Devon trainer wins race in honour of late Devon race goer on Tuesday afternoon at Newton Abbot Racecourse

Inside Man gave South Molton trainer Jane Williams her first win of the season from just five runners winning Newton Abbot’s feature race, the £15,000 Jim Swales Memorial Handicap Hurdle.

Jim Swales was a Devon man and regular race goer of over 50 years, and the race was sponsored by his family in his honour with his wife, children and grandchildren in attendance.

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Jane spoke after the race to explain her delight at her first race win of the season:

“Newton Abbot is a rare visit for us, with most of our races in the Midlands running throughout the winter, so we were very pleased to get our first win of the season and the 100th winner of my solo training career.

She also explained her view on the training scene for horses in Devon:

“Finding owners in this part of the country can be difficult off the beaten track, we have over forty horses in North Devon, and the owners we do have are a tight community and happy ship, so we are optimistic that the future is bright for racing in Devon.

Finally she spoke on the lack of government involvement in horse racing:

“There is no enthusiasm in politics for racing, that’s why racecourses like Newton Abbot are so important to keeping the horse racing community alive”.

The Jim Swales Handicap was one of seven races yesterday at Newton Abbot, at which a large crowd dodged the showers to enjoy a full complement of racing action.

Racecourse CEO John Baker explained his satisfaction with how the day went:

“It was a really good attendance today here in Newton, a really smooth event and positive day. We are delighted to have had 14 well-attended fixtures already this year, and another four are still to come. Overall a great day in spite of the weather”

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