Winning Week

               Neon Moon Wins Again

I have been very pleased with our late season form and with only a few weeks left, we are certainly finishing off with a flourish.  It has not been the easiest of campaigns, but the horses are running well and we enjoyed a further fourwinners last week with Neon Moon, Red Happy, Duc de Beauchene and Kolisi all obliging.

Moon Shines at Fontwell

Our first runners of the week came at Fontwell on Tuesday and Neon Moon put us on the scoreboard with a hard fought victory in the 2m5½f handicap hurdle.  He was not inconvenienced by the drying ground and showed a good attitude to dig deep under Tom Scudamore.  The application of blinkers have aided him and I hope that he can continue to progress.  A winning point to pointer, he will be a nice prospect over fences for his owners, Brocade Racing.

The Old One Two

Red Happy continued our good run when landing the 2m4f handicap chase at Wincanton on Wednesday.  He and stablemate, Abaya du Mathan were our only runners on the card and the pair had the race to themselves from the end of the back straight with Red Happy coming out on top under Philip Armson as they led home a 1-2 for owners Fergus and Judith Wilson.

Duc Delivers For JP

Duc de Beauchene had to dig deep to land the 2m6½f handicap chase at Newbury on Friday, but did just that as they prevailed in a driving finish to score by the minimum distance under a fine ride from Tom Scudamore.  A lovely, big gelding, he has a preference for cut in the ground, but handled the drying conditions at Newbury and I hope to find another opportunity for him before the end of the season.

There were creditable performances too from Koi Dodville and Morgenstern who both finished runners-up at Fontwell and should be winning something similar based on this evidence.  Meanwhile, Grangeclare Glory was not beaten at all far into fourth at Newbury on Friday.  This performance showed that he stays three miles on a sound surface and opens up more options for him.  Our two runners in the Scottish National both pulled up, Via Dolorosa and El Paso Wood but they have returned home safely which is the main thing and our none the worse for their trip to Scotland.

Kolisi off the Mark

Kolisi got off the mark for the first time over hurdles at Hereford on Sunday.  Tom Scu cut every corner on our four year old and hit the front just before the last hurdle.  He had been a little disappointing over hurdles to date but this useful flat performer appreciated the drier ground and definitely improved for a recent wind operation.  He idled when getting to the front on Sunday but was always doing enough.  He is entered again at Taunton this week and he may take his chance again under a penalty.

The Week Ahead

Looking to this week and entries are looking a bit thinner on the ground.   Mr Tambourine Man runs at Exeter on Tuesday in the 2m5½f novices’ handicap hurdle.  He returns from a little break with Tom Scu in the saddle and he should appreciate the better ground and looks to have a good chance.

Thursday marks the start of the Grand National meeting at Aintree and we have given Adagio an entry in the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle over 2m4f.  He was not able to fully show what he can do at Cheltenham with a shuddering mistake 3 out costing him any chance.  This would be his first try at the trip, but he settles and travels well and has every chance of getting it.  Unfortunately there are not many opportunities for a horse of his class at this time of year.

Away from Aintree and we have promising novice hurdle Kingofthewest entered at Ffos Las on Thursday, along with Abaya du Mathan, whilst at Taunton, Red Happy and Morgenstern are engaged in the 2m2f handicap chase.

We have confirmed our three entries (Romain de Senam, Via Dolorosa and El Paso Wood) for the Topham Chase over one circuit of the National course on the Friday.

The eyes of the nation will be on the Grand National on Saturday and our only possible runner could be Romain de Senam, although he does need several to come out between now and then and realistically, the chances of that happening are remote. Remastered has an entry both over hurdles and fences on Saturday and will appreciate any rain the course will hopefully get.  On Sunday, there are two meetings, at Stratford and Wincanton where we have entries so keep checking the daily blog for more news of our runners.

A mixed bag

The start of Spring has certainly brought us a mixed bag of weather.  The end of March delivered blue skies and soaring temperatures, whilst last week we even had a scattering of snow.  You certainly have to pity the clerk’s at the racecourses at times like this as they try to put on the best ground possible for their runners.

Middleham Park Visit

Finally, I was pleased to welcome syndicate members from Middleham Park Racing to the stable on Saturday to see their horses Crossing Lines and their lovely unraced filly by Voiladenuo.  Those present were able to have a look around the yard before seeing the horses in action on the gallop.  After a chilly start to the morning, members were greeted by a beautiful sunny morning.  The syndicates are well organised and provide a great value way into the world of racehorse ownership.