We passed the 400-winner mark in our career on Monday as Milldam won again this season, his third win of the campaign, as he revelled in the deep Stratford ground under a confident Gavin Sheehan. I was thrilled for Neil Goulden, and Kevin & Sue Hopgood who have been big supporters of our yard.
Milldam wins for the third time this season and becomes our 400th career winner.
Our 401st winner followed that same afternoon and brought up our 40th winner of the season, as Holygrove Cha Cha made a winning racecourse debut in the bumper at Stratford. She is another lovely young horse in our team, which bodes well for the future. She was our first winner for the Hot to Trot syndicate too, and I am delighted to include them in our team of owners now.
Holygrove Cha Cha wins on her racecourse debut and is out 40th winner of the season.
It was lovely to head into the Cheltenham Festival with our team in top form, as we tried to add to the two Festival wins we’ve achieved to date. We went very close with Git Maker in the Kim Muir, who was given a polished ride from Will Biddick, the champion amateur jockey, to be 2nd. In rain softened ground, Git travelled in the first 6 throughout, and jumped from fence to fence. He went into 3rd at the 3rd last, 2nd at the 2nd last fence, and he hit the front at the last……only for a JP horse to canter passed us up the run in. We pulled 20 lengths clear of the third placed horse, and it was a mighty effort from Git and Will for the SAAL syndicate. The winner looked incredibly well handicapped as earlier this season he was only 7 lengths off the Arkle winner in a Grade 1 at Limerick!
Git Maker runs a belter to be 2nd at this years Cheltenham Festival.
I was pleased with Colonel Harry who was 6th in the Grade 1 Turners over 2m4, and we’ll now work back from the Coral Gold Cup (Hennessy) with him. Ga Law didn’t appreciate the soft ground, and struggled to replicate his handicap form in the Grade 1 Ryanair, so we’ll re align our sights with him now back in Grade 2’s and top handicaps. You Wear It Well won over 2m at the Festival last year, but appeared not to stay the 2m4 trip in the Grade 1 Mares race this season, and will go 2m novice chasing next season. Whilst, the atmosphere got to Hardy Du Seuil, and he failed to give his running in the Grand Annual.
We bought another smashing type at the Tatts Cheltenham Festival sale. Kosac D’Oudairies won an Irish Point at Caslelands at the weekend, and this half-brother to a listed winning chaser, from the same family as multiple Grade 1 winning chaser and Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up, Sire Des Champs, looks another useful recruit to the team.
We head to the Midlands National tomorrow with Farceur Du Large, fresh from winning the Grand Military and Royal Artillery Gold Cups, in the hope he can transfer that form back into a big handicap.
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