TONY McCoy landed a hat-trick at Stratford last Wednesday on an emotional afternoon for the champion jockey and Cotswolds trainer Jonjo O'Neill.

McCoy's treble was completed in the National Hunt Flat Race on O'Neill's 1/3 favourite Nelson's Spice after earlier wins on two more favourites.

However, McCoy pulled up Intersky Falcon who was subsequently retired after connections pulled the plug on a chasing career.

The O'Neill-trained nine-year-old, three times a Grade 1 winner and successful in back-to-back renewals of the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, competed for the final time in a novice chase at Luddington Road last week.

Smashing

"He's been a smashing horse. He's won the Fighting Fifth, the Christmas Hurdle and we had a great run with him all the time," O'Neill told At The Races.

"He didn't really like the fences that much but he's got out in one piece, and we're all happy about that."

Owned by interskyracing.com and O'Neill's wife Jacqui, Intersky Falcon was ridden in his heyday by Liam Cooper but was partnered to his first and last wins by McCoy, who was on board for the gelding's final success in a Newton Abbot Novice Chase in May.

Winning 12 of his 36 races, Intersky Falcon amassed £390,997 in prize money, with some of that money earned in the Champion Hurdle, in which he was fifth in 2003, third in 2004, sixth in 2005 and 11th this year.

Richard Johnson also steered home an odds-on shot at Stratford before rushing over to Worcester where he made it an afternoon's double fewer than three hours later.

There promises to be a couple of super Sundays at Stratford Racecourse this month starting this weekend with the annual Family Day.

The meeting is again being generously sponsored by The Birmingham Evening Post and Coventry Evening Telegraph and a seven-race card gets under starter's orders at 2pm

Gates open at 11am and there will be lots of free entertainment and family attractions including performances by the National Festival Circus, falconry display, weighing room tours and jockey autograph sessions.

The Centre Course will be a haven of activity for the youngsters with a bouncy castle and face painting. A shuttle bus will take racegoers from Stratford station to the course at a cost of £2 return.

The following Sunday, July 23, Luddington Road stages its annual Ladies Day.

Admission prices are Centre Course £7, Club Enclosure £17 and Tattersalls £13. Accompanied children under 16 are admitted free of charge.

l STRATFORD Members Racing Club had a fantastic day at Market Rasen last Sunday when their horse Erins Lass, trained by Robin Dickin, won with conditional jockey Joe Stevenson his first success.