Regional aims for national fame in £500,000 sprint on local track at York
Since Regional was bought for just 3,500gns he has won more than £150,000 for his 29-year-old Yorkshire trainer Ed Bethell and now lines up in the Group 1 Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes
Bargain buy Regional will seek national acclaim for himself and young trainer Ed Bethell when he steps out on his local track at York on Friday.
The breakout star of a breakout year for his stable, he has helped his 29-year-old handler pass £1million in earnings midway through his third season with a licence.
He could add another £300,000 to that amount if he lands the Group 1 Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes, the signature 5f sprint of the British summer.
He has already won more than £150,000 and is two-for-two this year, the latest a Listed victory at Haydock where he broke the track record.
It represents a massive return from a horse who was picked up at the sales for just 3,500gns.
“I ask myself daily why he was so cheap,” says Bethell. “We bought him thinking we would have to pay a bit more than we did, but he paid for himself by winning his first race for us and everything else since has been a bonus.
“He has taken us to Qatar and finished second out there. We were just hoping he would be a nice handicapper and take us to some nice days and he’s by far and away exceeded expectations.”
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Bethell took over at Thorngill House in Middleham after his father James retired after 46 years with a licence.
He spent a long apprenticeship, experiencing all aspects of the industry around the world, working for trainers William Haggas, Charlie Hills, and Robert Cowell, plus Francois Rohaut in France, Gai Waterhouse in Australia, the US auction house Fasig-Tipon and Coolmore Stud in Ireland.
“It was very important for me to see the world,” he said. “I came back and spent a year under my father until he announced he wanted to retire.
“I started with a motley crew of 20 horses and we have gone up to nearly 60 with hopefully room to expand more. I am delighted with how it’s gone.
“It would be the icing on the cake to have one winner at York. If Regional could be in the first four or five, he will have run a massive race.
“Highfield Princess and Bradsell are Group 1-winning sprinters. I am under no illusions that they are going to be tough to beat, but we got there with a fighting chance.”
