Remastered Relief

Unfortunately, we were left rueing what might have been at Newbury on Saturday with Remastered taking a horrible looking fall in the straight in the Ladbrokes Trophy when looking to have a great chance.  Of course, the best news is that he was able to get up and is safely back in his box at Pond House, seemingly none the worse for his exertions and we are truly grateful for that.  He will be given a thorough examination by the vet and will also be seen by the equine physiotherapist.

Given the competitive nature of the race on ground that would have been plenty lively enough for him, he travelled particularly well until his departure four from home and looked sure to be involved in the finish.  This performance shows that he is more than capable of holding his own in the best handicaps and remains a most exciting prospect and maybe more versatile ground-wise.

There were a number of other creditable efforts last week with Doyen La Lutte finishing fourth at Lingfield on Thursday, whilst Bumpy Johnson filled the same position at Newbury on Friday.

Paricolor produced another gutsy effort to finish runner-up in the 3m handicap hurdle at Doncaster on Friday.  He has been a tremendous buy for the stable, winning eight times and giving his owners’ a tremendous thrill when finishing second last time out at Cheltenham’s November meeting.  He never stopped trying under Philip Armson and proved here that he stays three miles well, so that will open up further opportunities for him. 

Trusty Scout was fourth on his second outing over timber in the juvenile hurdle at Leicester on Sunday.  He will be suited by a return to a sharper track and there will be more races for him now that he is eligible for handicaps.

The Week Ahead

It looks like being a quiet start to the week with the first runners from the Pond House team not coming until Thursday at the earliest.  We have a couple of new recruits entered at Wincanton on Thursday with former French National winner, D’Jango engaged in the 3m1f handicap chase and Bashful Boy, a winner on the flat and dual winner over timber, entered in the 1m7f handicap hurdle.

Friday is looking busy with plenty of entries at Exeter and Sandown.  Gwencily Berbas and D’Jango could run in the 3m6½f handicap chase and things could certainly get interesting, especially for the commentator as I see that Django Django also appears among the entries!  Unraced youngsters, Off My Rocco and Thirst For Fame are entered in the bumper.

Vieux Lion To Bid For Third Becher

There is a great day of racing in store on Saturday at Aintree and we intend to have multiple runners in the Becher Chase, a race we have won twice in the past (including last year) by the ever-popular Vieux Lion Rouge.  He is 5lbs higher than when successful last year, but he recorded a spectacular effort in scoring by 24 lengths that day.  He will likely be joined by Via Dolorosa, who ran a very nice race on his first start for the stable when fourth over the unique fences in the Grand Sefton last month.  Abaya du Mathan a multiple winner in France and El Paso Wood, a winner of his last four starts over there, are also intended runners but face tough tasks from out of the handicap.

As I have been saying for several weeks now, we could really do with some rain to ease the ground at a lot of the tracks and the forecast suggests that it could finally arrive this week…let’s hope so!

Future Stars?

The quest for the next equine superstar never ends and there are more opportunities this week with the Goffs Yorton Sales taking place on Thursday and the Donny Sales on Friday.  We would love to hear from you if you would like to join our fun and friendly team in an ownership capacity.  We pride ourselves on giving the most immersive service possible whether you own a share or a string of horses, so why not treat yourself to an early Christmas present?!

Rathlin Rose Report

Last week we were able to bring you news of former Pond House recruit, Flou Artsistique who has been doing very well since retiring from racing and this week I am delighted to be able to give you an update on popular old stalwart, Rathlin Rose, who won numerous races, including famously, three military contests under Captain Guy Disney.

He now resides near Sandhurst and has adapted very well to his new life.  He is doted on by his new owners and is ridden regularly, exercising with the hounds.  As you can see from the photograph below (pictured left), he looks magnificent and is enjoying a happy and active retirement and you cannot ask for more than that.