Manchester City and England footballer Phil Foden has entered horse racing folklore following a major upset at Goodwood, where Wreck It Ronnie defeated Najidi Storm to make the favourite the shortest-priced loser in British racing history.
Najidi Storm, a brother to 2019 St Leger hero Logician trained by Harry Charlton, went off at 1-33 in the famous Juddmonte silks. However, Charlie Pike’s 10-1 shot Wreck It Ronnie — named after part-owner Foden’s son — hit the target under a smart ride from Kieren Fox to win the Cleansing Service Group Novice Stakes.
The midfielder co-owns the horse alongside Gary Gillies and was absent from the Sussex track due to Champions League commitments, but the trainer expressed delight at securing a notable victory for a headline addition to his ownership ranks.
Pike, who narrowly missed out on a double when Brosay finished second in the final race on the card, said: “It’s been a good day, Wreck It Ronnie was brilliant in the first and it’s nice to make a little bit of history.
“We wanted to go on and make the running and didn’t want to get stuck behind two lesser experienced horses than us.
“I’d have been lying if I said going in that we thought we would win the race, but we were there to have a race and going off from the front was the best chance of doing that. Luckily it worked out in our favour.
“It’s a big result and great to get a winner for Phil early on. I’ve probably set the bar a bit high now, but we plan to go on nice and strong and I’m looking forward to working alongside Phil, (internet tipster) Scott Shearsmith and obviously Gary who is involved as well.”
The defeat of Najidi Storm surpassed the previous record jointly held by Doom in 2023 and Royal Forest in 1948, who were both turned over at odds of 1-25.
Brian O’Keeffe of BOYLE Sports, said: “We’ve witnessed the shortest-priced loser in British racing history, but that doesn’t mean it was a good result for the layers.
“Najidi Storm might have been an ‘acca’ buster for a number of punters, but when one is put in that short, they’re often keen to look elsewhere.
“This time, their eye was drawn to the winner, Wreck It Ronnie, who was unfortunately the biggest liability in the race in our book.”
Paddy Power spokesman Paul Binfield said: “Wreck It Ronnie sure lived up to his name with favourite-backers and the winner was actually a loser in the book with punters taking a chance against the very short-priced ‘jolly’.”
