Winners & Runners

    Phantomofthepoints Warwick Winner

We had a lovely couple of winners on Saturday and it was a big day for the team.  Kingston Queen was back to her best in winning the Grade 2 Jane Seymour novices hurdle at Warwick under a great ride from Conor O'Farrell.  They sat in second throughout the race and travelled and jumped very well but they did not go that fast.  He pushed her on into the lead rounding the home turn and while she was idling a little and lugging a bit right towards the paddock she galloped on well to the line.  She looked like she was beaten just after the last hurdle as her challengers came to her but she loves a battle and pulled out a bit more close home.  She is a lovely mare and I am not even sure she knows how good she is but she has a big heart and showed it here.  This was a valuable prize in its own right but there is so much to look forward to for the rest of the season on the back of this.  She seems to have come out of the race fine which is the main thing and while I'm sure she will be getting an entry in the mares novices hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival there are plenty of other nice options as well.

Phantomofthepoints was back to his best with making all to win the staying handicap hurdle under Rian Corcoran.  He travelled and jumped very well from the front under a well judged ride from Rian.  His seven pounds off definitely helped but the manner of his victory suggests he would have won without the claim, he is a very good horse on his day.  He had ran well at Haydock before a fall on chasing debut at Uttoxeter and this was probably still playing on his mind last time at Haydock.  The drop back in distance from three miles also probably suited and on this form he can be winning again.

Our disappointments on Saturday came at Newbury.  We tried slightly different tactics with Itseemslikeit and he never looked happy from an early stage.  It was the best race he had contested but I don't think this was his true running.  He was still in contention before a bad mistake at the cross fence after which Jack Tudor was sensible looked after him as there will be other days.  No Walkover is a horse we like a lot and he did not fire in the bumper.  He has to be held up as he is very keen and the ground ought to have suited but maybe it did not?  He travelled into the race going strongly but stopped very quickly and once again when Jack knew he had no chance of winning he came home in his own time.  He seems fine since the race which is the main thing and we can put a line through this as it was too bad to be true.  We will see how he is in the coming days before making and plans.

We start the new week with three runners at Plumpton today.  Pachacuti, Activist and Penn Avenue are our trio of runner and Pachacuti gets us underway in the 2.15pm conditional jockeys handicap hurdle with Rian Corcoran on board.  He has been a little in and out so far this season but appreciated the return to hurdles last time to be second at Ffos Las.  That was over 2m4f and he galloped all the way to the line and will prefer going back up to three miles today.  There are only six runners and it is a competitive looking race but I will be disappointed if he does not win or run well.  With Rian's eight pound claim he is very well handicapped on his best form and should like the track and conditions.  He is favourite in the paper and I hope this is his time to win this season.

Activist runs in the 3.45pm handicap hurdle over 2m4f and Jack Tudor rides.  He ran well on his penultimate start at Chepstow to be fourth but disappointed at Fontwell last time.  I think we can forgive him this effort and the ground was atrocious by his race, the final race on the card that day and I am not sure he enjoyed it.  He won't mind today's conditions and he has won at the track before.  It is a tough race despite not being a big field and while he probably could still do with some help from the handicapper I hope he has a good each way chance.

Penn Avenue runs in the final race of the day, a mares handicap hurdle at 4.45pm and Jack Tudor rides.  She is making her handicap debut after two promising runs in novice events.  She runs from a mark of 100 but gets a handy four year old allowance.  She will handle the ground and I think she should take all the beating and end our day on a high.  Fingers crossed!

There is another jumps race fixture up at Catterick today and also an all-weather flat card at Wolverhampton with nothing in Ireland today.

I was struggling to understand how lightening works...

And then it struck me!

Happy Monday!