Good Form Continues

First of all, I couldn’t start this week without thanking everybody who has taken the time to contact us with their best wishes on Lough Derg’s retirement.  The number of people who have contacted us via e-mail, Racing Post and social networking sites Twitter and Facebook has been absolutely overwhelming and just goes to show the depth of emotion that these seasoned veterans inspire among racegoers.  Douglas is still with us in the short-term and he is as full of himself as always – he will remain here until we have found the right home for him to spend the rest of his days.

After a hectic weekend it is nice to be able to relax among friends and enjoy a more laid-back afternoon - I was away at the Derby awards in London yesterday (Monday) where I was guest of commentator Mike Vince.  This has become something of an annual pilgrimage for me and I was joining the likes of John Motson (the voice of football) as well as handicappers Noel O’Brien (Ireland) and Matthew Tester – I certainly enjoyed speaking with those two!  It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, although getting Gerry Supple back on the right train in the evening certainly posed more of a challenge!

As I say, it was a very busy week with no fewer than seventeen runners on Saturday afternoon.  The horses continue in good form and we enjoyed further successes with Poole Master (pictured right) at Uttoxeter on Wednesday, Water Garden at Wincanton on Thursday and Big Occasion at Chepstow on Saturday.  Poole Master’s success was a particularly poignant one as jockey Chris Honour edges ever closer to riding out his claim.  Chris intends to hang up his boots when he rides his 75^th winner and Poole Master made it winner number 72 for the 32 year old with a decent performance on his seasonal debut.  He has had countless problems but is clearly a very promising young horse – he is lightly raced and still open to plenty of improvement, while he may also be suited by slightly softer ground and a bit further in time.

The Old Betfairians look like they have a nice prospect on their hands following Big Occasion’s highly encouraging debut win over hurdles at Chepstow.  The three miles at the Welsh course would have taken some getting, especially as the ground was very heavy, and stamina certainly looks to be his long suit.  Tom Scudamore had him in a good position throughout and he kept plugging away up the straight as his rivals delivered their challenges – I am sure that he will improve with experience and he looks to have a bright future in staying hurdles.

Talking of staying hurdlers, I have made an entry for Fixed Brush Hurdle winner Dynaste (pictured left) in the Relkeel hurdle at Cheltenham for Saturday.  Following on from his great win at Haydock he now has a rating of 158, so there really aren’t many handicap options available to him.  He could go there, although he has also been given an entry in the Long Walk hurdle the following week in which champion stayer Big Buck’s could make his next appearance – win or lose we will know more about what we have after one of these races, and it will help to decide future targets for him.  Incidentally, in reverence to Lough Derg’s retirement and all the wonderful performances that he put up at the Berkshire track, Ascot have kindly decreed that the Long Walk Hurdle will be known this year as the “Lough Derg Long Walk Hurdle” – a touching and fitting tribute to this amazing horse.

Also on this weekend’s Cheltenham card is the December Gold Cup in which we originally had four of the forty-one entries.  All four of ours (Paddy Power hero Great Endeavour, I’msingingtheblues, Matuhi and Salut Flo) have been left in at the five day stage, in which only 23 remain.  The absence of Poquelin means that the weights will go up by 4lbs, meaning that three of our runners are already in the handicap proper, while Salut Flo currently has 9-13.  It looks like being another exciting week’s racing so stay in touch with Chester’s Daily Chat for all the latest news on our runners.