Newmarket trainers deliver record haul of 37 Group 1 winners in one season
In 2018 more Group 1 winners have been prepared on the Newmarket Training Grounds than ever before. To date, a record breaking total of 37 Group 1 wins have been recorded by trainers who regularly use the training grounds, managed and maintained by Jockey Club Estates. The previous best return was 28 winners in 2014.
The Group 1 victories have come all over the world, from Melbourne, Australia, where Saeed Bin Suroor’s Best Solution and Benbatl have been successful, to Toronto, Canada, where David Simcock and Roger Varian both landed wins at the highest level. The most recent addition to the Group 1 haul was Luca Cumani’s win in Italy on Sunday with God Given, a fitting farewell prior to his retirement after 43 years of training in Newmarket.
The most successful trainer, in what has been a golden season for Newmarket, is John Gosden, who is responsible for 13 of the 37 Group 1 wins, with the spoils shared between superstars Enable and Stradivarius (2 each), Cracksman (3) and Roaring Lion (4).
Next best among the Newmarket trainers was Saeed Bin Suroor with nine Group 1 winners, followed by Sir Michael Stoute and William Haggas with four each. Other highlights included Michael Bell’s win in the Prix Morny with Pretty Pollyana and The Tin Man’s success in Haydock’s Sprint Cup, the third season in a row that James Fanshawe’s sprinter has won a Group 1 race.
The total of 37, which could yet be further increased with Group 1 races still to come from Hong Kong and Japan, is one short of double the total achieved in 2017, when there were 19 Group 1 winners. Furthermore, the figures do not include the successful Godolphin yard of Charlie Appleby, as his horses do not use the Jockey Club Estates facilities on a daily basis, although Derby winner Masar’s preparations for Epsom included a key piece of work on the Limekilns.
The Limekilns is part of the 2500 acres of maintained training grounds in Newmarket, where there are 50 miles of turf gallops and 14 miles of artificial tracks. More than 2,800 horses were in training in Newmarket at the peak of the season in May and June.
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The Jockey Club updates today that having reviewed feedback from the “Playing our part in Newmarket’s future” consultation earlier this year, the concepts consulted on for the area known as “Racecourse Side” have been submitted for consideration as part of the ongoing West Suffolk Local Plan process.
After substantial consultation and discussion between interested parties, from 1st October 2022, a new turf Hack Canter on Walton Downs will be provided and maintained for leisure horse riders on Epsom and Walton Downs. This will replace the sand Hack Ride, which will permanently close from this date and be left to return to its natural state.