, who was the first jockey to ride in a race with a prosthetic limb and then win a race, was awarded an MBE for services to horseracing, charity and polar exploration

Hamilton Park’s long-serving chief executive Vivien Currie was awarded an MBE, as were David Muir, the RSPCA’s racing consultant, and the former general manager of Down Royal, Mike Todd

The Queen’s jump racing adviser, Sir Michael Oswald, was given the Grand Order of the (Royal) Victorian Order

Robbie Power hopes to make a return to race-riding by the end of the week having been stood down after suffering concussion last week when he was unseated by Rapid Response in a handicap hurdle

Horses

Envoi Allen, winner of last year’s Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival, is one of eight confirmed for the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle on Sunday. The Gordon Elliott six-year-old won the two-mile Grade 1 Royal Bond at Fairyhouse last month, and now tackles 2m4f in the upcoming Grade 1 contest

Sam Spinner, unbeaten in three races over fences and supported for the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, has been ruled out for the rest of the season by a pelvic injury which is thought to have been sustained in his most recent victory at Doncaster.

Kemboy’s return to action, finishing fourth in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown, satisfied trainer Willie Mullins but he lost his place at the top of the Cheltenham Gold Cup betting.

Mulling said: “This time last year, Kemboy had a run under his belt, so he surely should improve”, and, on the likelihood of his next race being the Irish Gold Cup, Mullins said “It would look the obvious target at the moment.”

Betting

On-course bookmakers, operating in the minor rings, are unhappy at increased fees they’ll have to pay to Administrators of Gambling on Tracks Ltd (AGT) after it raised its prices at premium meetings from £8 to £23 – fees for other bookmakers are unchnged

British fixtures

Fixtures subject to change. ITV/ITV4

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