Richard Dunwoody - Winning Tips From a CHAMPION

By Richard Dunwoody

IT has been a fantastic season for the nearly all-conquering Richard Hannon and the Everleigh maestro, who has won the last two renewals of the Chesham Stakes, can make it a famous treble with KING TORUS (Ascot, 14:30) at the Royal meeting on Saturday. 

The Oratorio colt has been laid out for this ever since routing the field on his debut at Leicester back in May.  The yard had been mopping up juvenile races and King Torus was number 21 on the scoreboard.  Bred to be very fast, he is a brother to Borghese Gallery who is a triple sprint

Looking for a Chesham Stakes treble Richard Hannon

winner in Italy, and also out of a speedy mare.  He certainly demonstrated his ability in some style first time out, running a little green early but picking up in taking manner a furlong out to rocket clear under a confident Richard Hughes ride.

There are dangers aplenty as you might expect, particularly with Aidan O'Brien double-handed but King Torus ticks all the right boxes and can lead them all home.

Sir Michael Stoute has won the Hardwicke Stakes twice in the last four years and HARBINGER (Ascot, 15:05) looks a likely candidate for further glory.  Posted on this column two months ago, the four-year-old put Manifest in his place with a smart performance in the John Porter Stakes at Newbury.  Since then he has followed up at Chester in the Ormonde and today's race has been his target for some time.  Assuming all goes well, he has the option of heading to the July meeting at Newmarket and then Group One glory awaits back at Ascot later that month.

With Simon Dow's team in such excellent shape at the moment (Seasonal Cross W10.0 and posted here last Saturday), it's hard to get away from RECALCITRANT (Lingfield, 20:20) in the finale at Lingfield on Saturday night.  Whilst his all-weather record has been far from spectacular so far, he improved at a rate of knots last season and is worth another try on a surface that should be perfect for him.

Richard's selections:

14:30 Ascot 1 point e/w 1/5 1,2,3  King Torus at SP

15:05 Ascot 1 point win Harbinger at SP

20:20 Lingfield 0.5pt e/w 1/4 1,2,3 Recalcitrant 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 Milhu 9/4, Strike A Deal 15/8, Pro Pell 11/2, Day Of The Eagle 10/3, Boogie Waltzer 10/3, Mostly Bob 3/1, Aviate 11/4, Shalamiyr 2/1, Kajima 15/8, Feathered Crown 15/8, Penang Cinta 15/8