Harry Redknapp celebrates a sunny day at Newton Races

The sun certainly shone on Newton Abbot on Tuesday with outside temperatures touching 27 degrees centigrade and racegoers seeking places of shade in the stands and bars between races. There was some hot racing too with mixed emotions for some of the sport’s leading characters.

Ex-football manager, TV personality and horse racing fanatic Harry Redknapp won an exciting fourth race with his French bred Icare Grandchamp, very well ridden by Caoilin Quinn. ‘Arry’ loves a day at the races but his TV commitments with the Euros may well have stopped him seeing another success.

He has already tasted some big wins in 2024, especially at the Cheltenham Festival. For the trainer of the winner, it was a mixed day. Gary Moore, whose horse travelled a long way from his Horsham base, recently trained the surprise winner of the first, Parikama, beautifully ridden by conditional jockey Imogen Mathias, but sold it for a bargain sum in May to its new owner and trainer.

It was a disappointing day for leading course trainer Paul Nichols, whose strongly-fancied Huelgoat parted company with Champion jockey Harry Cobden in the feature novice hurdle race whilst well clear with his rivals looking stretched, and who later saw Lallygag run out at a hurdle whilst carrying daughter Olive. The latter race was won comfortably by the well-backed Townhill, who led for every step of the 3-mile 2-furlong trip.

The remaining races saw Adam Wedge and Evan Williiams make up for recent bad luck at the track with a comfortable victory for Golden Path, top rider Sam Twiston Davies recorded a nice-priced winner on Konigin Isabella and Hold Your Fort proving another Welsh winner and by far the easiest one of the day for trainer Debra Hamer.

Racing is next at the track on Friday, July 5.