Looking Back 82) Kissair

                      Kissair

Kissair is another Cheltenham Festival winner for Pond House.  He was a 1991 born bay gelding by Most Welcome and his dam was called Salonniere.  He started his career on the flat for G Lewis in September 1993 and finished nearer last than first on three of his first four starts before he was gelded.  This seemed to do the trick however and he won on his first race on his third start back after at Bath in April 1994 over 1m2f.  He went on to win another two races that summer making it three wins from eight starts overall.

He had a mini break and returned in good form continuing to climb up the ratings and won another race at Newbury in October.  His first handicap win was off a mark of 57 and he won this race off 74.  He was then moved to Pond House to embark on a hurdling career.  He finished third in a novices hurdle on stable debut at Cheltenham in January 1995.

He learned a lot from his first outing over hurdles and went on to win next time out at Ludlow in February and followed up this with another win at Windsor as well.  He was ridden by Jonothan Lower on both occasions, winning by 12 lengths for the first win and then unchallenged for the second win he won by 15 lengths.  He was sent off at odds of 16/1 for the 1995 Triumph hurdle and Jonothan Lower kept the ride.  He was always prominent, led two out and was driven out to the line to beat Silver Wedge by 2 ½ lengths.  He was pulled up at Aintree after this before going on his summer holidays. 

After his break his comeback run was in the Gerry Fielden hurdle at Newbury in November 1995.  He finished third but was beaten quite a long way and was then pulled up at Ascot after this.  He finished thirteenth in the 1996 Champion hurdle which was won by Collier Bay before finishing third at Chepstow in a handicap hurdle after this.

This was actually his final run for Pond House as he was moved to pastures new and to Seven Barrows in the care of Nicky Henderson.  He never did quite ever re-capture the form of his Triumph hurdle win but he did win one race from seven starts for his new stable, a novice chase at Bangor in March 1999.  The final two runs of his career were in the point to point field and he finished fourth at Garthorpe on his last ever run in March 2000.

Kissair won eight races from 32 career starts and was also placed eleven times as well.  Rated 142 at best he won over £76,000 in prize money.  He was not at Pond House that long but again he probably showed his best form while at the yard.  He won three races from just nine starts which of course included the biggest day of his career in winning the 1995 Triumph Hurdle.    

Watch his win in the 1995 Triumph hurdle here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k4IffxjoQc