Andy Robertson Celebrates First Racing Win as Sole Owner

Andy Robertson enjoyed plenty of big winners in red. On Friday night at Cork, he finally had one in his own colours.

The Tottenham and Scotland defender, long immersed in the racing game, celebrated his first success as a sole owner when Walk On Harry landed the 5f maiden and triggered a €50,000 Goffs bonus.

Robertson’s racing breakthrough

Robertson is no tourist in the parade ring. He was part of the Mr McCann syndicate with former Liverpool teammates Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Adam Lallana, and he is also among the owners of Wait Geordie, trained by Hugo Palmer.

Wait Geordie made a bright start, winning by a length and a half on debut at Bath under David Probert, but has gone five runs without a follow-up. Walk On Harry, though, carried only Robertson’s name and delivered the milestone the Scotland captain had been waiting for.

Trained by Henry de Bromhead and ridden by Ronan Whelan, the colt built on a previous course-and-distance third to strike at the third attempt, turning promise into hard cash and a notable landmark for his owner.

Whelan: ‘He could have a bright future’

The win came with a sense of purpose. Drawn on the far side, Walk On Harry sat handy behind favourite Southern Boulevard, always within striking distance. When Whelan asked the question inside the final furlong, the response was decisive. The son of Earthlight quickened clear to score by a length and a quarter, looking stronger the closer they got to the line.

"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.

"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."

The pedigree and the attitude matched the performance. This was not a scrappy scramble; it was the run of a colt who might climb a few more rungs yet.

Bonus landed, one left

Walk On Harry cost €32,000 at last year’s Goffs Orby Book 2 sale, a price that made him eligible for the sales company’s lucrative €50,000 bonus scheme. By getting off the mark at Cork, he not only handed Robertson his first winner as a sole owner, he also emptied a sizeable cheque from the Goffs pot.

His success means just one of those bonuses remains to be claimed in Ireland this year.

It was a profitable evening too for tipster Graeme Rodway, who had flagged Walk On Harry at 11-2. Rodway, who has four more selections lined up for Saturday’s action, watched his confidence in the colt justified as the race unfolded exactly the way connections hoped.

For Robertson, a player used to the roar of packed stadiums, the soundtrack at Cork was different but the feeling was familiar. A first winner in his own name is on the board. The obvious question now: how far can Walk On Harry take him into this other sport he loves?