Andy Robertson Celebrates First Solo Win with Walk On Harry

Andy Robertson has won plenty on the pitch, but Friday at Cork brought a different kind of victory. The Tottenham and Scotland defender celebrated his first winner as a sole racehorse owner when Walk On Harry burst clear in the 5f maiden, triggering a €50,000 Goffs bonus in the process.

Robertson is no casual newcomer to the game. 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 is also among the owners of Wait Geordie, trained by Hugo Palmer, who made a bright start when scoring by a length and a half under David Probert on debut at Bath but has drawn a blank in five runs since.

This one was different. Walk On Harry was the first horse to run solely in Robertson’s name and, at the third attempt, he delivered.

Trained by Henry de Bromhead and ridden by Ronan Whelan, the son of Earthlight built on a previous course-and-distance third to finally get his head in front. Whelan, speaking to Racing TV, revealed how a tactical rethink paid off.

"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," the jockey 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 race itself unfolded with Walk On Harry always in the right place. He travelled prominently on the far side, stalking favourite Southern Boulevard, before Whelan asked him to go inside the final furlong. The response was sharp and decisive. Walk On Harry quickened away to score by a length and a quarter, a performance that suggested there is more to come than just a maiden win and a cheque.

His success also underlined a good call from tipster Graeme Rodway, who flagged Walk On Harry at 11-2 and was rewarded when the colt delivered. Rodway, who has four more selections lined up for Saturday’s cards for Racing Post+ subscribers, saw his confidence justified as the Earthlight colt proved too strong late on.

Walk On Harry cost €32,000 at last year’s Goffs Orby Book 2 sale, a figure that now looks shrewd given his eligibility for the sales company’s €50,000 bonus scheme. With his victory at Cork, only one such bonus remains to be claimed in Ireland this year.

For Robertson, used to leading Scotland out and lining up in the Premier League, the sight of his colours being carried past the post in front under his own name alone will have felt every bit as sweet as a last-minute winner. The question now is simple: with a horse like this off the mark and “a bright future” the verdict from the saddle, how far can Walk On Harry take his footballing owner into the racing spotlight?