Hereford Course Guide

Racing returned to Hereford after a four year hiatus in October 2016. The course, which is within walking distance of the town centre, has always been a popular track for the powerful West Country and Lambourn trainers to send horses to learn their trade.

Both Star de Mohaison and Mighty Man won Novices’ Hurdles at the track before landing glory at the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals respectively whilst 2006 Hennessy Gold Cup hero State of Play also won a Hereford Novices’ Hurdle.

The course has also provided some racing firsts, in December 1991 Paul Nicholls saddled Olveston to victory, his first winner as a trainer and in April 1994 and Richard Johnson rode Rusty Bridge to victory in a Hunters’ Chase, providing the jockey with his first career win.

Jumps Racing

Hereford's right-handed circuit of about a mile and a half is almost square and has nine fences, of which the first after the winning post is taken on a turn. The home turn, which is on falling ground, is pretty sharp but the other bends are easy. Races have a tendency to be well run and the ground can get very testing in mid-winter. The course restarted racing in October 2016 after a four-year hiatus.

It’s great see Hereford staging meetings again, because it’s a track close to my heart. I rode my second-ever winner there, before partnering some horses around what has always been a very fair course. Whatever you’re on, over hurdles or fences, you need to be travelling nicely before the home turn because, if you’re not, others will get away from you once you start the downhill run into the home straight. You certainly don’t want to get too far behind at that stage. The final fence can be tricky and there used to be a fair few horses making mistakes there. After it – and after the last hurdle too – the track seems to widen out, which tends to make some horses wander. There’s a relatively short run-in but, because of the way the course opens out on you, it can sometimes seem like an eternity on a runner that’s getting a bit tired or looking around

View from the saddle: Mick Fitzgerald

Hereford Top Times
Last 5 years

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 8y	Little Pop (Good)	06 Oct 2016	3m 51.31s
2m 2f 208y	Copper Birch (Soft)	23 Nov 2016	4m 53.97s
2m 4f 194y	Emerging Force (Good)	06 Oct 2016	5m 7.72s
3m 1f 44y	Belmount (Good)	06 Oct 2016	6m 6.88s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 53y	Furiously Fast (Good)	06 Oct 2016	3m 50.54s
2m 3f 147y	Cotton End (Good to Firm)	13 Oct 2020	4m 44.41s
2m 5f 163y	Arty Campbell (Good to Firm)	16 Oct 2018	5m 17.6s
3m 1f 119y	Neville's Cross (Good to Firm)	13 Oct 2020	6m 7.18s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 53y	Quid Pro Quo (Soft)	02 Nov 2020	3m 53.6s

Hereford Top Trainers
Last 3 years (ordered by number of winners)

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Miss V Williams	25	8	7	£71,098	32%	£17.38
Evan Williams	33	6	10	£44,527	18.18%	£7.57
Miss Kerry Lee	19	4	5	£25,661	21.05%	-£3.80
K C Bailey	12	4	5	£36,730	33.33%	£5.19
T Symonds	11	3	2	£17,179	27.27%	£6.00
D Skelton	13	2	7	£11,307	15.38%	-£1.75
F O'Brien	11	2	6	£9,745	18.18%	-£8.65
P J Hobbs	9	2	5	£11,372	22.22%	-£3.50
B I Case	6	2	4	£12,997	33.33%	£25.50
Miss R Curtis	6	2	3	£12,867	33.33%	£3.00

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
D Skelton	27	9	8	£36,390	33.33%	-£5.88
Miss V Williams	37	5	9	£33,710	13.51%	-£6.25
P J Hobbs	18	5	6	£23,913	27.78%	-£6.37
A King	14	5	3	£25,342	35.71%	£1.18
T Symonds	21	4	6	£18,780	19.05%	£16.33
A Ralph	26	4	5	£14,426	15.38%	£8.85
Evan Williams	46	3	16	£21,899	6.52%	-£31.84
W Greatrex	16	3	10	£15,856	18.75%	-£6.20
N P Mulholland	21	3	8	£13,127	14.29%	-£8.38
Sheila Lewis	18	3	5	£10,332	16.67%	£21.50

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
K C Bailey	5	3	2	£7,927	60%	£2.83
N A Twiston-Davies	6	3	1	£7,082	50%	£3.16
B J Eckley	6	1	3	£2,274	16.67%	£4.00
D Skelton	5	1	3	£2,274	20%	£0.00
Sam Thomas	5	1	3	£2,274	20%	£9.00
F O'Brien	6	1	2	£2,664	16.67%	-£1.00
P J Hobbs	3	1	2	£2,599	33.33%	£4.00
T Symonds	4	1	1	£2,274	25%	£8.00
Miss V Williams	3	1	0	£2,274	33.33%	£1.50
N P Mulholland	2	1	0	£2,274	50%	£1.75

Hereford Top Jockeys
Last 3 years (ordered by number of winners)

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Charlie Deutsch	18	4	6	£22,029	22.22%	£9.25
Aidan Coleman	7	4	2	£26,133	57.14%	£21.75
R T Dunne	17	3	8	£25,408	17.65%	-£5.87
Sam Twiston-Davies	12	3	4	£24,069	25%	£0.08
H F Nugent	5	3	0	£30,568	60%	£15.25
R Johnson	14	2	6	£19,520	14.29%	-£7.90
Adam Wedge	17	2	5	£9,747	11.76%	-£9.79
David Bass	9	2	5	£15,184	22.22%	-£5.69
P J Brennan	9	2	5	£9,745	22.22%	-£6.65
Benjamin Poste	13	2	4	£8,447	15.38%	£2.00

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
R Johnson	39	10	20	£46,527	25.64%	-£9.89
Harry Skelton	20	9	7	£36,000	45%	-£0.38
Sam Twiston-Davies	30	7	8	£29,892	23.33%	-£4.29
Wayne Hutchinson	10	5	3	£25,342	50%	£6.18
Benjamin Poste	39	4	9	£18,780	10.26%	-£2.67
David Bass	17	4	7	£14,491	23.53%	£48.41
Ben Jones	17	4	5	£15,596	23.53%	-£1.88
Charlie Deutsch	21	4	4	£16,506	19.05%	£7.50
Aidan Coleman	12	4	4	£16,116	33.33%	£26.50
R T Dunne	29	3	8	£15,076	10.34%	£3.50

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
David Bass	6	3	3	£7,927	50%	£0.83
Sam Twiston-Davies	7	3	1	£6,822	42.86%	£15.75
R Johnson	5	1	2	£2,599	20%	£1.00
Harry Skelton	4	1	2	£2,274	25%	£1.00
J Nailor	4	1	2	£2,534	25%	-£2.75
R T Dunne	5	1	1	£2,274	20%	£5.00
Charlie Deutsch	5	1	1	£2,274	20%	-£0.50
P J Brennan	4	1	1	£2,664	25%	£1.00
Thomas Bellamy	3	1	0	£2,274	33.33%	£9.00
Nick Scholfield	2	1	0	£2,599	50%	£2.00