Harry Fry praises Opening Batsman after popular veteran is retired

Harry Fry paid tribute and thanked Opening Batsman for helping launch his career after the likeable 13-year-old was retired following the 2m4f handicap chase.

There was no fairytale ending as Opening Batsman, who runs in the colours of The Twelfth Man Partnership, was pulled up, but Fry had only kind things to say about the nine-time winner, whose biggest success came in the Grade 3 Racing Plus Chase – now sponsored by 888Sport – at Kempton in February 2013.

That victory came not long after Fry started training, and he said: "It was my first season and that was my first big winner. It was one we needed and it put us on the map.