- Monday, 07 April 2014 15:49
- Written by David Pipe
With the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals out of the way, the yard will begin to quieten down with some of the better known horses taking their summer breaks over the coming few weeks with others going back to their owners for a well deserved rest. That is not to say that we will be resting on our laurels however – there are still some nice pots to be won including the Scottish Grand National, Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr as well as the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown, not to mention the wealth of big races up for grabs at the Punchestown Festival at the end of the month. As I write this week’s column, we have enjoyed 89 winners this term and won almost £1.4million in prize money (a considerable increase on last year’s figure).
Once again the Grand National was a great spectacle and I am pleased to report that our three runners in the big race Swing Bill (9th), The Package (12th) and Our Father (unseated rider) have all returned home safe and sound. Swing Bill managed to sneak into the field as the bottom weight and he produced another great performance in the race, giving Conor O’Farrell another fantastic spin around the Aintree fences, while providing his owners Halewood International (who own race sponsor Crabbies) a great run for their money – it is easy to see why so many people love this great grey veteran.
The Package ran very well for a long way before tiring in the closing stages under Tom Scudamore, which was a little surprising considering I had always felt stamina was one of his long suits. Our other runner Our Father unfortunately parted company with partner Denis O’Regan at the Canal Turn on the first circuit. I’m not quite sure what happened as the horse seemed to jump the fence okay – it looked quite a soft departure and while it was still early in the race, I’m sure Denis will be kicking himself.
The most important thing of course is that all horses and jockeys were okay after the race and I would like to extend my congratulations to Aintree racecourse for the tremendous job they did in producing good safe ground and the measures in place to make the Grand National was as safe as possible without losing the essence of the occasion. Congratulations too to Dr Richard Newland (pictured left) and his team on landing this great chase with Pineau de Re, his first runner in the race - a truly fantastic achievement.
It was a good week for us on the whole at Aintree with the likes of Cheltenham Festival winners Dynaste and Ballynagour in particular running creditably to finish in the frame in the Betfred Bowl and Melling Chase respectively. Dynaste was beaten 1 ½ lengths by Silviniaco Conti and will now go on his summer holidays, while Ballynagour travelled well on this step up to Grade One company before flattening out shortly after the last to finish third, 4½ lengths behind Boston Bob. He will be kept on the go for now and could head over to France to try to pick up some valuable prize money there. Dell' Arca (pictured right) also fared well on his step up to Grade One company, finishing a close third in the Mersey Novices' Hurdle.
We didn’t come away from the meeting empty handed as Doctor Harper (pictured top) ran out a ready winner of the Grade 3 handicap hurdle at the end of the first day under Tom Scudamore. He saw out the trip really well on this first try at three miles and despite a few less than fluent leaps here, he looks like a cracking good staying chaser in the making.
Earlier in the week we recorded a double at Newton Abbot’s first meeting of 2014 courtesy of the Roger Brookhouse owned pair Sail By The Sea and Volt Face. The former was particularly impressive in landing the maiden hurdle and while his task was made easier by the disappointing performance of the favourite, he could do no more than beat the remainder of his rivals convincingly. A winner over three miles between the flags, it is encouraging that he has the speed for 2m1f around a sharp track like this. There are plenty of opportunities open to him and he is a nice prospect for the future. He is another that could head across to the Emerald Isle at the end of the month.
Looking ahead to this week, the next runners from the stable will probably be on Thursday where among the entries we have the likes of Great Choice and Purple ‘N Gold entered at our local track Taunton, while Red Seventy holds an engagement at Ludlow and Border Breaker is a likely runner at Towcester. The two day Scottish National meeting at Ayr begins on Friday and we could br represented by the likes of His Excellency and Consigliere, while Swing Bowler is likely to run in the Scottish Champion Hurdle and Edmund Kean will probably line up in the Scottish National. Vieux Lion Rouge and Broadway Buffalo also feature among the entries at the Scottish track.
As usual, for all the latest information on our runners don’t forget to visit Chester’s Daily Chat or follow us on Twitter @DavidPipeRacing.
Finally, there was a fantastic piece in the ‘Big Read’ supplement of the Racing Post on Sunday 6th April by Tom Park who caught up with first time racehorse owner Stephen Quinlan.
Steve and his partner Jan approached us to buy a horse for his 50th birthday and I found former Irish point-to-point winner Virtuel d’Oudon for them for £20,000, despite their budget being considerably larger. He is now the winner of both of his starts and looks a bargain purchase.
Steve said, “I appreciate the complete honesty and professionalism that David has shown me since joining the Pond House team as an owner and I look forward to many more exciting times.”
The article is reproduced in it’s entirety below with the kind permission of the Racing Post and Tom Park…
I GOTTA HORSE
Stephen Quinlan tells Tom Park about his instant success with Virtuel d’Oudon
“Pipe dream quick to pay dividends”
Horse Virtuel d’Oudon Wins 2
Owner Stephen Quinlan Age 50
Best moment Virtuel d’Oudon’s victory first time out at Plumpton
Many first-time owners go years without tasting success but try telling that to Stephen Quinlan, who must be thinking it’s a walk in the park after his orange and green spotted silks were carried to victory twice in two runs by Virtuel d’Oudon.
Despite the instant success, Quinlan (pictured right) insists he bought the horse not with the intention of glory and success but to work with his boyhood hero Martin Pipe.
“I’ve been spending my pennies on horses ever since I was getting pocket money and it has long been a dream to have a horse with Martin and David Pipe,” says Quinlan, a businessman from Nantwich, Cheshire.
“To say I admire Martin would not be strong enough. He was doing things outside the box a long time ago and if there’s one thing I have learned in business those people are worth their weight in gold.”
Quinlan was not disappointed when he visited the Pipes at Pond House Stables. “I knew after 20 minutes that I had come to the right place. They’re such lovely people.
“Even if the horse had never got to see a racecourse I’m so pleased he’s being looked after where he is. If he could talk he’d be thanking us for having him based there – it’s a five star place.”
Quinlan, who celebrated his 50th birthday last month, parted with £20,000 in January to buy the point-to-point recruit after seeking advice from Pipe.
“My partner Jan fell in love as soon as she cast eyes on him and we’ve had no regrets. He’s such a gorgeous horse and so relaxed and friendly. He must think he’s a superstar after the amount of photographs he’s had taken with the family.”
Despite landing a three-mile point-to-point before moving to Pond House, Virtuel d’Oudon’s first victory came in a 2m2f bumper at Plumpton.
“David told me he would run well without winning but Tom Scudamore (jockey) told me to get some money on as he would win,” says Quinlan.
“I’ve never had an experience like that first win. You just want the horse to come back safe and sound but to win was fantastic.
“I came into the sport treating it as a hobby, so the winning is a bonus. I know I’m going to lose money over the years but just meeting people like Martin and David makes it all worthwhile. I love it.”
Virtuel d’Oudon followed up his Plumpton win when stepping up in trip to land a 2m6½f novice hurdle at Fontwell last month.
“He’s still a big baby who’s got loads of improvement in him,” says Quinlan. “I’m not sure whether we will get another run into him this season as he prefers softer ground.
“David is keen to go chasing as soon as possible and he will probably be campaigned over fences next season. The future looks bright.”
