Magic has Johnston back in the hunt

The Middleham trainer’s first runner over obstacles could be Bowdler’s Magic at Huntingdon on Thursday, ironically at a time when the finances of both codes of racing, and particularly the poor rewards for owners, remain in the spotlight.

A four-year-old gelding owned by Peter Deal, Bowdler’s Magic has been trained by Johnston’s wife Deirdre, who has also been putting the appropriately named Becausewecan and Tartan Gunna through their paces with top NH jockey Richie McGrath.

Johnston is no stranger to hurdling – Star Rage won the prestigious Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in 1997, a race won last month by Donald McCain’s brilliant dual-purpose campaigner Overturn. His last jumps runner was Happy Change in 2001.

“When I last had runners over jumps, the prize-money was so bad,” said Johnston, whose yard has boycotted those Flat races that have failed to meet tariffs on funding.

“I remember sending horses to the races for next to no prize-money. I decided it was a bad job. In recent years, prize-money has swung around and it is arguably better than on the Flat, particularly when you compare it to the all-weather prize-money, which is just ridiculous.

“We are better off running these horses over jumps so we are going to give it a go with three decent horses. If this worked very well, we enjoyed it and the owners did then we might have some more, but I’m not expecting to.”

That said, Johnston is leaving nothing to chance – as his wife explained in the latest edition of the stable’s Kingsley Klarion magazine.

“As I have always enjoyed National Hunt racing, I volunteered to help and co-ordinate teaching the horses to jump,” she wrote.

“The horses started in our outdoor arena where their introduction to jumping took place over coloured poles, the same poles I use for my eventers.

“Once the new recruits showed they could jump the poles, they progressed to jumping plastic barrels followed by a fence with old tyres to avoid any needless injuries.

“Their last sessions in the arena consisted of jumping the tyre fence and then jumping medium-sized rubber hurdles, while gradually building up their speed.”

Now proficient over plastic hurdles that resemble racecourse obstacles, the challenge is for the horses to become used to the winter weather and snow that enveloped Middleham and other Yorkshire racing centres yesterday.

Meanwhile, Johnston says that Jukebox Jury, dead-heat winner of the Irish St Leger, will return to England in the New Year after finishing lame in the Melbourne Cup.

Johnston added: “He suffered a fracture of his cannon bone. The Ascot Gold Cup is in our minds but you couldn’t go straight there so we can’t say he’ll definitely make it. The long-term plan is the Melbourne Cup again next year.”

For the first time since 2005, the total attendance figure during the year at Yorkshire’s nine racecourses has exceeded one million.

Nigel Roper, from Bradford, received a ticket upgrade when he passed through Wetherby’s turnstiles on Saturday.

Knight set to send out Somersby for warm-up chase

HENRIETTA Knight, victorious eight times in the Peterborough Chase thanks to enduring stars like Edredon Bleu and Best Mate, hopes Somersby will add to her tally in Thursday’s renewal at Huntingdon.

After chasing home Master Minded in the Amlin 1965 Chase at Ascot, Knight had suggested her stable star could be heading straight for the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day.

But Knight believes the Grade Two over an extended two-and- a-half-miles is the perfect race for the highly-regarded seven-year-old, who has been touted as a potential Cheltenham Gold Cup contender.

“The likelihood is that he’ll run in the Peterborough Chase this week,” said Knight.

“It’s a race we’ve been very fortunate in and we’ve had a bit of luck in past. Hopefully, it will set him up nicely for the King George on Boxing Day.”

Possible opponents could include Mr Moonshine, a promising novice from the in-form stables of Bingley trainer Sue Smith.

She is contemplating the race for her chaser, who has won his first two starts over fences, including an eye-catching win at Haydock last month.

Hayley Turner has been nominated for the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year Award.

Britain’s leading lady rider made history this year by becoming the first female to win a Group One race outright when Dream Ahead took the July Cup before repeating the trick aboard Margot Did in the Nunthorpe at York.

The Sportswomen of the Year Awards take place tomorrow and Turner will face stiff opposition from the likes of Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington and open water swimmer Keri-Anne Payne, the first British athlete to qualify for London 2012.

The Scottish National remains the target for John Wade’s Always Right, who won the Borders equivalent at Kelso on Sunday under Saltburn jockey James Reveley.

Reveley also carried Wade’s colours to victory on Eyre Square who could be bound for the Grand National at Aintree.

Hexham officials will stage a 2.30pm inspection today to assess the prospects for racing tomorrow. The track is currently covered by snow.