Inside track: Cash attracts top trainers

Aug 19 2008 by James Armstrong, The Journal

EARLIER this month I returned from a two-day trip to the Galway Festival on the south west coast of Ireland. This festival runs for a week, with mixed meetings – both flat and jumping.

There are afternoon races and some evening fixtures, probably to give race- goers and late night revellers a chance to recover from the over-indulgence in the ‘black stuff’. This was a second visit and I was far from ‘trained up’ for the experience and late revelry.

But there was a serious side to the visit. Jim Allen, head of Northern Racing’s racing development, and I met with Iain Turner, the PR and sponsorship manager for one of Gosforth Park’s biggest sponsors, WBX.COM.

WBX.COM has helped us build up the profile of our jumping highlight, November’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle. Through Iain and ourselves the concept of the £1m bonus for any horse that can win the Fighting Fifth, Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and then the Champion Hurdle came into being. The plan was to talk to as many Irish trainers with horses that may run in the Champion Hurdle as possible and inform them of the big bonus.

The £1m will be divided into the following: £700,000 to the winning owner, £150,000 to the trainer, £100,000 to stable lad or lass responsible for the horse and £50,000 to be shared between the winning stable.

Last year paid off, as we managed to tempt over three top Irish horses, in the form of Harchibald, who won the race for the second time, Al Eile, who returned after a gallant third in the Plate and Clopf who has proven now to be more effective as a novice chaser.

Harchibald and Al Eile were split by the eventual champion hurdle winner Katchit. One would have to say that the Fighting Fifth is very much a race that is starting to really reach the standard that a Grade 1 hurdle race should do.

This year we will be targeting many of the Irish big-name trainers and owners and hoping we are yet again well supported by them. Our recovery from the two days is still ongoing. How does anyone last an entire week at Galway?

James Armstrong is clerk of the course at Newcastle Racecourse.