Tag Archive for: Old Gold Racing

The Hawkstonian out to hit top gear for Clarkson

The Hawkstonian will make his long-awaited debut in the Quinnbet Open National Hunt Flat Race at Uttoxeter on Friday.

The son of Jukebox Jury is in training with Ben Pauling after he was bought at the 2023 Goffs Arkle sale for €45,000 by Highflyer Bloodstock and the Naunton Downs handler.

The four-year-old grey is named after a brand of beer owned by Jeremy Clarkson, who has teamed up with Old Gold Racing to make a first venture into the world of racehorse ownership.

The Hawkstonian is one of 11 runners in the two-mile contest which will conclude the card at the Staffordshire venue.

“I did speak to Ben yesterday and he is really bullish,” Ed Seyfried, chief executive of Old Gold Racing, said.

“This is the first horse that Old Gold Racing has had with Ben, but he’s one of those people who talks a horse down and does well rather than the other way round.

“But he said to me that he’s worked with some of the best horses in the yard and he goes as well as any of them. If we see half of the horse we see at home then we might have a very good horse on our hands.

“I think we have a very good horse on our hands, he just does all the right things. Also as Ben says, you prove it on the track and not at home but Friday is going to be interesting.

“I think if you win a bumper, you always think you are brilliant and are going to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. But it doesn’t matter, it’s all about learning.”

Clarkson is not expected to make the trip from Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds, which is situated near Pauling’s stables, to watch his first ever runner, but Seyfried does not believe it will be long before the TV presenter will be trackside.

“The fact that Jeremy has got involved is fantastic, he gets it, and hopefully we will get him on the racecourse soon,” he added. “I’m really excited, I wouldn’t be excited if I didn’t have the confidence that Ben’s got.

“I wouldn’t say he (Clarkson) is a natural equestrian, however he is very competitive. I think the better The Hawkstonian does, the more the competitive streak of Jeremy Clarkson is going to come out.

“It does put a lot of pressure on, but we’d rather champ at the bit ourselves to give the chance to teach people about racing and take people on the journey. That’s why we champion the experience of owning a racehorse.

“Win, lose or draw, we will be on a journey. Putting a lot back into racing, it’s going to be very eye-catching. Everything is good about it.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Jeremy Clarkson runner The Hawkstonian nearing racecourse bow

The Hawkstonian is on track to make his eagerly-awaited racecourse debut in November.

The four-year-old son of Jukebox Jury is in training with Ben Pauling and was bought at the 2023 Goffs Arkle sale for €45,000 by Highflyer Bloodstock and Pauling.

The Hawkstonian is named after a brand of beer owned by Jeremy Clarkson, who has teamed up with Old Gold Racing to make a first venture into the world of racehorse ownership.

Pauling’s Cotswold-based training operation is located close to Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm and the Hawkstone brewery and they are excited to see what the grey can do on a racecourse.

Ed Seyfried, chief executive of Old Gold Racing, said: “Ben Pauling is very excited about him.

“There isn’t a long-term target yet, but there are possible races coming up at the end of November.

“One at Ascot and one at Newbury so he’s being aimed at those, but with a lot of these horses that haven’t been on a racecourse before, it’s very often five steps forward, a couple of steps back.

“Although we haven’t had a setback, we think we’ll see him on a racecourse somewhere at the end of November.”

Big City Roller is another horse with Old Gold Racing gearing up for a return to the racetrack after an extended spell off it.

The Charlie Longsdon-trained six-year-old won a point-to-point in January last year before he made a winning start under rules in a two-and-a-half-mile novice hurdle at Carlisle in the hands of Lily Pinchin.

He followed that up with a second-place finish at Chepstow but has not been seen since that December run.

He is another horse that is exciting connections and Seyfried said: “He’s now back in pre-training, he’s probably got another four weeks of pre-training, maybe five, with Sally Taylor who just does the most brilliant job for us.

“He’ll be back with Charlie Longsdon in five or six weeks time and one would expect to see him on a racecourse in December and we are obviously very excited about that because he’s a very exciting prospect.

“We’ve got Apple Away, Kingston James and Big City Roller as our exciting horses for this winter that we know about.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Jeremy Clarkson to lead new ownership syndicate

TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has dipped his toe into racehorse ownership with The Hawkstonian, a horse named after his own brand of beer.

Best known for presenting Top Gear, The Grand Tour and blockbuster hit Clarkson’s Farm, the 64-year-old will head up Hawkstone Racing, a partnership created between Clarkson’s Hawkstone brewery and syndicate specialists Old Gold Racing.

The Hawkstonian, a grey son of Jukebox Jury, is with Gloucestershire-based trainer Ben Pauling and is pencilled in to make his racecourse debut either later this month or in October.

Clarkson said: ““I said to the Hawkstone team that we should get into racing but clearly they got motor racing and horse racing confused! That said, Ben Pauling is a stone’s throw from Diddly Squat Farm and the Hawkstone Brewery, so I know where my hay is going.

“Furthermore, the Pauling family originally farmed our land and taught Kaleb (Cooper of Clarkson’s Farm fame) all he knows about farming.”

The Hawkstonian will initially be on private sale to Hawkstonians, who are members of Hawkstone’s club, on April 22 and then to an Old Gold Racing waiting list on April 23. The public sale is live from April 25 with 3,250 shares available priced at £60 per share for a 14-month term.

Ed Seyfried, chief executive of Old Gold Racing, said: “We are honoured to be powering the inaugural Hawkstone Racing syndicate. Jeremy has helped transform views of agriculture with his hit television show and we are looking forward to welcoming him on the racing scene this coming season.

“Most petrolheads start by tinkering with lawnmowers; well, this lawnmower can reach speeds of 35mph over three miles whilst jumping hedges; beat that Flymo!”

Pauling added: “I look forward to educating Jeremy and his Hawkstone members about all things horseracing and I hope The Hawkstonian is as fast as the plug-in hybrid Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale!”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Cervical cancer charities to benefit from new syndicate

Cervical cancer charities are set to receive the support of Old Gold Racing as they syndicate a horse donated by breeder Peter Pritchard in memory of his daughter Katie.

The horse in question is the four-year-old filly Katie Sunny Dancer, bred by Pritchard out of his broodmare Earcomesannie and by the stallion Passing Glance.

Katie, who the filly is named after, was an NHS nurse manager and a mother of two who was only 37 when she lost her life to cervical cancer in June 2023.

Her family are keen to raise funds for two cervical cancer charities, The Lady Garden Foundation and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, and honour her memory in partnership with the successful Old Gold Racing syndication company.

Pritchard has offered his home-bred mare for the Katie’s Legacy Syndicate and it is hoped the initiative will raise £40,000 to be split between the two charities.

Alex Hales will train the mare, who is yet to run, and the funds gathered will go towards research and support for those diagnosed with cervical cancer.

In addition to that, Old Gold Racing have pledged £9,000 of the fee they earn from creating and managing the syndicate to The Myton Hospice, who cared for Katie in her final days

Peter Pritchard said: “While nothing can replace the void Katie’s passing has left behind, we want to honour her life and her story by spreading awareness about this deadly disease, which so many disregard the early signs of.

“By combining Katie’s love of horses with our ambition to make a difference, we hope Katie’s Sunny Dancer will contribute to the advancement of research into cervical cancer, so others do not have to go through Katie’s ordeal.”

Jenny Halpern Prince MBE, co-founder and chair of The Lady Garden Foundation, added: “We are so moved to have been selected as the beneficiaries of this charitable drive – especially upon hearing Katie’s tragic story.

“In the UK, around 3,100 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and it’s the most common cancer in women under 35 years old.

“It is so important that this cause gets as much funding as possible and we are incredibly grateful to Peter and his family for helping us on our mission”.

Louise Newton, trustee at Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, was equally grateful for the support, saying: “We are so very saddened to hear the devastating news that Katie lost her life to this cancer, as did my wonderful friend Jo, 25 years ago.

“We are honoured to be part of celebrating Katie’s life and we are dedicated to improving outcomes for people like her and her family. Our mission for the last 25 years has been to support and inform all of the many women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in the UK.

“Our vision for the future is of a day when cervical cancer is a thing of the past. This initiative will help us to work towards that goal.”

Anyone wishing to find out more information about the Katie’s Legacy Syndicate can head to https://oldgoldracing.com/horses/katie-sunny-dancer



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Apple Away has Old Gold Racing bubbling with excitement

Lucinda Russell’s Apple Away has a new division in which to thrive after a facile chasing success at Leicester

The mare took some notable scalps at Aintree in the spring when winning the Grade One Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at 16-1, defeating Donald McCain’s Maximilian, Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s Iroko and Paul Nicholls’ Stay Away Fay.

The latter two horses have since made very impressive starts to their chasing careers, with Iroko making light work of his debut over fences before injury interrupted his campaign and Stay Away Fay winning both chasing starts thus far including the Grade Two Esher Novices’ Chase most recently.

Apple Away’s first experience at the discipline was in a highly competitive Haydock graduation chase in late November, where she encountered two quality horses in Dan Skelton’s Grey Dawning and Willie Mullins’ Galliard Du Mesnil.

The two greys finished in the above order with Apple Away behind them and although beaten, the experience seemed to have served her well when she lined up for the @leicesterraces Christmas Meeting 28th December Book Now Beginners’ Chase over nearly two miles and seven furlongs on Wednesday.

Apple Away (right) in action at Aintree
Apple Away (right) in action at Aintree (Tim Goode/PA)

Under Derek Fox she ran prominently and jumped soundly to take an easy lead and stroll to a 31-length success over Nicholls’ Makin’yourmindup with Fergal O’Brien’s Alaphilippe a further length and a half behind – both horses being Grade Two winners over hurdles.

Apple Away is always well supported by members of Old Gold Racing, a large-scale syndicate headed up by CEO Ed Seyfried.

Seyfried was delighted to see the six-year-old get off the mark over fences, saying of the performance: “We are properly, properly excited about her.

“It was a three-horse race and you know the old adage, back the outsider in a field of three, but we were looking at a Grade One winner and two Grade Two winners and she put a very good race to bed by 31 lengths – we’ve got a proper little rocket on our hands.

“She’ll stay and stay, we’re a syndication business trying to give the experience of owning a racehorse to a much wider population of people and to have a horse as good as this that has people on social media squabbling about whether we should go for the Brown Advisory or the mares’ chase – what a wonderful decision to have to make.

Apple Away and jockey Stephen Mulqueen taking a hurdle at Aintree
Apple Away and jockey Stephen Mulqueen taking a hurdle at Aintree (David Davies/PA)

“I said that it would give us a huge boost if she could win by 20 lengths but that there was no chance of that. She heard me and over-performed by 50 per cent!

“She’s a very, very tough mare, we let the trainers do their jobs and though it wasn’t set in stone that she would go chasing this season, I love the fact that she has and I think she’s a proper little chaser now. She causes happiness and mirth wherever she goes and I can’t wait to see more of it.

“You saw in the Sefton at Aintree that she can run from the front if we want her to, everyone loves a front runner and I think she’s just going to grab everyone’s hearts.

“In the home straight she jumped into a 30-length lead. She was very careful at Haydock and she was quite careful in the first circuit at Leicester, but by the time the second circuit came around she was fabulous. I loved watching her jump like that.”

Apple Away’s next outing is yet to be decided upon, with the Kauto Star at Kempton and a limited novices’ handicap Wetherby previously under consideration before the Leicester race was added to the calendar belatedly.

Those contests will come only a fortnight after her most recent run, however, and the mare is therefore more likely to return to action in the new year instead.

“If you look at how she was campaigned last year, they didn’t really go for any eyecatching big races until quite late on,” Seyfried said.

“She has so much potential and though we’re not counting our chickens, to have a horse with so much potential in syndicate ownership is wonderful.

“It’s just fabulous, she is a walking morale booster.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns