Nicholas Pocock is chosen to illustrate that consistency eventually brings reward, by winning the Amateur Riders' Handicap over ten furlongs of Wolverhampton polytrack today, the only race-meeting!
That's right. This desperately colt spell has decimated our National Hunt racing. We're not going to see the jumpers again before Christmas and so, will have to content ourselves with the all-weather show which has kept the show on the road, thankfully.
Unfortunately, though tracks have often been perfectly raceable, police warnings, not to make a journey unless really necessary, have caused several fixtures to be abandoned, and rightly so. A week ago, Nicholas Pocock stayed on strongly over course and distance, to finish only a head off The Winged Assasin under 7lbs apprentice Shane B Kelly, commentator suggested 'he might have got up!'
Obviously. Nicholas Pocock has to be classed unlucky and with Brian Ellison's yard in such good form, this King's Best gelding is selected to go one better.
Good, recent form counts for so much and Clerical is napped to improve on his recent second to Liberty Trail (over six furlongs!), in division two of the 'aged' handicap over seven, an extra distance that Robert Cowell's charge seems to need. Clerical ran on well nineteen days ago, this track represents a drop in class and with excellent, Italian-born Andrea Atzeni booked, got for it! This eight-race programme also includes a Claiming Stakes over an extended mile, ideal for High Kickin, trained by Southwell-based Alan McCabe, a no-nonsense chap who definitely knows the time of day and through hard work, makes a good living. Hopefully that's the case.
There again, trainers like Alan wouldn't make their fortune from prize-money. It's difficult to comprehend but the sum total of prize-money is just over 'twenty grand' for the whole meeting. Who would be an owner? Thankfully, egotism and sheer pleasure of ownership prevails but a better deal really should be sorted. Race-tracks are making fortunes, without attendances, because of the media payments. That can't be right, and isn't!
SELECTIONS
9.50: NICHOLAS POCOCK (e.w.)
11.00: TITUS GENT (e.w.)
12.05: CLERICAL (nap)
12.35: HIGH KICKIN (e.w.)