Classic Concorde, who won four point-to-points last seson, yesterday notched his third victory in a row over hurdles when scoring at Bangor-on-Dee.
The diminutive gelding (pictured above, leading during a race at Bonvilston in May) is owned and trained at Pyle near Bridgend in South Wales by David Brace, whose grandson, professional jockey Connor Brace, has been in the saddle for the hat-trick of wins.
This morning the owner/trainer said: “We’re over the moon with him. I bought him unseen from Ireland, and when he arrived he wasn’t in the best of condition, but he’s looking great now. He’s not the biggest, but in races he battles all the way.”
The Bangor race was the ten-year-old’s 52nd run under Rules, but only his fifth win. He began racing in Ireland for trainer Pat Fahy, then joined Andrew McNamara for whom he won a hurdle and chase, but had lost the winning thread by the time he joined Brace’s stable in the middle of last year. After an uninspiring run over hurdles he was switched to point-to-points and a reformation began, initially with a win under Osian Radford at Chaddesley Corbett, then Bradley Gibbs at Bonvilston, followed by a win at Cothelstone under Will Biddick and finally for Radford again at Trecoed. Setting the pace at a fast clip has become his hallmark, although Brace says that style of running is not essential.
Will Biddick winning on Classic Concorde at Cothelstone in May (Ce)
He added: “After he won a few point-to-points we thought we’d try him over the baby hurdles [fences] at Worcester. After a couple of placings he won a nought to 105 so we thought we’d try a nought to 120 not thinking he would be good enough, but now he’s won two of those.
“He won on soft yesterday, and I think that’s his ground. He’s won on quick, but the more cut the better.
“He pulled out sound this morning, so we’ll see how he is and if we see another race we think he can win he can run again.”
Brace, who won nine point-to-points last season, added: “I love point-to-poining and I expect to have three or four runners for the coming season.”