- Monday, 23 March 2015 16:39
- Written by David Pipe
One of the recurring themes of this season has been the prolonged good form of the horses from Pond House and another four successes last week took our tally to 110 and maintained our advantage as the winning-most trainer numerically of the campaign. This is the best season we have enjoyed since my first year at the helm during 2006/7 but while there are nice prizes to be won at Aintree and Sandown, I already have one eye on next term with the aim of making another good start.
As such it is looking likely to be a quiet week for the stable on the runners front. We have been represented at Taunton this afternoon (Monday) by Bella, while we will have no runners at all tomorrow.
On Wednesday I am pleased to see the return of racing from Newton Abbot. We only have a couple of entries at this point, the exciting novice hurdler Herbert Park and new arrival Drumlee Lad. Even so, I am sure we will be having plenty of runners at the Devon track during the course of the summer. They are aiming to offer in excess of £50,000 for each of their fixtures and they remain a great example of how a small track should be run and as such deserve to be rewarded with plenty of runners and a good attendance.
We have a few entries scattered across the country for the remainder of the week with potential runners at Ffos Las, Newcastle and Ascot to name but a few and for all the latest running plans do keep up to date with Chester’s Daily Chat.
Back to last week and we kicked off with a nice double last Monday at Taunton when Perspicace and Vayland both obliged. Perspicace (pictured right) was making a winning hurdle debut on his first start for the stable in the novices’ hurdle. Jumping like an old hand, he did it with the minimum of fuss under stable jockey Tom Scudamore and while this may not have been the strongest of races, you can do no more than beat what is put in front of you and he can go onto better things. Given his profile on the level, I would imagine that he will be kept on the go for the summer owing to a likely preference for faster ground.
Vayland completed the double with a workmanlike performance in the second division of the novices’ hurdle. He looked to be a nice prospect when bolting up in a bumper earlier in the season and was in the process of running a very good race when falling three out in a decent contest at Newbury. This success will have done his confidence the world of good so hopefully he can now go on and fulfil that promise.
On Wednesday Purple ‘N Gold kept our “purple patch” going when landing the competitive handicap hurdle at Haydock under a good ride from conditional jockey Kieron Edgar. Purple ‘N Gold hasn’t always been the easiest to win with but you cannot knock his consistency – from sixteen starts over hurdles for us, he has now won three and finished in the frame a further eleven times…not at all bad when you consider that he was bought cheaply from an all-weather claimer. One thing is for sure, I would be happy to have a few more like him and he could next go for the Swinton handicap hurdle at Haydock where a likely strong pace should suit him well. He is another that will be kept on the go through the summer as he prefers faster ground and he could mix hurdling with the flat while he could also try his hand novice chasing at some point in the near future.
Our final winner of the week came at Newbury on Friday when Border Breaker (pictured above) supplemented his Taunton success with a ready win in the handicap hurdle under Michael Heard who gave him a well-judged front running ride. He is progressing well, should get further and judging by the way he jumps his hurdles; he will make a very nice chaser in time.
Conditional jockeys Michael Heard and Kieron Edgar are riding very well at present and have ridden sixteen winners for the stable this term between them, while enjoying personal best seasons. They are good value for their claims and deserve to be picking up more outside rides.
Amigo also deserves a favourable mention for his second place finish in the staying handicap chase at Newbury on Saturday. Had he not been slightly squeezed at the cross fence the outcome may very well have been different, but as they say – that’s racing. Even so, he thoroughly deserves to get his head in front over fences before long and he appeals as a likely type for the Scottish Grand National at Ayr or the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown on the final day of the season.
Aintree is now less than three weeks away and I noticed on Attheraces’ preview coverage of the Grand National, they have Pond House entries filling three of the top five placings according to their latest ratings. I certainly hope they are correct, although as I have said previously stated we will need a few to come out before any of our entries make the cut for the big race.
Finally, we bid farewell to Swing Bowler who has been retired following her final racecourse appearance in the mares’ race at the Cheltenham Festival. She had been a cracking servant to the stable, winning her first five races as well as finishing third behind My Tent Or Yours in the Grade Three Betfair Hurdle at Newbury. Her owner is a keen breeder and a great supporter of the mares’ programme through his OLBG brand and hopefully Swing Bowler, a daughter of great race mare Lady Cricket will be able to produce some exciting offspring herself…we wish her well.
