King of Aintree

  King Turgeon Winner of the Grand Sefton
     (Photo Courtesy of Racing Post)

Best made plans do not always work out, especially when horses are involved but there is a great sense of both relief and pride when they do!  The Grand Sefton chase at Aintree over the Grand National fences was an ‘early closing entry’ race and I was keen to enter King Turgeon back in October.  King Turgeon has always been an electric jumper of fences and while I think his owners, Somerset Racing, thought I was, a little mad for suggesting the race initially they were good sports and went along with the idea.  At that point in time, King Turgeon was yet to run this season and was last in action back in the spring where he was taken out mid race, rather unluckily, by a loose horse at Chepstow. 

We made the entry at Aintree and headed to Chepstow for his first run of the season knowing that he would have to win or run very well to even consider going to Liverpool.  We were nearly a stone out of the weights and needed a few horses to bypass the race to stand a chance of making the cut.  Stable jockey Jack Tudor was banned for his comeback race on 29^th October but we were able to call on the services of champion jockey Harry Cobden, not a bad deputy!  Our gallant six-year-old grey put in the most exhilarating round of front running jumping at Chepstow and won by ten lengths!   There were many discussions between myself and Richard Wilkin before the confirmation and declaration stages for Aintree but our seven-pound penalty for winning added to the defection of the original top weight, Hitman, meant we would be only two pounds out to the handicap.  Harry Cobden put weight behind my desire to run as well with his thoughts and the rest as they say his history!

It is always a littler nerve racking watching horses you train over the National fences but I can honestly say I was the most at ease I have ever been throughout!  The horse is such an athlete and jumped every fence so neatly with pinpoint accuracy it really was a joy to watch.  As the runners turned for home before two out I did think, we have run well whatever happens even if he is not good enough from here to win but as he pinged two out and Jack sat back up in the saddle, I thought here we go!  He jumped the last in front and then stayed on powerfully from the elbow to the line, with Jack punching the air as he crossed the winning post. 

Jack has had quite a lot of experience for someone his age over the Grand National fences but he said he had never experienced a round like that before and I am delighted for him, the owners and all of the yard.  It has been a while between drinks for the big Saturday winner for the team and this meant the world to us.  We have had a great time with winners in recent weeks and long may it continue.  King Turgeon has come out of the race very well and while plans have yet to be discussed as to where he might go next, we will make an entry for him in the Becher Chase over the National fences again with early closing entries on Tuesday.  This is the second time I have won the Grand Sefton race with Poole Master winning it ten years ago in 2014 ridden by Tom Scudamore.

Not many minutes after the highs of King Turgeon at Aintree was I experiencing some worrying moments at Wincanton.  Remastered was running a cracker in the Badger Ales chase and was holding every chance when falling at the fourth last fence.  He was in a close second behind the eventual winner at the time and Tom Bellamy thought he was going well enough to have won.  I am sure he would have been placed at the very least and I am just pleased he seems to be okay from the fall and he has had the once over and a massage from our physio on Monday.

Our 25^th winner of the season came at Chepstow last week with a nice performance on Wednesday from Jurancon to win over hurdles for the first time.  He learnt from his initial experience at Worcester and he and another highly regarded rival pulled well clear of the rest of the field this time.  I am delighted to get his first win on the board and I think he will only improve with more experience and can rate highly amongst the top novices this winter.

Winner 26 of the campaign came a Newbury last week with American Sniper winning the Pertemps qualifier under a good front running ride from Jack.  The re-applied cheek pieces brought about improvement in recent form and he knuckled down and battled after the last hurdle.  It was good prize money to win and he now qualifies for the Cheltenham Festival final in March providing he is in the handicap.  He probably has to go up a few pounds in the weight to do this but it is a nice dream to have for his group of local owners.  He does have an entry at Cheltenham this Friday in the Conditional jockey’s handicap hurdle, a race that he won last year.  He does now have to carry a seven-pound penalty now but he has come out of the race the other day fine and we may look to run him again. 

In other runners last week, there were good runs from Jilaijone to be second at Fontwell and Kingston Queen was a promising third in what looked like a good bumper at Chepstow.  Micronormous took a step back in the right direction with her fourth at Exeter while Dindin also filled the same position in his race at Chepstow.   Steppenwolf returned from a break at Kempton on Monday afternoon and finished second, a much better run and hopefully he can build on this going forward.

This Week

Vision De Maine runs at Lingfield on Tuesday and Jack Tudor rides.  He made an excellent seasonal and chasing debut at Uttoxeter last month and even though the handicapper has raised him I would hope there is still more to come from our five-year-old off his mark of 96.  We have no runners on Wednesday but entries at Taunton and Market Rasen on Thursday.  On Friday, it is day one of the Cheltenham November meeting and while everyone is praying for rain, I hope the course does a good job of watering.  We have American Sniper, Thanksforthehelp and Phantomofthepoints all entered in the conditional jockeys races while Sirekoff and Phantomofthepoints also hold entries in the other handicap hurdle over two miles later on the card.  On Sunday, at Cheltenham we have exciting new recruit, WIndbeneathmywings entered in the Listed Bumper.  He has won two bumpers in Ireland already and has settled in well since arriving across the Irish Sea.  Because he has already run in three bumpers, he is only eligible to run in this race or a similar contest at Ascot in a few weeks’ time.  If all goes to plan we could see him lining up in the Cheltenham Festival come March!  Keep checking the Daily news on the website for the latest news on the stable runners.

Pat Masterson Retirement Lunch

Dad and I attended a lunch at Newton Abbot last week to celebrate the work of Managing Director Pat Masterson who has recently retired.  There were a lot of people there, including Paul Nicholls and Philip Hobbs.  Pat has done a great job in charge of Newton Abbot for 34 years.  He has been very helpful over the years and he has helped to make the course what is today.  He will be greatly missed but I hope enjoys a well-deserved retirement and I am sure we will see him at Newton Abbot in the future just enjoying a nice day out!