It was honours even for the opening period of the ARC £1,000,000 All-Weather Bonus as Spun To Gold and Young Endless ended October/November with a maximum return of 75 points.
Both handicappers were on two wins heading into the final week, with Young Endless completing a three-timer for Kevin Frost at Southwell on November 26, his third win at the course in the space of 23 days.
Jim Goldie’s Spun To Gold levelled the scores at Newcastle later the same day as he got up in the final stride under a well-timed ride from apprentice Lauren Young. This followed victories at Newcastle on October 21 and Southwell nine days later.
Young Endless is owned by Endless Possibilities while Spun To Gold carries the colours of Belgate Racing Limited, with both sets of connections receiving a £15,000 bonus.
Electric Avenue takes the third-place prize of £5,000 following two wins at Newcastle and second at Wolverhampton for Ivan Furtado and Making Headway Racing.
Additional bonuses totalling £10,000 will be awarded to the stable staff involved with all three horses.
Goldie said: “We hatched a plan with Spun To Gold, but they do not always come off, do they? So when this one did, it was very satisfying, especially as the final race was a bit of a nail-biter.
“The owners are chuffed. They were going to sell him, but I said he could be a contender for these races at Newcastle, so they bought him back through an online sale. It is great that it has worked out.
“The aim for Spun To Gold now will be the £100,000 Horse of the Year bonus. He is declared for Newcastle on Friday, with Paul Mulrennan back on him, so he should be there or thereabouts as he does not have a penalty for last week’s win.
“The AW Bonus definitely concentrates the mind, working out a strategy within the 15 allotted runs. Racing is a puzzle and this is a part of that. I think it is a clever initiative, especially for this class of horse as it gives them something to target during the winter while the big boys are in foreign parts.”
Frost said: “Myself, the owners and the staff are delighted that Young Endless has shared the first AW Bonus of the season. Heading into the final week with a live chance was great fun and everyone involved got a real thrill out of it.
“It was handy how it worked out with the race planning because Southwell is our local track – we are located about four miles away – so the horse did not have to do much travelling. That helps when you are running them back relatively quickly.
“Young Endless is a grand horse and has gone up almost a stone in the handicap for those three wins. For horses at his level, these bonuses give them a chance to earn some proper prize money. While he is in good form, we will keep going with him.”
