ONE of the things I love about racing is that there is always the possibility of a surprise result.

Chepstow’s race meeting on Friday started off with an unlikely winner when the first race went to 50/1 outsider Church Hall for trainer Emma-Jane Bishop. Despite looking under pressure a way out, he came with a late rattle and passed leader Royal Tara in the last 100 yards. It was an exciting finish but there were not many punters cheering him home as he swept past the fancied horses! His trainer reported that the horse isn’t easy to keep fit and sound, but if you look back at his form from last year there were clues that he had some ability. Well done to the few who picked him out.

The highlight of the day for celebrity spotters was the visit from Chris Hughes of ‘Love Island’ fame. Hughes has become very well known since his stint on the programme. As well as being a familiar face in the tabloids, and recently also a spokesperson on testicular cancer, he is a huge racing fan. Last summer he rode in a charity race at York.

As an ambassador for race sponsors Coral he was at the course to support the Coral Champions Club-owned runner Annie Mc. He was really excited to see the mare score impressively, saying, “Days like this provide more happiness than anything else”. He seems a very genuine chap and he’s very personable and happy to appear in endless selfies with our customers, so he’s a great person to attract a younger audience to our sport. This was his second visit to Chepstow in recent months.

Also on the card at Chepstow the mare Goodgirlteresa achieved the rare feat of a Welsh racing double. The 9-year-old, which had never previously won a race under rules, picked up a chase at Ffos Las on Monday and was quickly turned out again to win at Chepstow on Friday! The idea of a horse making a quick reappearance after an impressive win is that they will have a chance to race again before they are reassessed by the handicapper and need to carry more weight. It was a brave move by Kayley Woollacott as typically a horse might have a couple of weeks off between races, but it often pays to follow a mare when she hits good form and this was a plan well executed.

It is always good to see our local trainers doing well, and there were two Chepstow trained winners at Saturday’s race meeting at Wolverhampton. In the first race on the card, the Grace Harris-trained Mooroverthebridge was a surprise 50/1 winner. Just over an hour later Union Rose scored for Ron Harris at 16/1.

Shirenewton trainer Grace Harris was very pleased but not particularly surprised by the tough performance from Mooroverthebridge, and in hindsight the 50/1 does look very generous. Mooroverthebridge was having her first start of the season. Her best form last year, when she won twice, was at the beginning of last turf season. Her form had dropped off later in the year, but she bounced back to her best after a winter holiday and she’s obviously a horse to follow when she’s fresh.

Last Monday at Ffos Las another Grace Harris trained runner Karakoram also surpassed expectations to finish 3rd at 100/1. The novice hurdler runs in the colours of the Grace Harris Racing Club, and he’s developing into a better hurdler than he was on the flat, so this must be an exciting time for the members of the club, which also includes ownership of the winning hurdler and chaser Maguire’s Glen.

Union Rose, which won a Wolverhampton sprint for Earlswood’s Ron Harris, has been a great servant. The speedy 7-year-old finished second at Royal Ascot at 100/1 as a 2-year-old, has won 6 races in total, and often runs at the biggest tracks. On this occasion he was a convincing winner over the favourite A Sure Welcome.

The next race meeting at Chepstow is on Friday, 1st February. Tickets are 2 for £20 if you book in advance.