TUSCAN GOLD. 02 April 2007. Medicean-Louella Owner-Littlethorpe Park Racing 1.
Tuscan Gold is one of three horses from Oakwood Stables to have won the prestigious Pontefract Stayers Championship in recent years, the other two are Mr Crystal, and Becky The Thatcher.
Tuscan Gold is a very well bred horse, being by the 2001 Group 1, Coral Eclipse winner, Medicean, out of a El Gran Senor mare, who herself produced the Group 1 Gran Premio di Milano winner Leadership, in 2003.
He started his racing career in the care of Sir Mark Prescott, being brought along in typical Prescott fashion, over shorter trips as a juvenile, before stepping up in distance at three.This approach paid off very well, as once he was introduced in to handicaps from a mark of 66, he won twice, and was second on his other three starts. He was then off the track for the next 11 months, running a further three times, including a no show in the 2011 Cesarewitch.
He was sold following that race, and put in to training for his jumping career with Alan King. He had just the five runs,all in novice hurdles for the King yard, not looking keen on some occasions, but still earning a BHA mark of 113, before changing hands again, and being moved to the yard of Laura Mongan. He would race a total of 19 times for that yard under both codes, once again not always looking the most straight forward, from tough looking handicap marks. He did actually win a race for the Mongan yard at Worcester in April 2013, but lost the race in the stewards room, having hung badly, and interfering with the runner up Jacks Grey.
Tuscan Gold arrived at Oakwood Stables in the Spring of 2015, and got off to a flyer. After a second at Pontefract in the Jamaican Flight handicap, he went on to winning two of his next four, at Ripon,and Pontefract. He would race a further four times in 2015, all at Pontefract, but never got competitive.The following season began once again by finishing second in the Jamaican Flight, over two miles and two furlongs, but he lost his way under both codes for the remainder of the year. It wasn't until January 1st, 2017 at Catterick, that Tuscan Gold found his form again, when finishing second from a plummeting mark of 100, in the extended three miles handicap hurdle, with our 10lb conditional Hugo Thompson Brown taking over for the first time. At the same venue 12 days later, with Hugo once again in the saddle, he was finally back in the winners enclosure.
His final season of racing was in 2017, and once again, for the third year running he was second in the Jamaican Flight handicap, at Pontefract, He won the Pontefract Marathon 13 days later, and was aimed at all of their staying races for the rest of the season, placing a further three times,in the remaining five events. His final racecourse appearance was on October 23rd in the Phil Bull Trophy, and although last of five in the very classy event, he ended his career as the Pontefract Champion Stayer of 2017.
Tuscan Flyer is loving his retirement, living in Bedale, North Yorkshire.