Richard Dunwoody - Winning Tips From a CHAMPION

By Richard Dunwoody

THIS winter has been an incredibly testing time for owners and trainers. There are so many horses that have been unable to get a prep run for their intended targets that we now have the onerous task of trying to work out the form while horses continue to run over the wrong distances. Somewhere, Sir Mark Prescott is smiling!

Some, like Champion Hurdle hope Starluck in midweek, have even raced on the all-weather, in his case resorting to a mile handicap on the Flat. Not that it did Alan Fleming’s charge much harm – he won easily at Kempton and is now firmly on course for the two-mile hurdling championship in 10 days’ time.

One of the feature races of the day is the Raymond Mould Supporting Greatwood Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Newbury. Yet this Grade 3 event is packed full of horses who are running over a 2m 4f trip that looks inadequate for most of them. Perhaps the biggest certainty is that smart-looking amateur rider Joshua Moore won’t be an amateur all his life. From what I’ve seen, he has impressed me enormously. He’s cut from the right cloth – his father Gary is a master trainer, and his brothers are champion jockey Ryan Moore and jump jockey Jamie Moore. That’s some pedigree, and while he has a lot to live up to, he’s starting to fulfil the promise. He deserves his rides on merit and is one of the best 7lb claimers around.

Today he rides his father’s Panjo Bere, who has recently been running over shorter trips than this. The last time he tried this trip, however, was when winning a small novices’ chase at Plumpton back in November 2008. He was a runaway winner that day, though the opposition was weak and this is a tougher task. Still, he would appear to hold each-way claims.

But the one that looks the likeliest winner is CAN’T BUY TIME (15:10pm). Trained by Jonjo O’Neill, who had three winners last weekend, the mount of AP McCoy beat Razor Royale into fourth at Cheltenham last time and that form has been well and truly franked by Nigel Twiston-Davies’s runner, who landed the Racing Post Chase in style last weekend. While this is a prep run for the Grand National, Can’t Buy Time has stamina doubts over the 4m 4f Aintree trip, but no doubt AP will ride a stalking race here and pick up the leaders late on.

Paul Nicholls runs Big Fella Thanks, who is co-second favourite in many lists for the Grand National. Owned by professional gambler Harry Findlay, the horse is named after one of his greyhounds; Big Fella won the last National Coursing Championships of the 20th Century at Clonmel in County Tipperary.  Sadly, Harry tells me the dog, who was 85 in human years, had to be put down a week ago, so it would be poignant for him if his equine star did the business today.

There is an interesting Veterans handicap chase preceding the feature and 10-year-old ELLERSLIE GEORGE (14:35pm) could be a bigger price than he perhaps should be, given that he was in fine form until he disappointed behind The Sawyer at Ascot last time. Previously he’d won the competitive Badger Ales Trophy at Wincanton and he doesn’t have as many miles on the clock as some of his opponents who include Eric’s Charm, who looks made for McCoy.

The feature at Doncaster is the Grimthorpe Chase, a proper Grand National trial, and POSSOL (15:25pm) can win for trainer Henry Daly and jockey Richard Johnson. He has only been out of the frame four times in 19 starts and is the youngest horse in the line-up at seven. He has been campaigned solely over the smaller obstacles this season but has been impressive in scoring at Ascot and Doncaster. The injury-prone but lightly raced Wogan could be the one to chase him home.

At Kempton, LOVE OF TARA (14:15pm) looks as if she will take all the beating. She is a consistent sort who chased home the useful Strawberry in a mares’ handicap hurdle there last time and the race does not look a strong one. Compensation awaits her.

Richard's selections:

15:10 Newbury Can't Buy Time 2pt win at SP

14:35 Newbury Ellerslie George 1pt ew at SP

15:25 Doncaster Possol 1pt ew at SP

14:15 Kempton Love of Tarra 2pt win at SP


About Richard Dunwoody

One of the greatest jockey’s in British racing history, Richard Dunwoody broke the previous record for the greatest number of career wins for a jump jockey of 1678 when Yorkshire Edition won at Wincanton. Richard went on to ride a career total of 1699 winners. That mark was finally beaten by Tony McCoy in August 2002. As an amateur jockey, he rode his first winner on Game Trust at Cheltenham in May 1983, and the following spring rode a four-timer at Hereford as a 7lb claimer. He was champion jockey for three seasons and is one of only four post war jockeys to have captured the illusive triple crown of the Gold Cup (Charter Party 1986), the Champion Hurdle (Kribensis 1990) and the Grand National (West Tip 1986 and Minnehoma 1994). Richard also rode more than 100 winners in ten consecutive seasons.  His best season saw him ride 197 winners in 1993/94. Yet, to most, he is most well known for his partnership with the iconic Desert Orchid. The pair won seven races, including the King George V1 Chase in 1989 and 1990.

Richard has undertaken various expeditions since hanging up his boots, including a 350-mile cross-country ski race to the Magnetic North Pole and in January this year completed an amazing 673 mile trek to the South Pole, something he considers his greatest ever achievement.

He joined the BBC racing team at Aintree this year, writes a column for the Daily Mirror pull-out section on Saturdays and is a consultant to the British Racing School at Newmarket, where he coaches young and up-and-coming jockeys.

Richard Dunwoody also runs his own highly successful racing service. Recent winners include Wayward Prince 4/5, Ginger Grey 9/4, Grey Command 11/10, Dvinsky 11/8, Clear Sailing 11/10, 'Shadows Lengthen 11/4, Gargano 11/8, Milans Man 11/10, Qozak 2/1, Oiseau De Nuit 2/1, Clear Sailing Evs, Wunder Strike 2/1, Ere Alfie 100/30, Doctor Pat 9/4 & What A Friend 11/2.