Wednesday 27th February 2019 - horses in great form in the lead up to the Festival

After a three-week drought of racing thanks to the snow and then the flu drama, thankfully racing is back in full flow and our horses are in tremendous form with four winners in the last 10 days.

Alrightjack got the ball rolling with a comprehensive win over hurdles on his second attempt.  Having won his bumper earlier this season, he improved on his hurdling debut and appreciated the softer ground at Lingfield to win ‘hard held’.  I think that he is the type to keep progressing and we’ll look to win under a penalty before stepping him up in grade. 

Alrightjack is an impressive winner of his novice hurdle.

I was thrilled to see the ultra-consistent Kalahari Queen deservedly get her head in front over fences when she won the mares novice chase at Wetherby last week.  Gavin Sheehan gave her a tremendous ride and she jumped from fence to fence, which was lovely to see.  She is entered for the David Nicholson Mares race at the Festival but I think we’ll look to run her under a penalty before targeting the Mares Final at Cheltenham in April.

Kalahari Queen wins her novice chase.

Early Morning Rain has improved throughout the season and won her bumper at Plumpton on Monday in gritty fashion under a determined Sam Twiston-Davies.  She has a wonderfully attractive way about her, and should make into a smashing novice hurdler next season.

Early Morning Rain wins her bumper.

We have managed to exploit Hogan’s Height’s novice hurdle status this season by winning a couple of hurdle races at Catterick.  Having won there on New Years Day under Page Fuller, he defied his penalty there yesterday under Gavin.  I think we’ll run him back over fences now and something like the Topham at Aintree might be a nice target.

Hogan's Height defies a penalty to win his second novice hurdle at Catterick.

We’ve hit the cross bar a couple of times recently as well, although I was delighted with Thomas Macdonagh who was 2^nd again in another bumper.  He looks a thorough stayer and should make into a cracking novice hurdler next season.  Meanwhile, Lostnfound was 2^nd back over hurdles at Lingfield last week, and she deserves to get her head in front again this spring.  We sent Dans Le Vent up to Doncaster for the Challenger Series Qualifier and were hoping to win in order to go up in the handicap to get into the Pertemps at the Festival.  Unfortunately, we just bumped into one too good there but he ran a race full of promise to be 2^nd and we’ll now aim him for the £50,000 Challenger Series Final at Haydock over Easter.  

Of our other recent runners, I thought Legends Ryde showed a huge amount of promise when 3^rd on her bumper debut at Wetherby last week.  She is a tank of a horse, and one I am very excited about for the future.  She will now go to Newbury for the £50,000 sales bumper at the end of March.

Legends Ryde is a very promising 3rd on her debut.

I am incredibly lucky that we have a great team of staff here and I have been impressed with the progress that Liz Knight has made since arriving with us two years ago.  She is a very tidy rider and we gave her the leg up on Crown Theatre in a Point-to-Point at Larkhill a couple of weeks ago for her first ride in public.  She gave him a wonderful ride to be 2^nd having led for the majority of the 3m race but was just denied in the shadows of the post.  I look forward to running Crown Theatre back at Larkhill on 17^th March for the Jamie Snowden Racing Club.

Crown Theatre is 2nd in a point-to-point at Larkhill under Liz Knight for the Jamie Snowden Racing Club.