- Monday, 09 January 2017 14:36
- Written by David Pipe
I could not start this week without reflecting on the retirement of stable favourite Dynaste over the weekend. Our popular 11 year old grey ran his last race in the Veteran’s Final at Sandown to finish a gallant seventh and the decision was made there and then that he had run his last race. He has always had a few niggly problems throughout his career and it is testament to his character that he stayed at the top for as long as he did but things just seemed to be catching up with him more in recent times. It was a decision owner John White and I had been considering for a little while.
We bought him as a three year old at Arqana sales for a mere 8,000 Euros in 2009. In his first season he was placed and won at Taunton before finishing 6th in the EBF Final at Sandown. He returned the following season with an electric display in the Fixed Brush Hurdle at Haydock under Conor O’Farrell. He led all the way before drawing clear from 3 out to win easily. He tackled Big Bucks a few times after that and got closest to him when he finishing second in the Cleeve hurdle.
It was as a chaser he really came into his own the following year. He won at Cheltenham and Newbury on his first two starts before winning the Feltham Novice Chase impressively in December 2012, his first Grade 1. Sent off favourite at the Festival he finished second in the Jewson Novice Chase over 2m4f before going onto Aintree to win the Midmay Novice Chase over three miles. The following season he returned in the Betfair Chase to finish a close second to Cue Card. He then disappointed in the King George but returned with his finest moment to win the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2014. He was then second to Silviniaco Conti in the Betfred Bowl at Aintree.
Further placings included another two third places in the Betfair Chase, second in the King George, second in the Charlie Hall, second in the Ascot Chase as well has several other placings and good runs in other top races. He retires the winner of seven of his 34 races amassing nearly £600,000 in prize money as well as being placed on another 16 occasions. Another amazing fact is that he has always completed his races; he has never fallen and never pulled up.
A remarkable horse for his owners, Tom Scu, Conor O’Farrell and myself we are all privileged to have been associated with him and we have all enjoyed some extremely memorable days. I would like to thank his groom Sarah Buckley who has looked after him and ridden him since the day he arrived plus the whole team along the way that has included a lot of work by Mary Bromiley and vet Ray Dilliway. There is no rush for us decide what exactly his retirement will entail at this stage but whatever it is we will make sure his right for him and do the best by him just as he has done for us over the last eight years. He is a gentleman in every way, a super ride and he will always hold a special place in my heart. I would like to thank everyone for their calls, texts and emails we have received about him over the last few days.
Last week may have started with just a handful of runners, but by the weekend the action was coming thick and fast with the stable represented at all three jump meetings on Saturday as well as both National Hunt fixtures on Sunday. It is not an easy assignment to organise horses and staff to travel to all corners of the country over the space of a few days, but fortunately for me I have an excellent team at home to make sure that such logistics are dealt with as efficiently as possible.
I was pleased enough with Starchitect’s second outing over fences when finishing third in a 2m1f novices’ chase at Plumpton on Monday. It was a strong looking contest for the course and I was pleased to see a more assured round of jumping from our gelding. He is clearly learning all the time and should be more than capable of winning over the larger obstacles.
On Tuesday Celebre d’Allen ran a promising race in the concluding bumper at Bangor. A former Irish point-to-pointer, he travelled well for much of the race and showed a spritely turn of foot to go clear on the home turn only to be grabbed close home. He should have little trouble winning something similar in due course and rates a nice prospect for the stable and owner Allan Stennett.
Shaama Grise and Taws made pleasing stable debuts at Chepstow and Fontwell to finish second and fourth respectively and there should be more to come from both of these mares.
Looking to the week ahead, we have no runners this afternoon (Monday), although we have several entries for later in the week with a few in at Hereford and Taunton on Wednesday with Tobacco Road an intended runner on the latter card.
There is some good racing to look forward to from Kempton, Warwick at Wetherby this weekend. New recruit Poker Play has entries as do recent winners Eamon and Cnoic and Saint John Henry. Doctor Harper is another to have an entry after a great run finishing second at Cheltenham last time out and Champers on Ice has an entry in the Novice Chase at Warwick. We also have a few entries at Fakenham on Sunday so for all the latest news on runners, you can keep up to date as usual with Chester and his daily column or follow us on Twitter @DavidPipeRacing
I was a little taken aback to phone my office last Tuesday afternoon while I was at Bangor races only for my mother to answer the phone. Strange, not least because I have three secretaries in my office and not one of them answered it. The reason soon became clear though, as they were swilling champagne with the rest of the staff as they celebrated my long suffering senior secretary Gail Harrison’s birthday. Gail has been with the stable for approaching 33 years and used to pick me up from school from time to time in her little Mini Clubman! I will leave it there as I am dating both her and myself…Anyway, we went out for dinner in the evening with Gail and partner Raymond and enjoyed a lovely meal at the Culm Valley.
It was great to catch up with Sir Anthony McCoy this morning as he paid a visit to the stable. A P is looking very well these days – retirement is clearly suiting him. Even so, he still has plenty to keep him busy and I am delighted that he continues to play such a big role in the racing industry through his excellent appearances on the racecourse and in his advisory role to his former boss J P McManus.
Entries for some of the early-closing Cheltenham Festival tomorrow so I will certainly be busy in the run-up to deadline time at midday and will bring you news of our representatives in my blog next week.
