Looking Back 95) Overseer

                 Master Overseer

Master Overseer was the winner of the Midlands Grand National for David and was a very good staying chaser.  He is a 2003 bay gelding by Old Vic and his dam was called Crogreen Lass.    David bought him from the Doncaster Breeze up sales as an unraced three year old and he made a winning stable debut at Fontwell in a Bumper in  March 2007 with A P McCoy in the saddle.  He won very easily and by 26 lengths in heavy ground!

It was clear from an early stage that ‘Mo’ was not the quickest and he was always going to need time and come into his own a bit later down the line in staying chases.  Following his initial success he had a little break before coming back to run in novice hurdles in which is struggled to trouble the judge in any of his six starts.  It was clear he was not going to be the right horse for owner Thomas Barr at the time and he was sold through Doncaster Sales but bought to go point to pointing in the Westcountry with Ashley Farrant training.

He won two point to points at Wadebridge and Flete Park from five starts and he was placed the other three times as well.  He returned to Pond House that summer to run in the colours of Brocade Racing.  He won his first three starts back under rules in handicap chases starting in the November 2009.  He won firstly at Towcester with Tom Scudamore on board off a mark of 98, he then won off a rating of 105 with Hadden Frost at Wincanton before completing the hat-trick by winning the Sussex National at Plumpton off a mark of 116 with Johnny Farrelly on board. 

He was then off the track for exactly twelve months and he made his comeback in the same race, the Sussex National in January 2011.  Sent off the 9/2 favourite he finished a close second off a rating of 122.  Another slightly extended break followed after this and he was next seen back in action in November of that year.  This was over hurdles at Chepstow and he made all, making good use of his seven pound lower mark over hurdles to win.  Returned to fences he had a couple of below par efforts back at Chepstow and the second of these saw him pull up in the Welsh National that year.

A little break followed to freshen him up and he made his comeback in the Midlands National at Uttoxeter in March 2012.  He loved every minute of the four mile stamina test and was leading or in a handy position throughout the race before staying on gamely up the straight to beat Major Malarkey by ¾ length.  This was David’s second successive victory in the race and he actually went on to win in four times in a row!

After a summer holiday he returned to action at Haydock in December 2012.  Master Overseer was not the most consistent and his form figures for the 2012/13 season read P1P1P – he was either very good or very bad and you usually knew your fate not long after they had jumped off in the race!  He won at Cheltenham in December and Wincanton in January and reached a career high rating of 147.

He was never the easiest to train with injury niggles and unfortunately he only had two more runs in his career before he was retired.  His final run was in a Veterans chase at Newbury in March 2014 in which he finished but ultimately a long way behind.  Eleri App who looked after him here at Pond House had him for his retirement and he was been a brilliant hunter for the family ever since and his still going strong today.  He had a super temperament and it is lovely he has had such a wonderful life after racing locally to the yard.

Master Overseer won eight races under rules from 22 career starts and he was placed twice as well.  Rated 147 at best he won just over £110,000 in prize money.