The horse owned by Rich Ricci has been somewhat of a mysterious figure from the moment it appeared. The same can be said for its owner, a businessman who is definitely a notable figure and a force that’s contributing to horse racing popularity around the world.
The polarizing figure Rich Ricci was previously dubbed as the Fat Cat in the Hat. Due to his £100m net worth, lavish and obscene personality and him entering the Cheltenham Festival scene mysteriously and suddenly with his notorious Royale Pagaille, he is known for ruffling many feathers in the horse racing industry.
For those unfamiliar, Royal Pagaille is a fledgling horse with only 12 runs so far, but a promising career ahead of its tracks in the hands of trainer Venetia Williams, a talent with numerous 1st place placements under her belt.
Ricci is known as one of the most keen investors in the scene and where he goes, punters follow. In the 2016 Cheltenham Festival, Ricci managed to snag just shy of £400,000 in one day after three of his horses won. And this game was no different with the Ricci-owned nine-year-old galloping force being a runner up to Bravemansgame in the King George race at Kempton. He managed to lead right under Tom Scudamore in the Grade One three-mile event.
Being a winner of the Peter Marsh Chase contest, last season at Haydock, he proceeded and finished in fifth place in the Gold Cup, which can be partially attributed to the fact that the Royal Pagaille sustained an injury in the race.
With that being said, the trainer has reassured us that the Royale Pagaille is fine and will make a swift recovery . She added that more time was necessary after the King George race due to sustaining an injury that can be described as a wound that wasn’t superficial which is the reason behind the delay in recovery. The good news is, Royale Pagaille is currently back on the gallops, showing signs of steady recovery and will be participating in the world cup with zero problems.
Williams has realistically run out of ample time to give the horse a proper Gold Cup prep, with most bookies giving the two 40:1 odds to win. Optimistically, she said that they haven’t got the time to consider any other options.
In horse racing, every minute detail can make a difference.
Conclusion
Everything considered, this was a surprising turn of events for the conditions that our Royal Pagaille was participating in, and certainly made our Fat Cat in the Hat extremely happy, with more investments stacking up on the way for sure.
We will be on the lookout for more games like this and are cheering for Royale Pagaille to make a good recovery as it turned out the injuries were not as mild as initially thought. However, the galloping prowess seems to be doing well and is readily training for the next big race. Judging by the track record thus far, we are anxiously awaiting how things will turn out.
