Andy Robertson Celebrates First Win as Sole Owner with Walk On Harry

Andy Robertson tasted a different kind of victory on Friday evening – and this one came with a €50,000 bonus attached.

The Tottenham and Scotland defender, long immersed in the racing game, landed his first winner as sole owner when Walk On Harry sprinted home in the 5f maiden at Cork, triggering the lucrative Goffs sales incentive in the process.

Robertson’s solo strike

Robertson is no casual newcomer to the sport. His colours have already been carried by Mr McCann, the horse he co-owned with former Liverpool teammates Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Adam Lallana. He also forms part of the ownership group behind Wait Geordie, trained by Hugo Palmer, who made a sharp start to his career with a one-and-a-half-length debut win at Bath under David Probert before drawing a blank in five subsequent runs.

This, though, was different. Walk On Harry is the first horse to run solely in Robertson’s name, and the two-year-old chose the perfect moment to put his head in front. Having finished third over the same course and distance on his previous start, he stepped up again at the third attempt for trainer Henry de Bromhead and jockey Ronan Whelan.

The race unfolded with Walk On Harry always in the firing line. He tracked favourite Southern Boulevard on the far side, travelled strongly, and 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, confirming the promise he had hinted at earlier in the month.

‘He could have a bright future’

Whelan, speaking to Racing TV, highlighted how the team had sharpened their understanding of the colt after his last run.

"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," he said.

"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 win carried extra significance beyond the bare result. Walk On Harry was bought for €32,000 at last year’s Goffs Orby Book 2 sale, making him eligible for the sales company’s €50,000 bonus scheme. His success means just one of those bonuses remains up for grabs in Ireland this year.

It was also a profitable evening for tipster Graeme Rodway, who flagged Walk On Harry at 11-2. Having already delivered that winner on Friday, Rodway has four more fancies lined up for Saturday’s cards.

For Robertson, who has lifted trophies in football’s biggest arenas, the sight of his own horse surging clear at Cork offers a fresh kind of thrill. If Walk On Harry keeps progressing the way his jockey expects, this may only be the start of his story on the turf.