- Monday, 04 March 2013 16:40
- Written by David Pipe
With just eight days to go until the start of the Festival I was pleased to see the scoreboard tick into the 90’s courtesy of three more winners last week. Franklin Roosevelt started the ball rolling on Tuesday with a hard fought success in the staying handicap chase, supplementing his win from the previous week. He hasn’t always looked the most straightforward (ask A P McCoy) but he showed great resolution to get his head in front close home here and I hope that he can continue to build on this.
The stable continued in good form on Wednesday with an across the card double at Wincanton and Lingfield courtesy of E Street Boy (pictured above by kind permission of Steve Kemp) and Qalinas respectively. E Street Boy took the switch back to hurdles in his stride with victory in the handicap hurdle under Tom Scudamore at Wincanton. He showed fair enough form in three runs over the larger obstacles without really looking convincing despite schooling nicely at home. This battling success will do wonders for his confidence and he should remain competitive over hurdles while I wouldn’t rule out another crack at fences a bit further down the line.
Over at Lingfield on the same afternoon it was a case of fourteenth time lucky as we finally found the key to Qalinas who won the 2m7f handicap hurdle under a good ride from young amateur jockey Michael Heard. Stepped up to this trip for the first time, Michael always had the grey son of Malinas in a good position (prominent in a slowly run race) and now that he has proven his stamina this opens up a whole host of other opportunities for him. Now the penny has dropped there is no reason to think that he cannot win again.
It is the calm before the storm now and I don’t envisage having a great deal of runners this week other than at Sandown this Saturday when it is their famous Imperial Cup meeting. We have won the race a couple of times with Gaspara (who went on to win the Fred Winter at the Cheltenham Festival the following week) and Ashkazar and this time around we have entered Tanerko Emery, Shotavodka, Kazlian and Home Run. Meanwhile Edmund Kean, I Shot The Sheriff and Barney Cool are entered in the valuable EBF Final on the same card.
I am off to a Cheltenham Preview evening tonight (Monday) near Bath and I don’t mind telling you, I am looking forward to being a part of the audience tonight rather than on the panel! It really begins to hit home at just how close we are as six day confirmations for Cheltenham begin this Wednesday. A number of our exciting youngsters will sidestep the Festival this year, including Broadway Buffalo, Top Gamble and Kings Palace and they could go to Aintree or even Punchestown instead.
Former World Hurdle runner-up Grands Crus will gallop in company with one other at Exeter races tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday) after racing. We will see how he gets on there before deciding upon a course of action for him.
Looking ahead to Aintree, Clerk of the Course Andrew Tulloch has been down today with Tom Howley from Easy Fix to install some Grand National style fences. As you can see from the pictures below, the fences undergo an amazing transformation and really do look the part once completed. Fences such as these have also been installed at Lambourn, Middleham and the Curragh so anyone near one of the major training centres can practice over the Aintree style fences prior to the Grand National.
Before I conclude this week, I would just like to pass on my congratulations to one of my staff members, Eleri Apps who rode another winner between the flags on Turthen in the Kingston St Mary novice riders’ point-to-point near Taunton on Sunday. Well done too to Kieren Buckley, son of our Head Lad Eddie who finished fourth in the same race aboard former Pond House inmate Vertige Dore – he looked very tidy on only his second race ride and I am sure he will be in the winners’ enclosure before too long.
For all the latest news from the stable, you can keep up to date by checking Chester’s Daily Chat or you can follow me on Twitter @DavidPipeRacing.
