- Monday, 26 September 2016 14:11
- Written by David Pipe
Although there was not an abundance of opportunities, it was still another good week for the stable with a couple of winners keeping the tally ticking along and the success of Moon Racer (pictured above) in the battle of the Champion Bumper winners making for an unexpected but enormously enjoyable spectacle for Perth racegoers and racing enthusiasts alike at this early stage of the season.
I would be surprised if two Festival Bumper winners have faced off on their hurdling debuts before, nevermind at Perth although that is not to impune the course in any way as they do a fantastic job with the track and look after the owners and trainers exceptionally well. I always enjoy my visits north of the border, especially after a winner or two!
It would have been easy to sidestep the clash between Moon Racer and Ballyandy last Thursday, although finding good, safe ground is a pre-requisite for our charge at this time of year rather than looking for a massive payday. After missing most of last season I was keen to get a run into him and I am hoping for a fuller campaign this time around. I thought that Moon Racer jumped well in the main on his first start over timber and he battled on tenaciously to take care of Ballyandy in a thrilling finish. I was very pleased – Ballyandy is clearly a high-class horse, but our fellow is entitled to come on for the run and will certainly have learned an enormous amount from this experience. This was a very encouraging start and the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is still very much the long-term target. In the meantime, he could well go to Cheltenham in November where he could gain some valuable experience over their hurdles.
The two day meeting at Perth was an excellent one for the Pond House team. Our four runners set out on Tuesday and yielded two winners, a second and a fourth making the journey well worthwhile. Aside from Moon Racer, Mango Cap ran out a gutsy winner of the three mile handicap hurdle on Wednesday. He hadn’t replicated his decent French form in four outings in this country, although the step-up in trip brought about just enough improvement for him to prevail narrowly. We will look for something similar for him shortly.
What A Moment also performed creditably on his long journey up north, finishing runner-up in the three mile novices’ hurdle, showing more than enough to suggest that his turn should not be long in coming.
Conditional jockey Michael Heard has certainly been keeping himself busy when not in the saddle. Below you can see him pictured at home with his finest creation, a garden wall – Emperor Hadrian himself would have been proud of the workmanship! It is comforting to know that should things not work out as desired with the riding career, he already has the foundations laid for an alternative career!
While we are on the subject of staff members, I certainly will not be getting on the wrong side of Gabby Sully-Dunbar (pictured right, centre) whose very proud father was in touch with us last week to tell us that she had graduated to black belt karate grade. Many congratulations to her on a fantastic achievement.
A couple of weeks ago I announced that I was looking into starting a racing club as well as some new syndicates and I have been very pleased by the reaction. The syndicate in particular has drawn a positive response and I am now nearly in a position to proceed with this initiative with just a couple more places available. This will provide an excellent opportunity to experience the thrill of racehorse ownership first hand with only a fraction of the outlay – with the Horses In Training Sales at Newmarket next month I could well be looking for a horse for the syndicate there. If you would be interested in becoming a part in this exclusive partnership or would like further details, do drop me an e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We still have some copies of our excellent 2016/17 brochure (pictured left) for sale and they can be purchased direct from us via cash, cheque (payable to David Pipe) or Paypal. At £10 they are good value and furthermore we will be making a contribution to the local air ambulance from the sales so you will be helping an excellent cause too.
Finally, I would like to offer my commiserations to Somerset County Cricket Club who narrowly missed out on the County Championship last week. They should however be congratulated on an excellent season and I wish them all the best going forward and hope they can go one better next season.
