Fred Done has taken a punt on a new horse. But the Salford bookie has a special reason to see it's nose first past the winning post.
He has bought Playtogetaway who will run this winter in Fred's blue and green silks. But every penny he earns in prize money will be donated to The Christie Hospital in Manchester.
The leading cancer centre in Withington has plans to build a new £40m radiology department and Fred will be chipping in. He has personal reasons to do so. The hospital cared for his late wife, Mo.
The loss of Mo, who died on July 7th 2018, hit the Salford-born bookie hard. But he decided to turn heartbreak into a lasting legacy and donate a huge slice of his takings - £1.25 million to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital in memory of Mo.
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The windfall, handed over in 2019 was to help buy a £4m new scanner, and was the day's profits from his 1,650 shops on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, the world's most famous National Hunt race meeting.
Mo died aged 76, four months after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. For Fred, 75, her loss was the end of a 60-year love affair. He met Mo when he was 15 and they were married when he was 21. When he opened his first shop in Salford, Mo worked with him, initially as cashier and cleaner.
The care she recieved at The Christie has spurred Fred to help out the hospital with the cash from any winnings Playtogetaway earns. Fred said: "I have never owned a horse before but Mo owned several. She loved watching them. She died in The Christie and I need to help look after The Christie. I have bought the horse, which is from Ireland, and when it runs locally I want to be able to give the nurses and staff from Christie a day out to see it ride. I am hoping to do that when it races at Haydock on December 30th.
"I think The Christie is a fantastic hospital - no one wants to go there - but if you or your family do they do a brilliant job - they go above and beyond their duties.
“We have been in unprecedented times in the last couple of years and the NHS has been at the forefront of it. I have always supported health charities and thought this was an ideal opportunity to give something back and say a big thank you for all their efforts while providing a fun journey following the career of a racehorse.
"Playtpgetaway is being trained by the former champipon jockey Jonjo O'Neill, who is a personal friend of mine and I have high hopes that he will do well."
Marie Toller, of The Christie charity, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Fred for this wonderfully generous commitment and support. Gifts from the public make a huge difference to the care and treatment that The Christie is able to provide to patients and their families .”
Playtogetaway is in training with Jonjo O’Neill at Jackdaws Castle in the Cotswolds, and made a pleasing recent debut at Warwick, finishing sixth in a bumper - a flat race under the rules of jump racing designed for horses who have not previously run on the flat to get experience of racing.
Jockey Jonjo O’Neill Jnr said: “Playtogetaway did very well for his summer break and showed plenty of promise at Warwick, just getting a little outpaced late on. He will probably need a longer trip in time, but we will keep him to two miles for his hurdles debut.”. Playtogetaway, a gorgeous chestnut son of Getaway, came to Jackdaws Castle in March.
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