Double for Hills as crowds flock to Newbury
Richard Hills was in double form at Newbury on Sunday as the track played host to the biggest day of Arabian racing ever staged in this country.
The top Flat jockey rode the winner of the day’s feature, the Dubai International, for the third successive year, in front of a terrific crowd of just under 10,000.
Hills took the mount on the recently-purchased Djourdan for his boss Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, and scarcely had a moments worry in the 10-furlong Group One event.
“He’s a horse for the future who we will take to Dubai and hopefully win an Arab World Cup for Sheikh Hamdan,” Hills told attheraces. “He’s a really nice horse.”
Hills bagged his Group One brace when Djeldor De Bozouls took the Zaabeel International Stakes.
Free entry and a host of giveaways at the Berkshire track helped to ensure the bumper crowd, and managing director Mark Kershaw said he was thrilled with both the attendance and the day in general.
“We’ve had an excellent day, the crowd was just under 10,000, which is a great turnout,” he said.
“We’re were hoping to attract that sort of number and are absolutely thrilled that we’ve achieved what we set out to do – it is certainly the largest crowd in the history of Arab racing in the UK.
“There’s been a really good, relaxed atmosphere, and some good quality racing. There’s been an enormous amount of families here and the Tote has been flat out all day.
“It’s something we will build on next year and keep on going with now. The free entrance has obviously been a great attraction with a lot of first-time racegoers here, and a lot of locals, which is great.
“Hopefully it will encourage them to come racing again.”
The size of the crowd also delighted Sheikh Hamdan, who has long been a supporter of Arabian racing.
“I am very happy to see the interest of the crowd in seeing these Arabs, it shows there is interest in pure-Arab horseracing,” he said.
Arabian Racing Organisation manager Charlie Corbett said the day provided a great opportunity for Arab racing.
“This meeting gives us the chance to put this type of racing in front of the biggest audience we’ve ever had,” he said.
“Arabian races are mostly the first race on a thoroughbred card in this country or they are dedicated meetings but run at small tracks often not in front of many people.
“In France it’s slightly bigger and the same in America but this is the biggest dedicated day purely for Arabian racing.”
Sheikh Hamdam’s private trainer Gill Duffield, who landed a double on the card, explained just what Dubai Day means to the world of Arab racing.
“This is the highlight of our season,” she said.
“It’s like Ascot or Epsom – it’s all our best races and our best horses are on show for everyone to see.
“To get a winner is very, very difficult because all the best horses are running here.”
Former Royal jockey Bill Smith, who rode 65 winners for the Queen Mother, is now a successful trainer of Arabs from his Hampshire base and echoed those views.
“This has to be the best day’s racing collectively of Arabian races nearly anywhere in the world, certainly in Europe, for quality of runners, money and variety of races,” Smith, whose L’Escalou took the closing event under Gary Hind, said.
“To see so many people here is just fantastic.”
One man who certainly got plenty of satisfaction from the day was trainer Mark Smallman.
He went down to the start to make sure his Horizon went in the stalls for the one mile, five furlongs Deira Limited Handicap Stakes.
He then chased across the track to witness the finish and was rewarded as his top-weight came home first.
The former Portman Square employee bears more than a passing resemblance to rock legend Mick Jagger and fronts a Rolling Stones tribute band, the Rolling Clones, in his role as Mick Jogger.
The group performed at Lingfield on Saturday evening.
“To win a race here is a great thrill, I’m very lucky,” he said. “We go all around the country in the band and sing, and we’ve played here at Newbury as well.”
