- Monday, 22 April 2019 09:43
- Written by David Pipe
Malangen - 3 Wins in a Row
In my children’s school they give a star of the week award to a child in the class who has done well during the week. The star of the week at Pond House this week has to be Malangen who was as once again star on the race track and won for the second consecutive Saturday. He put up a really determined performance to bring up his hat-trick of wins. He looked in a little bit of trouble leaving the back straight but he may have found the trip on the sharp side round this track and all he did was keep responding to Tom Scudamore’s urgings and won a shade cosily in the end. The handicapper is sure to have his say tomorrow but our four year old is in good heart at the moment and hopefully there is more to come. He prefers the quicker ground and will be kept on the go this summer. He has the option of going back on the flat at some point while we will also consider sending him chasing in July as he really loves his jumping and four year olds get a nice allowance at this time of year.
Another Super Run
Legal History just failed to land his own hat-trick in the Sussex Champion hurdle at Plumpton but ran an absolute cracker against his elders in a very competitive race. Ultimately he may of paid for being a bit too close to the pace setting Brandon Castle early on and as the favourite weakened the impressive winner came from well off the pace. Legal History battled on very gamely to finish second and we were delighted with him. A return to a more galloping track will also suit. He will be kept on the go this summer as he to prefers the better ground and will mix hurdling and the flat. He has had a few fairly quick runs together now so he will probably have a little mini break before deciding his next target.
Horses Running Well
We did not actually have that many runners last week but the ones that ran performed well. You Say What finished third and Mount Nelly fourth at Exeter last Tuesday. Timeforben and Jacbequick returned from Winter breaks and ran respectively and should give us all some fun in the coming months. Dauphine Ereine ran at Haydock on Saturday and was disappointing but after the race she was found to be lame. Thankfully she travelled home fine and she will undergo some further tests to find the cause of her lameness and fingers crossed it is nothing too serious.
Season Finale
We are now entering the final week of the 2018-19 jumps season and it is jam packed with fixtures leading up to the season finale at Sandown on Saturday. There also appears to be some much needed rain in the forecast which is good to hear. While we have no runners on Tuesday we are likely to head up to Perth with a few runners for their three day fixture. We may also be represented at Southwell and Taunton on Wednesday. On Thursday Kempton and Warwick are on the radar as is Chepstow on Friday.
On Saturday at Sandown we have entered Airton and Extra Mag in the Novices Championship final handicap hurdle while Rathlin Rose and Van Gogh Du Granit have been confirmed in the Bet365 Gold Cup. Eamon An Cnoic has been entered in the 2m4f handicap hurdle.
Racing in Britain comes to a conclusion on Saturday and then there is a mini break before we get going again for the new season just over a week later. I say a mini-break, we actually have Punchestown to look forward to starting on the 30th April. So far Poker Play is the only horse from Pond House that holds an entry but we could make a few more over the coming days as the entries for the races are due to close. As always, keep an eye on Chester’s Daily Blog for more news of our runners.
Winding Down
Away from the racing, a lot of the horses are now on their summer holidays. While we have not turned them out to grass as yet they are being gradually ‘let down’ in preparation for a few weeks at grass. There are sales at Cheltenham this coming Friday and I will be in attendance looking for new recruits for next season. If you have any interest in getting involved at Pond House please do get in touch.
