Horses for Sale

   Tuxedo Junction (GB) 


Exciting dual purpose prospect,
click here for details!

 

    Fighter Allen (FR)  


Exciting new horse with proven form, 
click here for details!

 

 

We have woken to quite a frost here at Pond House this morning, with temperature still at 0c at 7.30am it is a beautiful start to the day.  The yard is a hive of early of activity this morning with the lorries setting off for racing at 5am and several of our riders were in early than usual with a busy morning ahead.  We have three runners today, two at Haydock at one at Huntingdon.  Sizing Pottsie runs in the opening novices hurdle up at Haydock, 12.10pm, hence the early start.  Pottsie had a few entries over the weekend but this race was chosen as we think he has a great chance of winning.  He has a rating of 143 over hurdles and if this is correct, the other novices in the race will have to run to a high standard to beat him.  We have only run him in the one hurdle race, a novices hurdle at Ayr which he won the way he should.  His rating comes from Ireland and obviously he is better known as a high class chaser.  The plan is to go back over fences with him and he does hold an entry in the Tingle Creek at Sandown next month.  All being well he should run very well in this race.

Our second runner at Haydock is Brinkley who runs in the stayers hurdle at 2.25pm.  Like Sizing Pottsie, he would probably have preferred even more rain as the ground can never be soft enough but he is in good form at home and he looks to have a good each way chance.  Last season he won a competitive novices chase on seasonal reappearance at Huntingdon but we then had a few niggles with him after that.  He only had three runs and did run well back over hurdles on his final start last season at Chepstow in February and finished third.  He has been given a long break and returns from a good mark and so we are hopeful of a good run in a race that has been kind to us in the past.  We have won the race with greys Dynaste, Grands Crus and Gevrey Chambertin as well as Main Fact two years ago.  Tom Scu runs both of our Haydock runners today and fingers crossed we have good chances.

Panic Attack is our sole representative at Huntingdon this afternoon and she runs in the mares chase at 12.48pm.  It is her chasing debut but she is a lovely big mare and she has schooled well at home.  There may only be four runners but it is a tight little race with three of the four all being rated 125.  Panic Attack was a good winner at Cheltenham in April and she followed that with a good performance at Haydock after that.  She travelled well for a long way at Cheltenham on her seasonal comeback before getting tired up the hill.  She has progressed since then and we think the fences will bring about further improvement.  David Noonan rides and our jockey was in winning form at Chepstow yesterday.  It is a tricky little race but we are hopeful that Panic Attack can do the business.

There is of course also a top jumps card at Ascot this afternoon as well.  Hopefully we will see the eagerly anticipated return of Constitution Hill although Nicky Henderson has expressed concerns of the ground trying out.  While he is getting a lot of stick on social media, he will not listen to that and is only trying to do the best by his horse.  L'Homme Presse is also due to make his seasonal reappearance and I am not sure the ground will be soft enough for him either.  We are already down to three runners in that race and he could be a very welcome first winner of the season for his trainer, Venetia Williams.

Jet Smart ran well at Ascot yesterday to finish fifth in the maiden hurdle.  Just after the second last I did get quite excited for a bit that he might win but then he just got a bit tired.  It was an incident packed race with fallers, loose horses and one horse running out on the bend but our four year old put in a nice display and will be one to watch next time with plenty of improvement to come.

Have a good Saturday everyone and enjoy all the action.  The Invisible man and the invisible woman got married.  But their kids aren't anything to look at!