'He turned sharp left and over to the far rail - it was a proper handbrake turn'

Betfair's in-running market has seen some huge sums traded and lost after the impossible somehow became reality. In a new series called Room 1.01, we recall some of racing's most expensive defeats.

This week's subject: Go West Young Man

The horse

Go West Young Man undoubtedly had talent but he also had his own ideas about racing. Trained by Henry Daly for his owner-breeder Tim Nixon, Go West Young Man showed plenty of promise in two bumpers and was placed in two of his first three runs over hurdles.

It was on his next start, however, that he first showed his recalcitrant side when running in a handicap hurdle at Uttoxeter. Travelling strongly, he started to hang badly to his right going down the back straight and after jumping four out he decided he'd had enough and went bounding off to the chase course.

Go West Young Man: talented but enigmaticCredit: Edward Whitaker

Things weren't as extreme on his next start at Market Rasen but after edging ahead after the last his head came up like a periscope and he found very little for pressure, forfeiting the lead and potential victory. As a result, the jury was out as he headed to Exeter for his next start.

4.10 Exeter: Avalon Surfacing Handicap Hurdle full result and replay

The race

Go West Young Man was returning from a seven-month break in what looked an open handicap hurdle at Exeter. The highest-rated in the field, he had obvious form claims under good to soft conditions that suited him well and he sent off the 11-2 second favourite.

With the horse's previous misdemeanors in mind, regular rider Jake Greenall anchored his partner at the back of the 12-strong field and made sure he stayed close to the inside running rail with horses always to his outside.

It was a clever ploy and Go West Young Man appeared to be enjoying racing on the heels of his rivals and weaving between runners as he made progress.

Favourite Bajan Blu took the field along but the writing was on the wall for him as he started to weaken badly approaching three out, just as Go West Young Man started to latch on to the leaders.

Still Greenall stayed towards the inner and jumping two out he was going by far the best. It looked to be a masterful piece of riding but at some stage he was going to have to hit the front if he was going to win.

That moment came at the last and, after a clean jump, Greenall asked the first proper question of his partner who started to draw clear.

Looking to seal the win, the rider drew his whip for the first time but the response was not what he bargained for. The line was approaching but Go West Young Man spotted the paddock and cheering crowd to his left and decided he liked what he saw.

Go West Young Man and Jake Greenall (orange) hit the front at Exeter in October 2014Credit: Racing UK

He starts to hang left but still looks the likely winner approaching the closing stagesCredit: Racing UK

The leader veers right across the closing pack and heads towards the paddock exitCredit: Racing UK

Go West Young Man ends up on the far rail and another race goes west for connectionsCredit: Racing UK

Veering 90 degrees to his left, he would have happily joined the spectators for a pint had the rail not blocked his path and he ended up side-on to the winning line on the far side of the track with barely 50 yards to go.

Greenall eventually straightened him up and the duo jig-jogged over the line to finish sixth, but this was the latest race to have gone west for the six-year-old.

You had to feel for the punters who backed him down to 1.01, with more than £23,300 traded at the basement figure on Betfair. Unlikely winner Thundering Home, sent off at 25-1, traded at a high of 170.

The in-running comment

Go West Young Man

Held up, headway approaching 3 out, led approaching last, ridden and drawing clear when veered badly left final 50yds and headed final 50yds, not recover

What they say

Henry Daly, trainer

A polite term to use to describe him is a rogue. It was deeply frustrating because he might have been the most talented horse I ever trained.

We had issues with him all the way along but he was deeply talented. He practically refused to race one day at Bangor and still managed to get back into the race – he did some very odd things.

Henry Daly: 'He did some very odd things'Credit: Edward Whitaker

That day at Exeter, Jake gave him a corker of a ride. He literally picked up his stick for the first time after the last and gave him one slap and that was it – he turned sharp left and over to the far rail he went.

It's very hard on a racehorse going forward to get to where he did on the track after landing over the last – it was quite an achievement. It was a proper handbrake turn. That was the day we decided never to use the stick ever again.

If you look at the Kempton race he won, Jake never picked up his stick at all and the horse bolted up. He never looked like getting beaten. He provided quite a lot of entertainment and an enormous amount of frustration.

Richard Hoiles, commentator

As a commentator, whenever you see an 'R' in a horse's form you always check it out and the fact he had run out at Uttoxeter previously, coupled with the fact horses often head for the paddock exit on the run-in at Exeter, meant he was one to keep an eye on.

You see all sorts of things, like horses crashing through rails, but for a horse putting on the breaks, this was about as dramatic as it gets. Some horses you can keep them going forward even when they start to veer but Jake Greenall had no chance of that, the horse both veered and stopped.

Richard Hoiles: 'His jockey has no chance'Credit: Edward Whitaker

I was a little late to call it, and was probably tracking back through the field at the time, but the gasp from the crowd alerted me to just how dramatic it was. Knowing his reputation and the way he carried his head, he'd been produced absolutely perfectly and he had to do something that dramatic to lose.

Very rarely do you call any race where a horse that is in front 50 yards from the line finishes sixth.

What happened next?

Go West Young Man continued his wayward tendencies throughout his career, with undoubtedly his favourite party trick hanging badly when any semblance of pressure was applied by his rider.

However, the horse and his connections did have their day when Go West Young Man won on the bridle at Kempton in May 2016, with Greenall describing it as the most pleasurable victory of his career at the time.

That feeling did not last long as Go West Young Man ran out on his next start at Aintree, something he did four times in all during his career.

He later joined trainer Laura Morgan and managed one further victory when cajoled to victory by Tabitha Worsley in a handicap chase at Perth in 2018. True to form, he ran out on his very next run at Market Rasen.

His last start came at Musselburgh at the end of 2019 and his career ended with two wins, 16 places and a host of hard-luck stories from 46 starts.

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