Six Of The Best!

It was another very good weekend for the yard with a winner at Ffos Las on Saturday, followed by another two at Musselburgh on Sunday. Shoegazer put up a good performance to win the 2m4f handicap hurdle at Ffos Las – he is a lovely horse who is progressing nicely and could find further improvement over a longer trip. He is owned by the ever enthusiastic Wayne and Sarah Clifford of Bathwick Tyres and we are very grateful to them for their continued patronage of our yard, as well as sponsoring the stable. Their commitment to racing does not stop there however and they sponsor races and racing events up and down the country and it is great when they enjoy a nice winner themselves.

We achieved a notable milestone on Sunday when Hunterview became my first winner at Musselburgh…what’s so notable about that I hear you ask! Well, his success meant that I have now trained a winner at every jumps track in England, Wales and Scotland – an achievement that few other trainers have managed. My father did also complete the set when he was training, although I will claim to have gone one better as Ffos Las wasn’t about during his day! The day was completed when The Tracey Shuffle stepped up on his debut by landing the bumper in effortless fashion. He is beautifully bred being a full brother to the high class Mr Thriller and half brother to Cheltenham Festival winner Gaspara. The winners certainly vindicated the long trek up to Scotland and provided a nice double also for winning owners Sean and Jo Tracey who do not live that far away from the course.

There are only five weeks left now until the Cheltenham Festival and last Tuesday we made entries for the novice hurdle events. In the Supreme Novices Hurdle and Triumph Hurdle we are represented by Kazzene and Trop Fort, while we entered Battle Group and Dynaste for both the Neptune Hurdle and Albert Bartlett Hurdle.

Talking of the Festival I will certainly be busy in the lead-up to the big event…not only must I get the horses there in top form, I must also conduct a few preview evenings. This year will be my busiest yet with no fewer than five engagements! I will be on the panel at Exeter racecourse on 24^th February, Waterford (Ireland) on 3^rd March, London on 9^th and 10^th March, as well as conducting a telephone interview for Hamilton racecourse on 11^th March – I guess at least I will be kept occupied!

Peter Thomas from the Racing Post joined us on Monday morning for a yard visit and he will be compiling another part to his Cheltenham countdown. The article will be appearing in the paper shortly, so keep a lookout for it!