The Hennessy Restaurant
NEWBURY RACECOURSE was the scene yesterday for Solario Racing’s second racecourse hospitality event of the year and a great afternoon was had by owners and prospective owners.
It was the first day of the prestigious two-day Lockinge Meeting and Solario Racing played host to sixteen guests in The Hennessy Restaurant. The Starlight sponsored day at Newbury is a regular fixture in the hospitality calendar and the racing is always competitive and usually throws up some interesting horses and future stars. Two years ago, Frankel’s first progeny, Cunco, made his debut while Sir Michael Stoute’s Ulysses won his maiden in facile fashion before going on to win the Coral Eclipse and Juddmonte International.
In the paddock
Guests were greeted with a Champagne reception and it was soon down to choosing horses for the Solario Racing tipster competition. With eight races to go through, there was plenty to digest and yours truly gave his “tips” but was at pains to point out that trainers, jockeys and Racing Managers are notoriously bad tipsters!
The three-course meal was excellent and received rave reviews from Solario’s guests and the free-flowing wine seemed to make the afternoon pass very quickly! Guests were accompanied down to the paddock for the fourth race of the afternoon, courtesy of Kempton presenter, Anthony Kemp and for many this was the first time they had been into the paddock at a racecourse.
David Vine – tipster competition winner
Finding winners was not easy (well, not for the Racing Manager!) and the only clear-cut favourite to win was Willie Haggas’ Al Muffrhi, who justified the odds in the 1m2f maiden.
However, one of Solario Racing’s newest owners, David Vine, who has a share in Don’t Look Down, selected five winners and four seconds! Apart from drawing a blank in the opener, he scored points in all other seven races, was runaway leader by five points and collected the “Winner Takes All” pot!
Solario Racing hospitality days at Newbury are always good fun and this was no exception. Thank you to all the guests who contributed to the chosen charity for the day, DENS, a charity for the homeless based in and around Berkhamsted.
