- Monday, 30 October 2023 14:22
- Written by David Pipe
Neon Moon Winner at Ludlow
Last week our runners started with Ya Know Yaseff finishing second at Plumpton and it was good that after freshening her up she bounced right back to form. She rather got pounced on by the eventual winner approaching the second last but kept on well for pressure and can win again off her current mark.
Neon Moon was an impressive winner on his seasonal reappearance last Thursday at Ludlow. This was Jack’s first ride on our seven year old and he gave him a lovely patient ride, bringing him through to lead late on and he won going away. Jumping is his strong point and it was great to get his first win over fences after running some good races in defeat last season. The handicapper is going to put him up six pounds to a mark of 130 for that win and we considered entering him for Ascot in the gold cup chase on Saturday but decided against it and he is likely to head to Newbury next week instead.
Jilaijone ran a cracker at Cheltenham on Saturday to be second in the Masterson Holdings 4yo hurdle. We weren’t that well in at the weights with a couple but decided to take our chance and he put in a super performance, the addition of ear plugs helping him to settle early in the race. Jack held him up and brought him through to challenge approaching the last. He kept on up the hill well behind the highly regarded favourite and was not beaten that far. Hopefully the handicapper will not over react but he is likely to go up a few pounds. We got some nice prize money for finishing second and he has come out of the race well. He may head to Ascot on Saturday for another valuable handicap hurdle.
This Week
It is a quite start to the week but we do have two runners at Chepstow on Tuesday. Favori De Sivola is looking to follow up a good run at Newton Abbot last time in the 3m2f handicap chase. He is weighted to run well and the track and ground will suit. Itseemslikeit makes his stable and racecourse debut in the concluding bumper on the card. Our giant son of Black Sam Bellamy is a lovely four year old gelding who finished third in his only start in his Irish point to point. While he is going to be one for the future, he is a gorgeous individual and it will be good to start him off at Chepstow and see how he gets on.
There is no runners for us on Wednesday but on Thursday Ben Lilly and Pachacuti hold entries at Lingfield. On Friday, Paricolor has a flat entry at Newmarket while Bumpy Johnson may head to his beloved Ffos Las for his chasing debut. We are likely to have a few entries at Ascot on Saturday as well as the other weekend meetings so please keep checking the Daily News for more up-to-date information on the stable runners.
Tuxedo Junction – Horse For Sale
Leanne and I went to Newmarket horses in training sales last week and bought an exciting new purchase who is looking for an owner! He is a four year old gelding, son of Iffraaj and he is a half-brother to seven winners including the mighty Speedy Boarding. Rated 80 on the flat he won over 1m2F at Ffos Las and has also been placed six times from 11 starts. He acts on any ground and was recommended to us for jumping by trainer James Fanshawe. He has settled in well since arriving and we have already started his jumping practice for which he shows great aptitude. He is an exciting dual purpose prospect and looks good value at 35,000gns. For more information please do get in touch 01884 840715 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Gericault Roque
Unfortunately Gericault Roque has a tendon injury and will therefore miss the rest of this season. He returned home jarred up from finishing third in the Gold Cup Chase at Newbury last season and we gave him plenty of time off but unfortunately the issue has flared up again when preparing to go back for the same race this time around. While extremely disappointing, he is a very exciting lightly raced seven year old and we look forward to getting him back on the racecourse next autumn.
Lady Reset Retires
Lady Reset ran her last race at Kempton the other day and now heads off for a date with Golden Horn! She has been a terrific servant for her owners Keith and Lynne Webb and Pond House over the years and has won races under both codes. You could never fault her attitude and effort and she has won nine races, four over hurdles and five on the flat. She has also been placed a further 18 times as well from 47 starts and won over £71,000 in prize money. She has not quite been at her best this summer for one reason and another and so it was a fairly easy decision to retire our seven year old. If her off spring inherit her temperament, ability and tenacity we will certainly look forward to training her progeny in the future.
Vieux Lion Rouge Aintree Parade
Vieux Lion Rouge went to Aintree on Sunday to parade ahead of the Veterans chase named in his honour. He is 14 years of age now but his eyes light up when he goes back to Aintree and he loves seeing the public as much as they love to see him. He was very much on his toes and went in the winner’s enclosure afterwards.
Neve Daniel Charity Race
Neve rode Only Fools to finish third in the Bob Champion Charity race at Wincanton yesterday. Never rode a super race and the horse gave her a great spin. I am not sure she has stopped smiling yet and she loved every minute! She raised over £1000 for the cause and so it was a great effort all-round and I was delighted we were able to give her this opportunity. Her family were there to watch and several of our staff went to support.
Horses in Training
We have been going through the horses in we have in training at Pond House in recent weeks and while we have been doing it alphabetically we have some new arrivals since we have gone through so I will no attempt to go through some that have not been mentioned as yet in the next few weeks. It is an ever changing team and it is brilliant to have some nice new additions to the yard.
Rebel Angel
A new recruit from France who we claimed after her latest win at Les Sables over 1m5f. She has won five races from ten starts in France and has an official rating of 72 on the flat over here. She is a tough and consistent three year old who know how to win. Her jumping practice is going well and she loves soft ground. She is likely to mix juvenile hurdling with some runs on the all-weather and should give her owners a lot of fun this winter.
Ultra Violet
A five year old who we bought at a recent online sale and he is looking for an owner! Twice a winner on the flat in France he has yet to win over hurdles but has plenty of placed form and we are sure he can win off his current mark. He looks excellent value at £5,000 so please get in touch for more information.
