Ursa Major Racing set for instant AW Bonus rewards with Mini Mac

Bargain-buy Mini Mac is the first contender to secure a perfect 75 points in the October/November competition of ARC’s £1,000,000 All-Weather Bonus scheme following three wins in a week.

A recent recruit to trainer James Owen and owner Ursa Major Racing Ltd, the 5,000gns purchase landed seven-furlong handicaps at Wolverhampton on October 27 and November 3 in addition to scoring at Southwell on October 29.

Mini Mac leads the standings outright, although stablemate Oppenheimer features among three contenders with 50 points from two starts alongside Michael Herrington’s Anthropologist and the Ed Bethell-trained Edmond Halley.

The trio will look to pull level with Mini Mac over the coming weeks as they seek a share of the £35,000 bonus pot, with other contenders likely to emerge.

New All-Weather Horse Of The Month leader!

Mini Mac gains his third win a week to kickstart the card at @WolvesRaces for @JPOwenRacing & @linusghiani99… pic.twitter.com/IHG5xURTTs

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 3, 2026

Craig Talbot, who manages Ursa Major Racing, said:

“We had a good go at the AW Bonus last winter with another horse with James called Prince Quattro, who finished 19th in the Horse of the Year standings.

“I think it is a fantastic initiative and had been keeping an eye on finding a horse for this winter. I saw Mini Mac in an online sale in August and thought he looked well handicapped, so we took a chance. We only paid 5,000 guineas and thankfully it has paid off already.

“Marco Ghiani has struck up a great partnership with Mini Mac and gave him three lovely rides. We were drawn 10 of 10 at Wolves for his latest win, which looked tricky beforehand. But it ended up being his most comfortable performance of the three.

“Mini Mac will have a break now until the December competition begins, with the Horse of the Year being the ultimate aim. To have 75 points on the board already is great and hopefully he still has a bit in hand. The handicapper will get him at some stage, but there are still plenty of points available for placed efforts.

“We have another horse for the AW Bonus called Asian Journey with Sam England. He only does just enough and would never win by very far. He is kind of a placed specialist, so he could be one to keep an eye on. He needed his last run at Wolverhampton and runs again at Southwell this weekend.”

 

Main Picture: Mini Mac winning at Southwell on October 29 (credit: Tony Knapton)

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