Looking Back 27) Moon Racer

                   Moon Racer

After a few oldies today we are turning to more recent times with Moon Racer.  He is still only 11 years of age but injuries sadly forced retirement last year although we are delighted to hear (and see on Twitter) how well he is doing in his new career with Clare Poole show jumping.

David bought Moon Racer at Cheltenham sales in April 2014 for owners Bryan Drew and Professor Caroline Tisdall after he had been the very impressive winner of a very valuable bumper at Fairyhouse for a small relatively unknown Irish trainer Michael Ronayne just days earlier.

He came home from the sales and settled in nicely.  Quite often when horses arrive at this sort of time of year we like to do a bit with them on the gallops before turning them away for some grass.  He brought huge excitement to the yard because you knew he was quite special and he had an engine with impressive ‘gears’ from the very start.

He enjoyed a nice summer out to grass and returned to action at Cheltenham at the October meeting where he was sent off 11/4 favourite for the bumper that day.  He quickened well clear 2 furlongs out and then was eased inside the final furlong as he won impressively.  As equally as he was a ‘machine’ at home he was already proving to be quite hard to train as soundness issues were always a concern.  It therefore meant his next run was the Champion Bumper itself at the Cheltenham Festival in March 2015.  A standing start did not suit him (following a false start) and it was not ideal that he dwelt as they jumped off which meant he did not have the ideal position in the race and he was nearer last than first for much of the race.  His class told in the end thankfully as he made good progress from 3 furlongs out and ran on really well up the hill to beat Modus by 1.5 lengths.  The whole team at home had the upmost belief in the horse and were as confident as you can be when you go into a championship race with a favourite so it was brilliant for everyone involved.

He was unfortunately then absent for over a year and was next seen back across the Irish Sea at the Punchestown Festival in April 2016. He was narrowly beaten by Blow By Blow in the Champion Irish Bumper with Jamie Codd on board and it was another fine effort.  He came back home and had a shortly holiday as we wanted to get him started over hurdles.

David had earmarked a nice little novice hurdle at Perth in September, chosen as he thought the ground would be softer up in Scotland at this time of year than elsewhere and he hoped it would be a nice little introduction to hurdling.  There were only five runners but one of these was the Champion Bumper winner from this March, Ballyandy!  So you had the last two Champion Bumper winners taking each other on, on their hurdling debuts, I am sure this has probably not happened before, ever!  It was a good race and both horses jumped well with Moon Racer coming out on top by ¾ length.  A good start.

He was then stepped up in grade back at Cheltenham in November in the Supreme novices hurdle trial.  He was a good winner at 9/4 once again with Ballyandy nearly three lengths behind him in third place.  More setbacks followed and because of his age and frailties it was decided to go for the Champion hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March 2017.  Unfortunately it did not work out on this occasion but he stayed in once piece and he went to Aintree where once again he was not at his best as he finished sixth in the Grade 1 novices hurdle behind Pingshou.

More time off followed and it was February 2018 when came back in the Betfair handicap hurdle at Newbury.  He ran okay but unfortunately he did not seem quite the horse of old.  He ran okay in the County hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, finishing ninth but only less than 15 lengths behind the winner Mohaayed, not perhaps getting the clearest of runs and not having the pace to get involved.  With this in mind David decided to step him up in trip when he headed to Ayr the following month.  He had a relatively smooth lead up to the race; he relished going the extra distance to 2m5f and ran out a nice winner.  I know this meant as much to David, Bryan and Caroline as any of his other wins as it was brilliant to have him back in the winner’s enclosure where he belonged.

He then went out to grass again that summer and returned to Newbury in November.  He tackled three miles for the first time and seemed to stay well enough as he finished a promising third.  It was always the plan to try chasing with him at some point and so we headed to Ascot next for a novice chase later that month.  He jumped well enough and ran okay to finish fourth.  He returned home okay but in the following days it was discovered he had another injury setback and the decision was made to retire him.  We all knew how good he was and unfortunately his problems were just not enabling to be that horse anymore.  After a period of box race he went off to his retirement with Un Temps Pour Tout and he is having a wonderful time.

Moon Racer was the 2009 born son of Saffron Walden out of a mare called Angel’s Folly.  He only had twelve career starts and he won five of them and was placed three times.  He won just under £90,000 in prize money.  He was an absolute gentleman at home to look after and one of the kindest horses you could ever hope to meet and we will never forget that special day at the 2015 Cheltenham Festival.

Watch his Champion Bumper win by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUwLVzylI3Y

Watch his hurdling debut against Ballyandy at Perth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkOizG2Uyok