Food For Thought winning at Nottingham today

Photo Credit: Steven Cargill/The Jockey Club

King Charles III and Queen Camilla were part of a small piece of history at Nottingham Racecourse this morning, as his horse won what is believed to be the earliest race ever held at the track. 

Soaring temperatures across the UK led to the start times for today’s meeting being moved forward, to avoid the hottest part of the day for those taking part. 

It meant that the opening Happy Retirement Martin Stoneman Fillies' Novice Stakes set off at 10.30am, around three and a half hours before conventional race times in the summer. 

Temperatures were already around 28 degrees by the time the starting gates were opened, but it did little to deter the Royal runner Food For Thought, who quickly made her way to the front despite a slow start. 

Ralph Beckett’s charge was sent off as a 7-4 second favourite behind the John and Thady Gosden-trained Velvet Vega, but things proved to be very straightforward from there, with the three-year-old making pretty much every yard for a pillar-to-post success under Pat Dobbs. 

Speaking after the race, the winning jockey said: “She’s a little bit busy, so Ralph left me with a free hand to do what I wanted. She jumped very slowly but we were going slow, so I just let her enjoy herself in front. 

“The ground was plenty quick enough for her and I’d say she’d enjoy herself when she gets a bit of cut (in the ground), but she stayed well. I’d say she’s getting better with racing, she feels like she is, she’s still a little bit immature mentally.”

There is precedent for racing fixtures being scheduled to start in the morning in the UK, with Chelmsford kicking off a card at 10am on Grand National Day two years ago, but today’s race is widely thought to be the earliest to ever happen at Nottingham. 

Nottingham clerk of the course Paul Barker said: “This morning’s meeting was a great success, everything went smoothly and everyone was really receptive to the changes we made.

“We were monitoring temperatures in the build-up and put the hot weather protocols in place on Monday, putting the welfare of all participants first. 

“Nottingham is very awkward in that there’s not much cover outside of the stables, so we put lots of extra measures in place. We invested in some high-powered fans for the pre-parade ring and stable yard, plus there was a dedicated team to wash down the runners. 

“We also only permitted the winner into the winners’ enclosure, and only after an assessment by the veterinary team.

“I’m pretty sure that this was the earliest race we’ve ever held at Nottingham, so it’s a bit of history for the King!”

ENDS