grands_crus_kempton_boxing_day

After speaking with the owners, we have decided not to run Grands Crus at Cheltenham on Saturday.  We didn’t want to give him a hard race with March just around the corner.  He may run at Newbury in a three mile novices’ chase on 11th February or could go straight to the Festival.  A decision on which race he will take in at the Cheltenham Festival is still to be decided and will not be made until much nearer the time.

Exciting hurdler Dynaste runs in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham this Saturday.

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Kazlian_Leicester_100112webI was very pleased with the success of Kazlian (pictured above) at Leicester last Tuesday afternoon when easily landing the novices’ hurdle under a penalty.  Tom Scu sent our four year old on at the penultimate hurdle and he won as he pleased from High On A Hill.  The bare form of the race is difficult to assess – the runner-up, while useful on the flat had run poorly on his only previous start over timber, while second favourite Tuscan Gold was clearly below form.  Even so, he was very impressive and his jumping has improved with each start – he is clearly on the upgrade and his next target will be governed by what the handicapper decides to do with him, although I would imagine that he will eventually be contesting one of the novices’ hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

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The stable enjoyed another productive week with four winners.  Ashbrittle started the ball rolling at Lingfield on Thursday when getting the better of Charm School in the maiden hurdle.  The pair had filled the minor placings at Ffos Las a fortnight earlier and ran almost to the pound again here.  Ashbrittle prevailed by a length under a fine ride from Conor O’Farrell with the pair 21 lengths clear of the remainder.

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The saying goes “out with the old and in with the new” and we saw out 2011 in style with a winner at Warwick on New Year’s Eve before seeing in the New Year with another victory at Exeter on 1st January, and the winning habit is certainly one that we are hoping to keep for the remainder of the year and beyond!

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grands_crus_kempton_boxing_day

Well, Christmas is all over for another year and I hope that you enjoyed the festive season.  It has been a remarkable few days on the racing front culminating in incredible scenes at Kempton on Boxing Day for one of the most inspiring day’s racing that I can recall.

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santa_sleigh

It was another productive week for the yard with four more winners taking our seasonal tally to 50 – a nice milestone to reach before Christmas.  Buddy Bolero started the ball rolling at Folkestone on Tuesday and he put up a dour staying performance to land the 2m6f novices’ hurdle.  Stamina is clearly his long suit as the ground was very testing and the horses were finishing tired throughout the day – but he kept going well to score a ready fifteen length victory.  Whatever he does now will be a bonus as he looks to be an embryonic staying chaser in the making.

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christmas_tree

As I sit at my desk writing this week’s blog with only twelve days until Christmas, I take a glance at my computer that is currently displaying my web page and it is then that it dawns upon me…there are only 90 days until the start of the Cheltenham Festival!  Where has the time gone?!  There is so much to be done between now and then – it is at times like this that I wish there were 25 hours in a day!

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