Andy Robertson Celebrates First Solo Ownership Win with Walk On Harry
Andy Robertson enjoyed a very different kind of winner on Friday afternoon – and this one came with his name alone on the racecard.
The Tottenham and Scotland defender, long immersed in the racing game, landed his first success as a sole owner when Walk On Harry swept home in the 5f maiden at Cork, triggering a lucrative €50,000 Goffs bonus in the process.
From syndicates to solo success
Robertson is no newcomer to the sport. He was part of the Mr McCann syndicate alongside former Liverpool teammates Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Adam Lallana, a group that made no secret of their enthusiasm for the racecourse.
He is also among the owners of Wait Geordie, trained by Hugo Palmer, who made a bright start when scoring by one and a half lengths on debut at Bath under David Probert. That early promise has yet to be repeated, with the horse winless in five runs since.
Walk On Harry, though, is different. This was the first horse to run solely in Robertson’s name and, at the third attempt, he delivered.
Walk On Harry steps up
Trained by Henry de Bromhead and ridden by Ronan Whelan, Walk On Harry built on a previous course-and-distance third to finally get off the mark. The son of Earthlight raced prominently on the far side, tracking favourite Southern Boulevard before Whelan asked for a serious effort inside the final furlong.
The response was decisive. Walk On Harry quickened clear to score by a length and a quarter, confirming the promise he had hinted at on his earlier visit to Cork.
“We learned a lot about him the last day and we thought dropping back to five furlongs we could be good and positive on him, but he's actually a horse that wants to travel,” Whelan told Racing TV, offering a glimpse into the thinking behind the improved display.
“He's got a lovely pedigree and he's a lovely physical horse to go with it, so hopefully he's only going to keep on progressing. He's got a beautiful mind to go with it, so he could have a bright future.”
Bonus landed, one left
Walk On Harry was bought for €32,000 at last year’s Goffs Orby Book 2 sale, a price that made him eligible for the sales company’s €50,000 bonus scheme. His Cork victory triggered that payout, leaving just one such bonus still up for grabs in Ireland this year.
The result also provided a profitable moment for Racing Post tipster Graeme Rodway, who had flagged Walk On Harry at 11-2 and saw his confidence rewarded. Rodway, who has four more selections lined up for Saturday’s action, described the winner as a Group 1-level performer capable of outclassing his Hungerford rivals.
For Robertson, whose competitive instincts usually play out on Premier League pitches and international stages, the buzz of watching his colours carried home in front will feel very familiar. The question now is simple: how far can Walk On Harry take him into racing’s winner’s enclosure?
