Lightning Strikes at Newcastle!
Wed 13 Jan 2021
OUR 3rd WINNER OF 2021: VENTURA LIGHTNING, trained by Richard Fahey and ridden by Tony Hamilton: 'The Betway Handicap', over 6f at Newcastle.
Wearing a first time tongue tie and drawn in 1, it was a dramatic start as one horse reared and unseated its rider coming out of the stalls. Luckily both horse and rider were not injured and the horse galloped on with the pack. Tony held on to Ventura Lightning at the rear, giving him the nudge 2f out. A quick change of legs and moving up the gears, he made headway coming into the final furlong, running on strongly to get up in the final strides.
A fine sight watching the handsome grey fly home! Watch the full race replay here: https://www.attheraces.com/racecard/Newcastle/12-January-2021/1630
View the official photo gallery here: https://www.grossick.co.uk/p/80532khg/C384470204/x3-ventura-lightning
Syndicate manager Tom Palin says: "Congratulations to his owners on his fine victory yesterday. The way he settled at the rear of the field and Tony keeping hold of him as long as he dared, you were quietly confident he would get there from the way Newcastle races are run. His form at the track gave an indication that he was more than up to being competitive in the race and he did indeed come with a fantastic winning charge. The tongue-tie was clearly an addition that helped him too. Timeform have rated the win as a joint career best 100, so I am delighted for his syndicate. Well done everyone and thank you to Richard Fahey and to Tony for a great ride."
It has been a storming start to 2021 for our horses with 3 winners and 6 2nd places. We are at a 56% top two strike rate across both codes - even ahead of last year at this stage, so it's super to have plenty of excitement for our owners, as we watch the races from home.