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	Ilewin Geez (Good to Firm)	16 Oct 2018	4m 45.2s
2m 5f 163y	Arty Campbell (Good to Firm)	16 Oct 2018	5m 17.6s
3m 1f 119y	Georgina Joy (Good to Firm)	05 Nov 2018	6m 19.7s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 53y	Those Tiger Feet (Soft)	28 Nov 2018	3m 54.8s

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	20	6	5	£49,477	30%	£15.50
Evan Williams	21	4	8	£35,949	19.05%	£10.24
Miss Kerry Lee	22	3	8	£18,643	13.64%	-£10.05
Henry Oliver	14	3	4	£16,652	21.43%	£11.00
K C Bailey	9	3	4	£29,712	33.33%	£5.99
D Skelton	11	3	3	£17,637	27.27%	£6.13
P J Hobbs	8	2	5	£11,372	25%	-£2.50
B I Case	5	2	3	£12,997	40%	£26.50
T Symonds	11	2	2	£12,890	18.18%	£3.00
Miss R Curtis	3	2	1	£12,867	66.67%	£6.00

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Miss V Williams	38	6	6	£38,259	15.79%	-£1.75
D Skelton	23	6	6	£22,939	26.09%	-£7.50
A King	13	5	2	£25,342	38.46%	£3.18
W Greatrex	18	4	11	£19,495	22.22%	-£4.40
T R George	15	4	5	£31,105	26.67%	£2.58
N P Mulholland	13	4	5	£16,766	30.77%	£1.96
T Symonds	16	4	2	£18,650	25%	£21.33
O Sherwood	16	3	6	£15,076	18.75%	-£7.67
P J Hobbs	11	3	4	£16,375	27.27%	-£3.38
A Ralph	15	3	2	£10,657	20%	£16.35

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
K C Bailey	5	3	1	£7,927	60%	£2.83
N A Twiston-Davies	6	1	3	£2,534	16.67%	-£2.75
W Greatrex	4	1	3	£3,119	25%	-£2.09
P J Hobbs	3	1	2	£2,599	33.33%	£4.00
Olly Murphy	3	1	1	£2,599	33.33%	-£0.50
Miss V Williams	2	1	0	£2,274	50%	£2.50
F O'Brien	2	1	0	£2,664	50%	£3.00
H Morrison	1	1	0	£2,599	100%	£7.00
Jonjo O'Neill	1	1	0	£2,599	100%	£3.00
D Skelton	3	0	3	£	0%	-£3.00

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	17	4	5	£22,029	23.53%	£10.25
Benjamin Poste	13	3	4	£13,385	23.08%	£10.00
D Crosse	8	3	0	£15,205	37.5%	£32.00
H F Nugent	5	3	0	£30,568	60%	£15.25
R T Dunne	14	2	7	£21,119	14.29%	-£7.87
R Johnson	13	2	7	£19,520	15.38%	-£6.90
Richard Patrick	10	2	6	£8,383	20%	-£1.80
T J O'Brien	11	2	4	£12,364	18.18%	£6.00
Max Kendrick	6	2	2	£15,206	33.33%	£24.50
S Bowen	5	2	1	£13,516	40%	£8.00

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
R Johnson	33	7	19	£32,946	21.21%	-£14.70
Harry Skelton	14	5	5	£18,780	35.71%	-£3.50
Wayne Hutchinson	10	5	3	£25,342	50%	£6.18
Charlie Deutsch	18	5	2	£21,055	27.78%	£15.00
Sam Twiston-Davies	21	4	7	£18,585	19.05%	-£2.75
Ms B Hampson	14	4	7	£17,760	28.57%	£12.35
Aidan Coleman	12	4	5	£15,986	33.33%	£13.50
Ben Jones	12	4	4	£15,596	33.33%	£3.13
Benjamin Poste	32	3	7	£15,011	9.38%	-£8.67
R T Dunne	19	3	4	£15,076	15.79%	£13.50

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
David Bass	5	3	2	£7,927	60%	£2.83
R Johnson	5	2	2	£5,718	40%	£3.91
Charlie Deutsch	3	1	1	£2,274	33.33%	£1.50
P J Brennan	2	1	1	£2,664	50%	£3.00
Nick Scholfield	4	1	0	£2,599	25%	£0.00
A Tinkler	2	1	0	£2,599	50%	£6.00
J Nailor	2	1	0	£2,534	50%	£0.25
Fergus Gregory	1	1	0	£2,599	100%	£1.50
David Noonan	3	0	2	£	0%	-£3.00
Jamie Bargary	3	0	2	£	0%	-£4.00