The Easter racing programme saw a major shock at Newcastle on Good Friday as Heavenly Heather, a 200-1 chance ridden by 3lb claimer Amie Waugh, became the longest-priced winner of the year so far with a half-length success in the seven-furlong Fillies’ and Mares’ Championships Handicap.
Waugh’s mount had failed to win any of her previous five starts and was 19lb “wrong” at the weights, meaning that Heavenly Heather raced from an effective handicap mark of 79 rather than her official rating of 60.
Her rider took full advantage of her draw on the stands’ side, however, and got a fine response from Heavenly Heather when she asked her to quicken against the rail a furlong from home.
The winner was the 12th horse to win at 200-1 in Britain since the turn of the century, and the first at those odds since November 2024. The UK’s record price for a winner is 250-1, set by Equinoctial at Kelso in November 1990.
Elsewhere on the Newcastle card, Andrew Balding continued his strong start to the 2025 Flat season with a double in the first four races, but there was a setback for his stable too with the news that Sheikh Fahad al-Thani’s Qatar Racing operation has removed its six horses from the yard.
Balding saddled Kameko to win the 2,000 Guineas in 2020 in Qatar Racing’s claret and gold colours, while Elm Park, Side Glance and New Century, a Grade One winner at Woodbine in Canada last September, also notched victories at the highest level for the owner in recent seasons.
The sudden departure of Qatar Racing from the Balding yard is a surprise, not least as the trainer has had such a fine start to 2025, building an early lead in the race for the trainers’ championship with 42 winners and around £700,000 in the bank before racing on Friday.
In strictly numerical terms, though, the loss of half a dozen horses will scarcely be noticed at Kingsclere, where Balding now trains one of the largest strings in the country, with nearly 300 horses listed in the latest edition of Horses In Training.
Balding sends four runners on the long trip from Hampshire to Musselburgh’s valuable meeting on Saturday, and Wild Waves (3.35), who progressed from maiden company to a run in the St Leger during his three-year-old season, is a worthy favourite to land the £50k first prize in the Queen’s Cup, the feature event on the card.
Musselburgh 1.50 The three-year-old Wiltshire Lad was the penultimate winner of Sir Michael Stoute’s outstanding career when successful on the all-weather at Southwell last October. Gelded since, he starts his first season for the Balding stable off a 5lb higher mark and will surely pay his way as the season develops.
Haydock 2.05 Got Grey made a flying start for Dan Skelton back in the autumn but seemed to lose his way on softer ground as the season wore on. His mark has eased by 6lb in three outings as a result, however, and the return to a quicker surface here could well see a well-timed revival.
Musselburgh 2.25 Jennie Candlish’s Alzahir has returned to the turf in the form of his life following a wind operation earlier in the year and will take all the beating in his bid for a third straight success.
Haydock 2.40 The front-running Burrows Hall is unbeaten in three starts since Danny McMenamin took over in his saddle and he could be very tough to pass again here.
Musselburgh 3.00 The high-numbered stalls have a significant advantage over this five-furlong course so Jim Goldie’s American Affair, the narrow winner of the Portland Handicap at Doncaster last September, has the ideal berth in box nine for his seasonal debut. He also has winning form when fresh, including a victory at this meeting last year.
Haydock 3.15 Gary Hanmer has already coaxed a rich new vein of form from The Flier Begley since his switch to the stable at the start of the campaign, and the 10-year-old’s victory in the Market Rasen qualifier for this veterans’ event is the strongest recent form on offer.