A moment to savour for Richard Upton

Richard Upton rides first career winner at Wincanton

By Graham Clark

Horse Racing

Mon March 31, 2025 · 9M ago

Teenage jockey Richard Upton enjoyed a day to remember at Wincanton on Monday when becoming the latest member of his family to taste victory on the track.

The 18-year-old, who is the son of former jockeys Guy and Sophia Upton, and nephew of Cheltenham Festival winning rider Tim Mitchell, was on target aboard Off To A Flayer in the Golf Membership On Sale Now Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.

Adopting the same front running tactics that saw the Joe Tizzard-trained eight year old score on his last start at Huntingdon back in May, victory for the fledgling rider, and the 3/1 chance, never looked in doubt.

And so it proved with Upton, whose mum is now a starter and dad steward, pushing his mount out to score by two and a half lengths much to the delight of his family who gathered around the winner’s enclosure at the Somerset track.

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Upton said: “I lost my stirrup at the second hurdle and I was lucky to get it back really, but I got it back. He was in wicked form and he never came off the bridle. He travelled brilliantly the entire way. There was never a doubt he was not going to win.

“I only started riding out for Joe last Christmas. I used to ride out for a point-to-point trainer a month before that and that is all I’ve done really. I’ve had a couple of seconds and thirds point-to-pointing, but that is my first winner. Mum and dad are both former jockeys so I’ve a good team behind me. It was brilliant crossing the line. When I looked up at the screen and saw that I was still in front and no one was near me, that was just class.”

The victory also provided the opening leg of a double for Tizzard, who was also on target with Ellerton in the You Can’t Catch Me Novices’ Limited Handicap Hurdle, which the even-money shot claimed by a length-and-three-quarters.

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