Looking Back 42) Lady

                      Lady Cricket

Lady Cricket was a phenomenal race mare who went onto be a wonderful broodmare as well.  She was a 1994 born daughter of Cricket Ball and her dam was Lady Mariza.  She began her career in France on the flat in March 1997 in the care of B Barbier finishing second to last on her debut.  She was switched to hurdles less than two weeks later and it was a much improved effort as she finished third.  She wasted no time in recording her first win over hurdles on her second attempt, winning at Auteuil on 13^th April 1997.

Three disappointing runs followed but the application of blinkers in November brought about the desired improvement as she won two further hurdle races at Auteuil that month.  She was tried in a higher grade after these wins and finished unplaced in three runs but signed off her French career with a nice win at Auteuil in April 1998.

She arrived in at Pond House that summer and made her stable debut at Newbury in February 1999 in the colours of owner David Johnson.  Blinkers were deployed from the very start and she won nicely on her British debut off a mark of 131 with A P McCoy in the saddle.  She followed up that win with another victory just ten days later in the National Spirit hurdle at Fontwell.  She lined up in the Champion hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival that year and finished ninth, 26 lengths behind winner Istabraq.  Now rated 155 she finished fourth at Aintree after this and fourth back at Cheltenham at their April meeting.

After a summer holiday she returned for a novice chase campaign and made a winning start at Chepstow in November 1999, before being second at Newbury and then returning to winning ways in a novice chase at Cheltenham in December.  She was second at Haydock after this before finishing unplaced in the SunAlliance chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2000.

She then went on her summer holidays once again and returned to action with a bang the following November by recording her biggest success in winning the Thomas Pink Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November.  Off a mark of 138 she was the easy winner beating Exit Swinger by 10 lengths with AP in the saddle.  She was fourth in the Hennessy later that month and disappointed in the King George that year but was back to form with a second at Aintree in the Melling chase, Grade 1 in April 2001.

Lady Cricket was not seen on the track again until January 2002 and it was a fine comeback run as she finished second in the Ladbroke handicap chase at Cheltenham.  She then went one place better the following month by winning the Game Spirit chase at Newbury beating Fadalko by 13 lengths.  She lined up at the Cheltenham Festival in March in the Mildmay of Flete handicap chase.  Off a mark of 155 and top weight she ran a tremendous race to finish second to stablemate Blowing Wind, only beaten 1 ¼ lengths.

That was her final run of that season and returned to the racecourse the following autumn with a second at Cheltenham in November.  In January 2003 she won the Ladbroke handicap chase at Cheltenham going one place better than she had done twelve months previous.  This was to be her final victory as she only had three more career starts after this.  She was third in the Game Spirit chase, fifth back in the Mildmay of Flete handicap chase at the Cheltenham Festival and then her final ever run was at Aintree where she finished second in the Martell chase, Grade 2 where she finished second behind First Gold.

A P McCoy rode her in all of her 22 starts in Britain for Pond House which tells you something in itself as to the regard with which she was held.  From 2 miles to 3 miles she had top class form.  She wore blinkers in every start but by no means would you ever question her attitude, it just seemed to help her concentrate.

She was retired to stud when she finished racing and has produced some fine offspring which we have been lucky to have trained the majority of here at Pond House.  The best have been Red Sherlock and Swing Bowler.  Red Sherlock won six of eight starts before injuries curtailed his career and we never got to see the best of him.  Swing Bowler was also very good and won five races.  She is now a broodmare herself and we look forward to seeing her offspring on the track in the near future. Cricket Boy, David Cricket and Baby Sherlock make up the family tree but they did not scale the heights of the first named two. 

Lady Cricket won eleven races from 34 career starts and was also placed eleven times as well. Rated 161 over fences and 155 over hurdles she was high class in both disciplines and won over £320,000 in prize money.  Her talent was matched by a great attitude and a big heart.  I think she is probably the best mare to have ever been at Pond House.

Watch her win the Thomas Pink Gold Cup in 2000 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGtE5DjqZjg