MARKET RASEN NEWS: 22/7/24
Harry Cobden became the first jockey to win back-to-back Unibet Summer Plate’s on different horses, when Sure Touch won the £100,000 Unibet Summer Plate Handicap Chase (2m 5½f) for trainer Olly Murphy at Market Rasen on Saturday 20th July.
Owned by Geegeez.co.uk, the eight-year-old Yeats gelding was completing his fourth win in a row.
Jockey Harry Cobden, said, “That’s just paid for my kitchen! He’s a lovely little horse and a great jumper. Those horses that carry their head low like him are always good fun to ride.
“I must admit, beforehand I thought we’d go a right gallop but early doors we didn’t go very quick. I was travelling well and probably doing too much but he’s very straightforward and jumped great – that’s what kept me in the race.”
This year’s Unibet Summer Plate was run for a record £100,000 for the first time to coincide with the Centenary Celebration of the racecourse. Horse racing was first run in Market Rasen in 1828, with various sites used until 100 years ago, in 1924 when Market Rasen Racecourse found a permanent home where it currently sits.
Earlier in the afternoon, Castel Gandolfo won the Unibet Daily Industry Best Prices Summer Handicap Hurdle for trainer Fergal O’Brien, owner Nic Brereton and jockey Jonathan Burke. Having filled the runner up spot in the last two runnings of the race, Castel Gandolfo was finally rewarded with a win in the race, under a stellar ride from Burke.
After the race, the jockey said, “I’m delighted for the horse, having been second in that race twice, it’s great to finally get it go his way. I got some spin off him.”
“He was always finding one too good, but he felt great today, I got a grand run round and every split that I needed came. He toughed it out as I was there too soon, but I had to take the split on the rail as soon as I could.
“He loves it here so he’s going to come back here soon I’d think. It’s been a quiet summer, and that’s just the way things have happened, hopefully things will start to pick up now.”
A highlight of Unibet Summer Plate Ladies Day, the Style Awards were also presented, with prizes including jewellery vouchers worth £500 courtesy of Daniella Draper, a chance to come back to Market Rasen for the music night in August, a two-night holiday at Brackenborough Lakes Resort and Coney’s Designer Wear voucher worth £250.
Best Dressed Couple was won by Aaron and Jessica Wilson from Scunthorpe. Wearing items, mostly homemade by Jessica, the couple were delighted to win. Polly Collins took home the Best Dressed Individual, having entered the competition for a few years in a row.
Jack Pryor, General Manager at Market Rasen Racecourse, commented, “What an amazing day we had for our Unibet Summer Plate Ladies Day. It’s the highlight of our summer, where great racing on the track combines with fantastic action off the track, with this year marking our richest raceday ever, with £250,000 on offer.
“To have over 9,000 racegoers on site to enjoy the day was brilliant and we were delighted to see Sure Touch win the Unibet Summer Plate.
“Ladies Day is always a huge hit with the local community, and we had some brilliant local partners in our Style Awards. We were also delighted to see our new traffic management plan in full effect, hopefully easing the strain on the town.
“A big thank you, as always, to my team. The site looked fantastic, the track was in great condition, and we were rewarded with competitive racing and a good day all round.”
