Tuesday 1st March 2022 - winner no. 42 up, as the momentum keeps rolling.

It was a great thrill to see Super Survivor giving us our 42^nd winner of the season when winning impressively at Doncaster last week.  He was making his racecourse debut and he was our first runner for Neil Goulden, Kevin and Sue Hopgood, who have invested into the yard this season.  Gavin gave Super Survivor a lovely ride as he looked pretty green on occasions, and yet he won in the style of a good horse.  He is certainly a chaser in the making, and so we’ll work away quietly with him this season, and look forward to novice chasing next season. 

Super Survivor wins on racecourse debut.

Our last four bumper runners have all finished 2^nd, but I was delighted to see Spitfire Girl back in the winners enclosure.  She ran a super race to be 2^nd at Warwick on Friday, and I look forward to her novice hurdling next season.  The same can be said of Ebonello who was 2^nd in the bumper at Hereford on Sunday.  She runs in the colours of HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, for the Ebony Horse Club syndicate.  She was bred by Robert Chugg, who unfortunately passed away last week, so it was fitting that his family where at Hereford on Sunday.  Ebonello showed improvement from her debut when 3^rd at Ludlow, and I think she can win a bumper this spring before going novice hurdling next season. 

Ebonello is 2nd in a bumper at Hereford.

Of our other runners last week, Rose O’hara was 4^th in a novice hurdle at Taunton and now that she qualifies for a handicap mark, I’d like to think she can find a winning opportunity up in trip on spring ground.  Legends Ryde was also 4^th at Warwick, but it wasn’t soft enough for her really.  Whilst, Present Value looks to want 3m now and found 2m3 at Carlisle just too tight and sharp for him. 

The weights were revealed today for the Cheltenham Festival which starts in two weeks’ time, and it looks as though Kiltealy Briggs will go for the Ultima Chase on the Tuesday.  Milldam will run in the Boodles Fred Winter on the Tuesday as well.  Whilst, Stoney Mountain will go for the Pertemps Final on the Thursday, and Up for Parol will go for the County Hurdle on Gold Cup Day.  Exciting times to look forward to…..

We added an exciting new recruit to the team last week as we bought Colonel Harry at the Cheltenham sale.  He is a very good looking 16”2 horse, he has scope and athleticism to match.  He came from the Irish pointing scene, where he made his debut as a 4-year-old in November at Damma House, when he made all and was 7 lengths clear at the last but unfortunately tipped up.  He was given a very high Point-to-point rating of 91 for that performance.  He bounced out of that and duly bolted up on his next start at Ballyvodock on 30th January, in a time that was 13 seconds quicker than standard where he was given a massive rating of 92.  The 4^th horse here (10 lengths back) bolted up on Sunday, so there is real strength to the form.  Colonel Harry is a gorgeous athletic 5-year-old chestnut gelding by Shirocco (the sire of multiple Grade 1 winners including Champion Hurdle winner, Annie Power and Gold Cup runner up Minella Rocco) out of an own sister to the supremely talented Grade 1 performer, Colonel Yeager.  He is the brother to the black type winner Dorabelle, and his whole pedigree is packed with black typed winners.