Magic Week

      King Turgeon - Winner at Cheltenham

It has been a great few days for the yard with a wonderful winner at Cheltenham on Friday and the sixth win of the year for Chemical Warfare at Newcastle on Saturday. King Turgeon has been the revelation of the season so far for the Pond House team, putting in a career best effort at Prestbury Park on Friday to win a competitive Premier handicap chase. King Turgeon started this autumn by winning impressively at Chepstow and then following up in the Grand Sefton chase at Aintree over the National fences. The plan was the Becher Chase at Aintree on the 9th December but Storm Darragh put pay to best laid plans.

Our six-year-old set off in the lorry for an Aintree but only got as far as Bristol when that meeting was sensibly called off. We decided to enter him later that morning for Cheltenham on Friday 13th of December. The well-regarded Chianti Classico trained by Kim Bailey was also rerouted from the abandoned Becher chase and headed the weights in this contest as well. We were sent off second favourite behind the top weight and we led the field a merry dance until mistakes four out and three out cost us rail position and the lead coming down the hill. Jack then switched King Turgeon wide rounding the final turn and asked him for his effort to which our son of Turgeon responded gamely, jumping the last fence well and staying on strongly up the hill to repass toiling rivals. King Turgeon won this race of a mark of 133 and again put up a career best performance. We will see what the handicapper does to his rating on Tuesday morning but he is likely to be pushing the 140 mark over fences. The Grand National is of course at the back of our minds but he would still have to improve a few more pounds to even get in this in the race at this stage. It is remarkable how far he has come this season but he is still relatively young, only six about to turn seven and I do not think he has finished improving just yet. We know he loves the national fences and whether it is this year or next I would hope he would line up in the Grand National one day. It was a great first ever winner at Cheltenham for his owners, Somerset racing. It was Jack Tudor‘s second winner for me at Cheltenham, his third career win at the track. The main thing is that King Turgeon has come out of the race bouncing, like he always does and we will regroup and think about a target for him in the New Year.  I would think he is likely to get a Grand National entry and then we will see what happens in the New Year.

King Turgeon was winner number 32 for Pond house this season and we did not have to wait too long for our 33rd success, with Chemical Warfare winning up at Newcastle over the weekend. He is a remarkable little horse that joined us earlier this year and this was his sixth win from eleven starts for me. He has risen up the ratings but has coped very well with each rise and I do not think he’s finished improving quite yet. We have gradually stepped him up in distance in his runs for us and he has improved for tackling three miles. We employed different tactics and raced from the front on Saturday and he went round with his ears pricked the whole way and galloped all the way through the line. His jumping has also improved throughout his races and bar one mistake up at Newcastle his jumping was very good. This was his second win at the track for me, his third career success in the North East and he certainly enjoys his travels to race near to where his owners are based. He stayed up at Carlisle over the weekend and travelled back on Monday morning.  He has come out of the race in good form and we will see once again what the handicapper does on Tuesday morning before deciding where his next race may be. He is versatile ground wise but does seem to prefer conditions not too soft and there is plenty more fun to be had with our seven-year-old.

Lady Balko has got the new week off to a perfect start by winning again at Plumpton on Monday afternoon.  Exactly two weeks on from her first success at the track she returned and carried top weight to another facile victory.  Her jumping was again very good bar one mistake and it was a good performance off a nine-pound higher mark.  We have her entered for a valuable mares chase at Hereford on Saturday and we will see how she is this week but you may see her red colours in action again under a seven pound penalty at the weekend.

Belfrina made a pleasing stable debut in the three-year-old juvenile hurdle at Doncaster on Friday finishing second to a well-regarded rival. She is a filly I have like since she arrived and although initially a little disappointed to be beaten, she will have learnt a lot from that race as that was only the third ever run of her life, her first over hurdles. She has a great attitude and is one to very much keep on the right side of this winter.

Shot Boii ran another good race to be third at Lingfield on Monday, hopefully the handicapper will give him some help and his winning turn should not be too far away. Gold in the Rivers runs in the same colours as Shot Boii and stepped up from his stable debut to fourth in the Pertemps qualifying handicap hurdle at Carlisle on Sunday. He travelled well, perhaps a little too enthusiastically to start with, which did see him finish not as strongly as I might have hoped but he did finish fourth and he now has an automatic qualifying spot for the Cheltenham per final in March providing he is in the handicap.  This will be definitely something on our radar but he may have to go up in the weights a bit to get in. We are still very much learning about him but it was a good step forward from his stable debut. Tuxedo Junction was also a pleasing third at Taunton last week in a useful looking novice hurdle. He has an entry at Exeter this week and we may see him out again quickly. He pulled well clear with two other rivals and I am sure he can get his head in front very soon over hurdles. Thanksforthehelp was a little disappointing at Bangor, finishing fourth but losing two places after the final hurdle.   Perhaps the ground was a little too heavy and we may look to drop him back in distance next time.

This Week

On Tuesday, we have three runners a little closer to home at Wincanton, Skin Full, River Run Free and Yggdrasil. On Wednesday, we have just the one runner at Ludlow, Neon Moon.  He is returning to calmer waters and to a track he has run well at in the past, so fingers crossed he can run well.  On Thursday, we have entries at Exeter and Ffos Lasm while on Friday Windbeneathmywings is likely to make his stable debut in the Listed bumper at Ascot.  Over the weekend, we have entries at Haydock, Hereford and Fakenham before the mini pre-Christmas break so keep checking the Daily News on the website for the latest information on the stable runners.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Horses like routine, but they also like a bit of variety as well, which is why we like to do different things with the horses when we can. Many are regular visitors up to Culmstock Beacon and last week we took a few of them out to see the hounds. Mandy, has worked at the yard for nearly 30 years and it was her first trip to see the Taunton Vale Harriers, I think she enjoyed it as much as Kepagge!  I is good for humans and equines alike!

Alistair Down Memorial Service              

Unfortunately, I could not make Alistair Down’s Memorial Service at Cheltenham last Thursday but dad represented us and he said it was a fitting send off.  Racing folk came from far and wide to pay their respects, from trainers to jockeys, past and present as well as many members of the racing media.  He was brilliant with words and racing was lucky to have him. His ashes will be scattered over Prestbury Park which will be a fitting place of rest.