Tuesday 23rd February 2021 - another Grade 2 winner to add to the seasonal tally.

I was over the moon to see Anythingforlove winning the Grade 2 Jane Seymour novice hurdle at Sandown last week under a fabulous ride from Page Fuller.  It was wonderful to train the Foxtrot Partnership their first Graded winner, and lovely to get some “Bold Black Type” for Anythingforlove’s breeders Bryan Mayoh and Eskdale Stud. 

Anythingforlove wins the Grade 2 Jane Seymour Novice hurdle.

Page has been a big part of our team here for a few years, and having recently ridden out her claim, it was very important for her to notch such a big win, and it will no doubt take her career to the next level. 

This Grade 2 winner was our 2^nd Graded winner of the season, and we look forward to seeing Ga Law contest the Pendil Novice Chase on Saturday at Kempton.  He has a penalty to concede for winning the Rising Stars earlier this season and his weight for age allowance is diminishing, so he’ll need to keep improving, but we believe he is….

Having survived the freezing temperatures of the previous week, it was lovely to get back racing last week, and we almost started out with a winner at Catterick where Hudson Yard was close to defying her penalty for winning last month at Exeter.  She has to go down as a ‘frustrating’ 2^nd having looked the likely to score, but was impeded several times from the back of the 2^nd last.  I am quite sure that if Gavin had his time again, he’d have won that race 9 times out of 10.  However, that’s racing sometimes, and I look forward to seeing Hudson Yard out again in the coming weeks.

Of our other recent runners, Tallow For Coal was 3^rd at Hereford last week and has now been placed in all three career starts.  He is a horse who will only mature further for another summer holiday, and I look forward to seeing him develop into a proper staying handicap chaser.  Mustang Alpha was only beaten 3 lengths when he was 4^th at Carlisle.  He can surely win again over hurdles this season before he goes novice chasing next term. 

Grand Sefton winner, Hogans Height made his seasonal debut over hurdles at Wincanton on Saturday.  He pulled up at the 2^nd last but only 5 of the 11 got round, so it was a pretty gruelling race, and he jumped his hurdles as if they were Beechers Brook!  He’s had a good blow having not run for almost a year, and that will put him right for the Glenfarclas Cross Country at the Cheltenham Festival next and then onto the Grand National.

Unfortunately, Thomas Macdonagh didn’t stay the 3m2 trip at Carlisle last week, so we’ll drop him back down again, and poor Thebannerkingrebel has lost his confidence after a nasty tumble over fences, so he’ll go back over hurdles now.  Whilst, Grade 2 placed, Kalahari Queen will now head off in retirement to start her new life as a broodmare. 

Its lovely to be back racing after the frost, but the ground is still pretty horrid, so let’s hope spring is only just around the corner now…… and now Boris has announced his road map out of lockdown, we look forward to having owners back in the yard and on the track before long.