Star Quality!

Following our visit from Ben Newton and Edward Whitaker last week, today (Monday) is the day you can see the fruit of their labours as Pond House kicks off the annual Racing Post Stable Tour series.  If you have picked up a copy, you will see that we have been busy sourcing more exciting new recruits to the National Hunt game and two of those certainly looked the part with deeply impressive debuts over the weekend. 

Of course, I am talking about stable debutants Moon Racer (pictured above) and Stars Over The Sea who scored bloodless victories on Saturday at Cheltenham and Sunday at Kempton respectively.  Moon Racer had pleased us since we bought him from Brightwells Cheltenham Sales in April after winning his only start in a valuable Irish sales bumper and we were hopeful of a big run from him in what is traditionally a very warmly contested National Hunt flat race at Cheltenham’s first meeting of the season.  Always cautiously optimistic rather than confident, I certainly had not expected the response when Tom Scu asked him to go for home at the bottom of the hill.  He powered right away from his rivals to win by twelve lengths and that margin could quite easily have been more.  I will have to consult his owners now as to whether we run in another bumper or send him hurdling – either way, the sky really does look the limit for him.

Over at Kempton the following day Stars Over The Sea, a quality horse on the flat (a dual winner and fifth in the Chester Vase Derby Trial) made his debut in the juvenile hurdle.   Sent off favourite despite Paul Nicholls’ runner All Set To Go being rated superior on the level, our three year old raced prominently before quickly putting the race to bed in the straight.  There is room for improvement in his jumping and that will come with more practice at home and experience on the track – he is clearly another exciting recruit for owner Roger Brookhouse and with both him and Unanimité already successful this season, we look to have a nice bunch of juvenile hurdlers.

Earlier in the week, another from the juvenile division; Sinndar’s Man proved himself a most progressive youngster with a workmanlike performance at Uttoxeter on Thursday.  Competing under a penalty for his Perth success, he showed a likeable attitude to outbattle the talented but quirky runner-up Guard Of Honour.  He already looks as though he will stay further and there is no reason why this tough and likeable sort cannot continue to prosper.  Meanwhile, there were also good performances from Standing Ovation and Ainsi Fideles and there should be plenty of other races to be won with these.  Ainsi Fideles didn’t really enjoy the softer ground and will embark on a well-earned rest following a busy and productive summer over fences.

As I eluded to earlier, it was good to be back at Cheltenham for their opening meeting of the season and they really have made some impressive progress with the building work they have been carrying out to the facilities in the closed season.  These will be completed by the 2016 Cheltenham Festival and really will consolidate Cheltenham’s position at the pinnacle of our sport.  It wasn’t just Cheltenham who were hosting their first meeting of the new campaign last week and I went along to Wincanton on Thursday to help with their season opener.  The stable paraded both Cheltenham Festival winner Ballynagour and Greatwood Hurdle winner Dell’ Arca for the assembled racegoers, while some of my fellow local trainers also helped to produce an enviable parade of horses.

It looks like being a busy week with Virtuel d’Oudon representing the stable at Plumpton this afternoon, while we will have three runners (Moncarno, Houston Dynimo and Kalifourchon) at Exeter tomorrow and entries at Worcester and Fontwell on Wednesday, Carlisle and Southwell on Thursday, Fakenham on Friday and at Chepstow, Aintree and Wincanton over the weekend.

Saturday’s card at Aintree features the Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase at Aintree over 2m4f and this could be the starting point for our Ryanair Chase winner Dynaste this season.  He has been ready to go for a while and could have run in France a couple of weeks ago but the ground really did look extremely testing.  He has done nothing but please me at home and while this would be no straightforward task from a handicap mark of 167, it would be a good preparation for the Betfair Chase at Haydock which is his main early season target, although the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby is another viable opening option.

Also on Saturday at Chepstow, there is a valuable card featuring the Tote Silver Trophy handicap hurdle over 2½ miles and we have Vieux Lion Rouge and new recruit Softsong engaged there.   Poole Master could run in the 2m handicap chase.  Meanwhile on Sunday, exciting juvenile Unanimité is entered in the three year old hurdle.  As ever, for all the latest stable running plans take a look at Chester’s Daily Chat or follow us on Twitter @DavidPipeRacing or on Facebook.

Below is yet another installment in our series of video interviews with our staff.  Readers of Chester's Chat may have noticed that Jules Shergold picked out Moon Racer as a horse to follow and she was proven right!  This time Mike Vince catches up with Eleri Apps and talks with her about her role in the yard and asks her to nominate a horse for the coming months - let's hope she can point us in the direction of another winner!

Eleri Apps Horse To Follow 2014/15 from David Pipe on Vimeo.

Onto other matters and I am pleased to report that although not receiving a mention in the Racing Post Stable Tour, there is nothing amiss with The Johson Family’s exciting hurdler Red Sherlock.  Although not at Pond House at present, he is completing his pre-training and will be back with us shortly with a view to being campaigned in the second half of the season.

Finally, I conclude with news of one horse who will not be returning to Pond House; Grands Crus.  ‘George’ had been a wonderful standard-bearer for the yard, proving only inferior to the mighty Big Buck’s in the staying hurdles division before becoming the best novice chaser of his generation culminating with a memorable victory over Silviniaco Conti and Bob’s Worth in the Grade One Feltham Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day in 2011.  Unfortunately he suffered with well document issues afterwards and never truly scaled the same heights.  He has subsequently been participating in ex-racehorse showing events and dressage with Julie Reynolds in Tewkesbury and has been doing very well as you can see from the pictures below.  While it is a shame that we will not be seeing him on a racecourse again, he owes us absolutely nothing and after discussing it with his owners it was decided that retirement from racing was in his best interest.   He is kept active and contented and I am sure you will join me in wishing him a long and happy second career.

Photos courtesy of ES Photography