- Monday, 27 February 2023 14:02
- Written by David Pipe
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Gwencily Berbas Winner at Exeter
Thanksforthehelp was the impressive winner of the Pertemps qualifier at Chepstow on Saturday under Kevin Brogan. He is a horse who I have always liked a lot at home but it has taken a while for it to come together on the racecourse. He was very disappointing on his sole start this season at Wetherby over Christmas but we gave him wind surgery since and this seems to have made all the difference. It was also his first try at three miles and he relished the new distance. The handicapper will have their say but we will be keeping an eye on the Pertemps Final weights which are released tomorrow. He will need to go up a fair bit to stand a chance of even getting in the race but the aim is likely to be to head to the Festival next month if we get in.
Bashful Boy made it an across the card double for the stable when winning at Lingfield on Saturday as well. He’d run well enough to be fourth on his previous try for the stable over 1m4f and really seemed to relish the extra three furlongs this time. Jockey Rob Hornby gave him a patient ride before quickening clear inside the final 2 furlongs for an easy success. We will again be keeping a close eye on what the handicapper does on Tuesday but we do have him entered back at Lingfield on Friday where we have the option of running under a penalty.
This Week
We will probably be fairly quiet on the runners front this week with the dry weather conditions just meaning I am reluctant to run some horses until we get rain. Koi Dodville does run at Leicester on Tuesday and we have two runners at Wincanton on Wednesday, Dindin and Astigar. Looking ahead to the weekend we have entries at Doncaster and Newbury on Saturday and Ffos Las and Huntingdon on Sunday. The feature race on the Newbury card is the Greatwood Gold Cup in which we have entered Neon Moon. Keep checking the daily blog for more updates on the stable runners.
Behind the Scenes
While on the racecourse this week we maybe a little quieter there is plenty going on back at the yard. A few horses are going out to see the hounds this week for a change of scenery while some are having an away day galloping at Kempton. Cheltenham Preview evenings have started and I have a few pencilled in starting this week. There are visitors to the yard and a couple of interviews to do and so it promises to be a busy few days!
Tom Scu Memories
Thank you to everyone who has got in touch and sent messages about Tom Scu retiring. The reaction by everyone has been quite overwhelming for Scu and myself! I thought I would share a tribute from owners Sean and Josie Tracey below but if you would like to get in touch with your own please do send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will collate, share and make sure Tom gets them.
Tom has ridden more winners for Josephine and I than any jockey. He always had a smile, gave brilliant feedback regardless of the result and rode superbly for us, we enjoyed many great days together.
Our personal favourite was his win on Impulsive American (who won 8 times for us in total) his maiden hurdle win at Musselburgh in February 2016 was our personal favourite, Tom rode his 1,000 winner that day and we were very proud it was in our colours.
Jockey News
As you can imagine, jockeys and a potential new stable jockey has been a hot topic of conversation in the last week! I have had phone calls from a number of jockeys putting their names in the mix to have a greater association with Pond House going forwards. It is a decision I am taking my time over as I feel it is a very important one, they have to be a good rider of course but their knowledge and experience and schooling at home also plays a big part. The jockey and I have to work together as a team and we need to have a good working relationship.
Ben Moore
This week I shall be attending the funeral of Ben Moore who sadly passed away recently after losing his battle with cancer. I shall be going with Gerry, Ashley and Craig from the yard as Ben was a dear friend who was taken far too soon. Ben used to work at Pond House between 1993 and 199 and had a conditional license while he was here. He had 36 rides and rode 1 winner and was placed several times as well. He left racing and joined The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery for which he became a highly regarded member. He made a comeback to race riding in 2017 for the charity race at Cheltenham where he rode our horse, Three Star General to victory. He gave the horse a peach of a ride as he was not the easiest horse to win with and it was a fantastic day for all of us involved. Ben had been battling cancer on and off for over 17 years before passing away on the 1st February 2023 at the age of 45. His daughter Grace has also had her own cancer battle and I am pleased she is doing well at the moment and our thoughts are with her and her mum Trish and the rest of his family at this difficult time. Grace loves her riding and horses like her dad and it will be a very difficult day saying goodbye to one of the ‘good guys’.
Ben Moore on Three Star General at Cheltenham
