- Monday, 09 November 2015 16:44
- Written by David Pipe
What an exciting week in prospect! As far as I am concerned the season proper always begins with the Paddy Power meeting at Cheltenham in November and for very good reason…my father long farmed the meeting with no fewer than eight successes in the feature race on Saturday, while my record isn’t too shabby either. We won the Paddy Power Gold Cup in 2011 with Great Endeavour as well as Sunday’s feature, The Greatwood Hurdle with Dell’ Arca in 2013 who was one of a memorable four-timer on that day.
Stable jockey Tom Scudamore is facing a well-publicised race against time to be back in the saddle ahead of the Open meeting following a tumble at Huntingdon last month but I am pleased to report an upbeat bulletin of his progress as he seems to be making a good recovery. Tom has been riding out for the last couple of mornings and is gradually doing more each day, including sessions on our mechanical horse, workouts in the gym and swimming pool and he looks to be in fine shape. He will be doing some schooling later in the week, including aboard ante-post Paddy Power favourite Kings Palace. We will see how that goes before deciding on his participation for Saturday’s big race after that. Of course, Tom still has to pass the doctor before he is allowed to race ride again, although he is hopeful of being back to ride at Taunton or Ludlow on Thursday – I am sure a look at the entries for the weekend will be more than adequate incentive for him!
Looking back to last week, the horses continued to run well without getting their heads in front until grand old campaigner Houston Dynimo (pictured above) hit the back of the net for us with a game success at Wincanton on Saturday in the handicap chase. Making most of the running under a positive ride from David Noonan, Houston was the first leg of a double for his jockey, who is now well clear at the top of the amateur jockeys’ standings. David is an extremely capable young rider who is excellent value for his 7lbs claim and it is good to see him getting plenty of outside opportunities as well.
Houston Dynimo (pictured right) has been a great favourite within the yard since we claimed him from a Wetherby seller last year and this was his second success for the stable. His winnings at Wincanton on Saturday alone totalled more than his purchase price while he had also previously finished placed in a couple of Listed contests. It just goes to show that you do not need to spend a king’s ransom to enjoy the thrills of racehorse ownership and we have a great record of finding the right horse for the right money. If you are looking to join the ranks of racehorse owner and are looking for ‘more bang for your buck’, give us a call for a no obligation chat to discuss your requirement.
Over in France on Saturday Broadway Buffalo performed creditably to finish fifth, beaten five lengths by Thousand Stars in the Grade One hurdle at Auteuil under jockey Katie Walsh. Considering the race turned into something of a sprint and the ground was not nearly as testing as we had hoped, he performed very well and picked up in excess of £14,000 for his efforts. Judging by this pleasing performance, he looks set for a nice season in all the top staying handicap chases.
Looking to this week, the stable has no runners today (Monday) and our next racecourse representatives come tomorrow when Spending Time, Balgarry and Barneby compete at Huntingdon. Balgarry makes his chasing debut in the novices’ handicap chase and he has pleased me at home with his jumping – Conor O’Farrell will ride both him and Spending Time, while Kieron Edgar will take the mount aboard Barneby.
Bird d’Estruval, a winning French hurdler will make his British debut at Bangor on Wednesday and he is a nice type to have in the yard. I am sure we will have some runners at Exeter on Wednesday, while at Taunton on Thursday Iniciar, Perspicace and Border Breaker are all intended runners at this stage. Iniciar had some very decent form on the flat as a three year old and it will certainly be interesting to see how he gets on when making his hurdling debut. And that takes us to Cheltenham…runners are subject to the usual last minute tests to ensure their wellbeing, while we will look through each race to assess the best opportunities. You will be able to keep up to date with all the latest news on those by checking Chester’s Chat or following us on Twitter @DavidPipeRacing.
Onto the latest instalment of our stable staff videos and Mike Vince caught up with James from our office for his horse to follow for the season ahead. Last year he gave you French Champion Hurdle winner Un Temps Pour Tout so he has a bit to live up to this time around. If you check back tomorrow (Tuesday) we will also have the inside track from head lad Oliver Defew…
Finally, I would just like to congratulate a couple of my daredevil owners, the intrepid and extremely glamorous pairing of Gaie Scouller and Caroline Tisdall (pictured below) who have just returned from a 500km Tuctuc race across Pradesh to raise money and awareness of the plight of the Indian elephant whose number are dwindling. For Tuctuc’s, think New Dehli motorised rickshaws from 30 or 40 years ago! With three of the thirty strong line-up not making it to the finish, the ladies obviously did extremely well just to complete. Anyway, it is not too late to donate if this is a cause you would like to support, just go to www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com and search “Caroline Tisdall”.
