Website & all contents copyright Alnwick Races 2012 ©
Ratcheugh Racing Club review 2025
By Peter Burgon
Gina Andrews enhanced an already impressive strike rate at Alnwick with a double on debutants Azlad and The Dog Thief at the Ratcheugh Racing Club fixture on Saturday.
Given a positive ride in the 2m4f Newton Hall Maiden Race, Azlad (right, light blue) dictated the pace from the outset and, after being briefly headed five out and four out by Claramount (Amy Milburn), was back in front as they turned for home with three to jump. Despite not being too fluent at the last, the four-year-old didn't lose much momentum and stayed on strongly to beat the rallying Jack Wooley (Thomas Easterby) by three lengths, with Claramount a further half-length away in third.
This was Gina's 431st career winner on a landmark 1500th Pointing ride in the UK, in addition to her 2 winners between the flags in Ireland and 99 winners under Rules.
She said: ''He's a big, raw individual and as green a maiden as I've ridden for a long time, but he went through the race really nicely and quickened up well from the back of the last.''
The winner is a half-brother to Uncle Bert, a five-time winning hurdler for Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies who posted a career-best effort on December 6 when landing a 2m4f Class 2 Handicap Chase at Aintree by nine-and-a-half lengths from Richmond Lake.
The Dog Thief (left, light blue) turned in a very professional display when making a winning debut in the 3m PJR Blewitt Ltd Maiden Race. Always going well and never too far behind pace-setting Phantoms Cave (Huw Edwards) in a strongly run affair, the five-year-old was upsides the leader three out before taking it up approaching the next. There was still plenty left in the tank as he crossed the line six lengths ahead of Phantoms Cave, with Where's Willy (Nick Orpwood) a promising third on his first start for nine months.
Gina said: ''He's a big three-mile chasing type who was nearly ready to go last season, but a few little niggles stopped us from running him. Hopefully he'll go on to bigger and better things now.
''He went through the race really well and responded when I asked him to quicken from the back of the third last. He did it really nicely in the end and jumped superbly all the way.
''We've had a lot of luck at Alnwick over the years and it's a course I really like riding round.''
She also confirmed that both Maiden winners are for sale.
For the record, The Dog Thief was Gina's 17th Alnwick winner from 27 rides since January 2019 (8 of the other 10 were placed) on horses making the 10-hour round trip from her Warwickshire base, with two of the most high profile winners being Deafening Silence and Latenightpass.
On his first visit to Alnwick since December 2016, Dale Peters took his career tally under all codes to 201 with victory on Line Em Up (right), who he also trains, in the 3m Restricted Race.
In a first-time tongue-tie, last season's Duncombe Park Maiden winner was sent on three out and kept on well from the last to beat Hugo Moss (John Dawson) by one-and-a-half lengths.
Peters said: ''He was in second gear all the way, jumped and travelled well, and is a nice prospect but it all depends what mood he's in on the day.''
Carrying the colours of Dale's auntie Beryl Close, the principal owner in his Sawtry yard, the six-year-old could return to Alnwick on January 3 for a 3m Restricted or 3m Conditions Race.
Abertay University student Lisa O'Connor made it three wins from four rides on 137-rated hurdler Whatdeawant (left) in the 3m Bar Welding & Fabrication Mixed Open Race.
After being held up at the back of the five-runner field on the first circuit in a slowly run affair, Lisa made a decisive forward move on the Lucinda Russell-trained nine-year-old heading out on the final circuit as she didn't want the contest to turn into a sprint in the latter stages and was soon pressing ex-chaser Harjo (Jesika Rennie) for the lead.
Whatdeawant finally overhauled his rival two out and stayed on well to score by three-quarters-of-a-length. This was the perfect start to a week in which Lisa has Law and Accountancy exams, and the win leaves her 3pts ahead of Lucy Brown in the Northern Area Ladies Championship.
Most of the running in the 2m4f Essential Food Company Conditions Race was made by Largy Shark (Thomas Easterby) and Emir Sacree (Joe Wright) until the complexion of the contest changed dramatically at the last.
Having made smooth headway down the home straight to be almost upsides the leader Largy Shark at the last, John Dawson's mount The Village Way (right, blue) was left clear when Largy Shark fell and brought down Wallace Olinger (Dale Peters). The progressive seven-year-old, trained by Dawson's wife Alice and carrying the colours of the 'What Would Dad Say Partnership', coasted home six lengths ahead of Emir Sacree (Joe Wright), with gambled-on Cheshire raider Chinx Of Light (Huw Edwards) a further four lengths away in third.
John Dawson's weekend was rounded off in style at Carlisle on Sunday when Capricciose (Brian Hughes) provided him with a first winner under Rules as a trainer.
The evergreen Diable De Sivola (Jesika Rennie, left) made it five wins from his last six starts between the flags in the 3m Jockey Start Ladies Open Race, and it might well have been 6-6 had he not been carried out by a loose horse when in command four out in the Mixed Open at the corresponding meeting in December 2024.
As expected, Warwickshire raider Loughan (Gina Andrews) quickly established a big lead and had the nine-runner field well strung out with a circuit to go. He was gradually reeled in by Diable De Sivola from five out but still had the call when putting on the brakes fairly heavily at the third last. This presented the lead to Jesika's mount and the twelve-year-old kept on well in the closing stages to beat Tag Man (Lucy Brown) by three lengths, with Loughan running on again too late in third.
Owned and trained by Will Ramsay, Diable De Sivola continues to be one of the success stories of his Jockey Start programme, with the veteran providing second season jockey Jesika, 22, with three winners in 2025. She said: ''I was meant to be a lot closer to the front but happy to just let him bowl along and he was still pulling my arms out coming to the end of the back straight on the final circuit. His jumping is fantastic and he takes lengths out of his rivals at his fences.''
A total of 47 horses faced the starter on the six-race card, with an impressive runners to individual horses entered ratio of 81%.
The next 3 Northern Area fixtures are the Morpeth West Percy at Alnwick on January 3, the Jedforest at Friars Haugh on January 18, and the Percy at Alnwick on January 25.