11.15am Harry Fry is forced to retire Rock On Ruby
Harry Fry has been dealt a hammer blow after a tendon injury forced former champion hurdler Rock On Ruby into retirement.
The 10-year-old showed he retained plenty of his old dash at Ascot last Saturday when winning the Coral Hurdle but, in doing so, he suffered a career-ending injury.
A statement posted on http://www.harryfryracing.com read: “It is with great sadness we would like to inform you that our superstar hurdler and horse of a lifetime Rock On Ruby has been retired.
“There were quite a few tears shed by our staff in the tack room this morning when I told them the news. No wonder, because he is a much loved character and a bit of an institution here at Seaborough. Ruby suffered a tendon injury after his win in the Coral Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday.
“If he was a younger horse we might have considered treating the injury and bringing him back a year or more later.”
Rock On Ruby beat Overturn in the 2012 Champion Hurdle, when officially trained by Paul Nicholls, but much of the credit for the win went to Fry, who looked after the satellite yard from which he was trained at the time.
A thoroughly consistent performer, he finished out of the first four only once in his 27-race career when eighth in the 2014 Arkle.
Fry said: “Ruby is 10 now and his owners have generously given him to my wife Ciara who adores him, and has always looked after him at home.
“She will ensure that he remains the elder statesman of the yard for the rest of his life. He will have a break for the rest of this season and have a good summer holiday before coming back into work in the autumn where he will continue to enjoy leading the string which he has done for the past six years.
“It is quite fitting that, like a true champion, he bows out at the top of his game. Ruby has taken us and his aptly-named owners, ‘The Festival Goers’, on an incredible journey over the past few years.
“He truly is one in a million as his form suggests with 12 wins, eight seconds, five thirds, one fourth place and just one unplaced effort in 27 starts. What a phenomenal athlete.” PA
Friday’s best bets, by Chris Cook
Newbury may not hold the happiest memories for George Gorman, a young jockey with five winners to his name, which would probably be six had he not taken the wrong course there in March 2012, going around the final fence instead of over it. Well, we’ve all done silly things and most of us didn’t have the excuse of being just 17 at the time.
Today, Gorman gets a chance to atone aboard Vision Des Champs (12.55), a six-year-old who has taken time to find himself since coming over from France but seems in good shape now, having hosed up at Huntingdon on his first run for six months recently. Yes, that was a weaker race and he’s 11lb higher, which is presumably why trainer Gary Moore has reached for his 8lb claimer, but the horse is still more than a stone below the mark he had when he left his native country.
I like the 7-1, particularly in view of the sustained good form of the Moore yard. The market goes with Mon Successeur but I thought his British debut at Wetherby was most unconvincing and there was no more promise in his spin over hurdles at Cheltenham a fortnight ago.
Fascinating as the rest of Newbury’s card is, it looks to me more like a day for finding out than for lumping on. The other runner that catches my eye is at Doncaster, where Dragon City (12.45) is 9-2 to follow up a Plumpton success on his handicap debut recently.
There was significant confidence behind him that day and I expect he will still have plenty to offer on a 2lb higher mark with a more experienced rider aboard, albeit one who is still claiming.
Tipping competition, day five
Our winners so far:
Monday
Gallery Exhibition 8-1
Lady Of Longstone 11-1
Medicean Man 10-1
Tuesday
Retrieve The Stick 7-1
Not A Bother Boy 3-1
Wilton Milan 6-1
Wednesday
Arquebusier 7-1
Indian Voyage 3-1
Fire Fighting 4-1
Thursday
Native River 8-1
Saint Roque 11-4
Spookydooky 9-1
And our leader is …
Crasivo +15
… who vaulted to the top of the board thanks to Spookydooky. Other good scores: 72luca +14, Mulldog +12, cerises +12, Royal1scot +11, moidadem +10, Ken Woodward +9, Stephen Peter Phillips +5.75, orso +4.
For today’s thrilling climax, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 2.05 Newbury, 2.40 Newbury, 3.05 Doncaster.
This week’s prize is a copy of The Oaks by Michael Church, a limited edition of a handsome and scholarly work by the official Derby historian. The accompanying blurb reports that it includes “a comprehensive history of the race, its foundation, the results, race commentaries, all the winners and their breeding. There are also accounts of famous owners, trainers and jockeys, essays and pictures of the best winners”. If you don’t win, you can buy a copy here Don’t say we do nothing to keep you Flat fans warm in winter!
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today, but you will start on -12.
In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.
Good luck!
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And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
