- Monday, 26 January 2026 11:12
- Written by David Pipe
River Run Free Winner at Leicester
I start this week by again talking about the weather! We have had 176mm of rain so far in January here at Pond House and with a wet week ahead forecast there looks set to be disruption to the racing programme in the coming days. Indeed, Exeter on Wednesday has already been abandoned, there is an inspection at Leicester ahead of their meeting on Wednesday and I imagine a few more clerks of the courses will also be calling inspections later in the week. The most rain we have ever recorded in January on our records is 181mm and that was back in 2014, I imagine we will be setting a new record this year, maybe even by this time tomorrow with a few more days left in January as well!
Our runners have run well in recent days and I was delighted to get another couple of winners thanks to River Run Free and Eton Mes. River Run Free is not the easiest horse to keep right at home but he has ability. He is a horse that lives out in the field as much as possible and gets plenty of TLC so it is always extra special when the hard work pays off. He is now 2 wins from 3 runs at Leicester and he does seem to enjoy the track. He jumped and travelled very well throughout for Jack Tudor and he scored quite comfortably in the end. He has come out of that race well and while we did have him entered back at Leicester later this week we have decided to wait for another day.
Eton Mes Winner at Uttoxeter
Eton Mes won for the first time over hurdles at Uttoxeter on Friday with Rian Corcoran in the saddle. After finishing fourth three times in a row in novice events, this was his first run in a handicap and carrying top weight with seven pounds off thanks to Rian’s claim he won nicely. He loves soft ground and will probably appreciate an even stiffer test of stamina in time but this was a good first victory. He has come out of the race well and has further entries this week but we will see what the handicapper does on Tuesday morning before deciding on plans.
Bashful Boy did not get the run of the race in his flat race at Kempton and finished fourth while the race probably came soon enough after Taunton for Jaipaletemps at Uttoxeter on Saturday and he also finished fourth.
This Week
A lot of what happens this week will depend on the rain and what racing is on or off! I imagine that if we do have some abandonments there will be extra meetings put on at some of the drier courses. The west country and the South seems to have been worst affected lately, indeed we were at Cocklbarrow point to point on Sunday in in Gloucestershire and the sun was shining and the ground was just on the softer side of good! We returned home to wet and miserable weather!
Royal Mer is our first runner of the week at Hereford on Monday and Rian Corcoran rides. He has finished second in both of his runs so far this season, only losing out in a close finish at Exeter last time. The track maybe on the sharp side for him today but he will love the ground conditions. Rian’s seven-pound claim will be a big help and I would love to see him get his head back in front. He is a five-time winner but has not won for a while though he always runs his race and is very consistent so I hope this is a good opportunity for him.
We have two runners at Chepstow on Tuesday, Saccary and Walkadina with Jack Tudor on board both and then Wednesday will be a blank day. Later in the week we have entries at Wincanton on Thursday and on Friday at Ffos Las and on the flat at Southwell. In Ireland this weekend there is of course the Dublin Racing Festival to look forward to but on this side of the Irish Sea we also have a big weekend up at Musselburgh, with Sandown, Wetherby and Market Rasen all being well as well. Keep checking the Daily News on the website for all the latest news on the stable runners.
Jack Pony Racing
On Sunday we travelled to Cocklbarrow point to point in the Cotswolds for Jack to have his first ride of the year on his new pony, Little Chiefy. Although Jack had two goes last year they don’t really count as that was on our Connemara pony Tandy who was not fast enough to be competitive. With Jack’s enthusiasm for riding and racing only increasing daily we acquired a new pony in the autumn. This is the last year Jack will be eligible to take part in pony racing and hopefully he will have a good few months ahead. Jack is in the 148cm pony races and there are some far more experienced riders in opposition and this showed in his race. It was actually won by Charlie Longsden’s son, Harry who has been taking part for the last three or four years and has experience against several good young riders who are now making their mark as professionals, names such as Billy Loughnane, Mason Patael, Jack Doughty and Harry Vigors are just a few that Harry has already ridden against. Jack is new to all this and showed his greenness by losing valuable lengths at the start. He worked his way into contention the 1m1f contest and finished fourth in the end. While initially disappointed not to win, he has reflected on everything and realises the old adage, while you cannot win a race at the start you can lose it! While it certainly did not cost him victory it might well have lost him second place as it was a relatively close finish behind a clear winner. He will certainly be a lot sharper at the start next time that is for sure! Both he and the pony are learning together and will have a couple more goes in point to point races in the coming weeks before progressing to the racecourse series when it starts later in the year. With not much happening in the west country for a few weeks we may have to travel for our next outing, to near Colchester no less in a couple of weeks’ time!
I enjoyed my first visit to Cocklebarrow and was in good company with lots of other National Hunt Trainers, several there with their children also competing and several just enjoying a day out. In all my years point to pointing I have never seen such a big hospitality marquee with live music, a huge bar and plenty of food options which kicked off before racing started and no doubt continued long into the evening as well! Charlie Longsden, Ben Pauling and Nigel Twiston-Davies were just a few names with children taking part in the races while there were plenty there on a social day out as well. Dad came to watch and enjoyed seeing plenty of familiar faces like Marcus Armytage, Robert Bellamy, Graeme Macpherson, Charlie Brooks and Timmy Murphy to name just a few!
Horse For Sale – Follow The Plan
Follow the Plan
Follow the Plan is a five-year-old bay mare by Dartmouth who arrived with us over the weekend. She has had just the two starts in Irish point to points and finished a close third at Ballycrystal just before Christmas. She is 16.2hh and has plenty of size and scope and was recommended to me by the trainer who sold us Gentleman Toboot as a lovely mare who will win races at a sensible price! While we haven’t done a lot with her as yet, she seems to have a nice nature and hasn’t left a nut which we always like! She has the added bonus of being GBB qualified which means there will be extra prize money to be won on the racecourse through this scheme which makes her evening more appealing to be her owner! She is for sale for £25,000 + VAT so if you would like any more details please do get in touch. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or ring the office on 01884 840715.
