70 not out

Wed 27 May 2026

Winner 70 of 2026: GAELIC APPROACH, trained by Charlie Johnston and ridden by Connor Beasley. The ‘Celebrate The Life Of Joe Newton Handicap’ over 1m6f at Redcar.

It was going to be a duel between our three-time winner, Wicksey, and our winning son of Masar, Gaelic Approach, who finished a gallant second last time out.

It was always going to be a tactical race, and after a good start, Gaelic Approach disputed the lead of the three-runner field. Our second MPR runner, Wicksey, travelled strongly in the hands of Andrew Mullen and passed Gaelic Approach at the halfway stage. But our eye-catching gelding wasn’t fazed by the change of tactics and settled nicely in second place. Inside the final two furlongs, Gaelic Approach retook the initiative, and within a couple of lengths, he challenged Wicksey on his outer and stormed clear to win by over 4 lengths. A very impressive success by our 3-year-old, who is for sure a progressive sort.

A fantastic day for MPR and our owners, with a 1-2 from Gaelic Approach and Wicksey, who provided us with our 70th victory of the year in record time, and another second place from Tickettothestars at Lingfield.

Watch the full race replay: https://www.racingtv.com/results/2026-05-26/redcar/1520

Timeform rated his second victory with a 82: "Made the most of a good opportunity to double his tally upped to 1¾m; made running, headed around halfway, led again under 3f out, quickened clear approaching final 1f, driven out; this didn't take much winning, but he appeals as the type of 3-y-o handicapper this yard excels with."

For official photos, please contact Tony Knapton at [email protected] and he will be able to provide you with proofs.