racing_news/

Role On to Wetherby for Season Opener
09/10/09

Rookie trainer Rose Dobbin is hoping to saddle her first Wetherby winner on Wednesday, October 14, as Role On is among 15 chasers entered to contest the £15,000 skybet.com Supporting Spinal Research Bobby Renton Handicap Chase (3.45pm).

The extended two and a half-mile contest is the highlight of Wetherby’s 2009/2010 season curtain-raiser. The quality seven-race programme is the 19th annual charity meeting in aid of Spinal Research

A highly-successful amateur rider, Dobbin has saddled a handful of runners from her base at South Hazelriggs in north Northumberland since the British Horseracing Authority granted her a licence to train in February of this year.

Dobbin, who is married to Grand National-winning jockey Tony Dobbin, is excited about the prospects of Role On, whom she partnered to three novice chase successes last term.

The trainer revealed today: “We’re looking forward to running Role On, so if the ground is alright, he’ll be there.

“I spoke to Graham Lee yesterday and he said that they had done a really good job on the ground at Wetherby. A little bit of rain would be ideal because we wouldn’t risk him on good to firm.

“It looks like a nice starting point for Role On. We think he is quite a classy horse and hopefully he will prove that this winter. I really hope he has the potential we think he has. He is rated 124 and I would hope that is a fair mark for him and he can win a race off that mark.”

Role On, who runs in the colours of Dobbin’s parents, Duncan and Sarah Davidson, triumphed by 11 lengths on his latest outing, at Sedgefield in April. A faller that day was the Howard Johnson-trained Striking Article, who could reoppose in the skybet.com Supporting Spinal Research Bobby Renton Handicap Chase.

Dobbin continued: “I was worried about Striking Article at Sedgefield but he jumped terribly that day, so if his jumping improves he could be a threat to us at Wetherby. But Role On is well and I am hoping he is on a fair mark. It is the ideal trip and it will be a good track for him.

“We have 25 horses in, which is the perfect number to start off with. We had a few runners in the spring and a few are due to run in the next few days at Carlisle and Hexham. We will know more after the weekend as to where we are at with them because we are on a brand new gallop and it is not the easiest to tell how fit they are.

“We are in north Northumberland, about half an hour from Kelso and three quarters of an hour from Newcastle. It is lovely here, they are very lucky horses - it is a very nice place to train.”

The skybet.com Supporting Spinal Research Bobby Renton Handicap Chase is run in memory of the late North Yorkshire trainer Bobby Renton who saddled Freebooter to win the 1950 Grand National.

Also among the entries are the Johnson-trained Frankie Figg, Safari Adventures from the Lucinda Russell yard and Snakebite, a former high-class novice, now in the care of Warren Greatrex and returning from more than two and a half years on the sidelines.

Wednesday’s card also features the competitive £9,000 totesuper7 Handicap Hurdle (3.15pm) over an extended two miles, for which there are 19 entries, including recent Hexham winner Blacktoft from the Evan Williams yard and the Richard Guest-trained European Dream.

The previous 18 charity race-days at Wetherby have raised over £300,000 for Spinal Research, the national charity that funds research into finding a cure for paralysis caused by injury to the spinal cord.

As in previous years, the charity will host a fund-raising lunch prior to the commencement of the action at 2.10pm when a field of juvenile maiden hurdlers will line up for the £4,000 Rachel Wright Memorial Hurdle over an extended two miles.

Grand National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott saddled Hoopy to win last year’s renewal of the Sign Up And Win @ wetherbyracing.co.uk Beginners’ Chase (4.55pm). The gelding, ridden by Tony McCoy, handed Marleybow a four-length beating before heading to Cheltenham for The Open in November, where he landed the amateur riders’ handicap chase.

Also on the card are the Get Discounts Online @ wetherbyracíng.co.uk Handicap Chase (2.40pm), the Ramada Wetherby & Ramada York Fairfield Manor Novices’ Hurdle (4.20pm) and the concluding Call 01937 582035 To Book Raceday Hospitality Maiden Hurdle (5.25pm).

The ground at Wetherby is currently good to firm (watering). Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course, Jonjo Sanderson, commented: “We have had a very limited amount of rainfall in the last few weeks and, as such, we have been watering the course intensively for the last two weeks.

“Looking at the five-day forecast, we are not expecting a great deal of rain between now and the start of the season and will continue to water right through to Wednesday.

“So far as the meeting is concerned, we are absolutely delighted to be able to once again stage the day in aid Spinal Research. This year sees the 19th running of the charity day. I am also very happy with the level of entries that our races have received for the day.

“We have implemented a great deal of remedial work over the course of the summer and everyone at Wetherby is looking forward to the start of what will hopefully be a great season.”

Tickets are available by calling the course on 01937 582035 or online at www.wetherbyracing.co.uk