WINTERWATCH OFF THE MARK FOR THE NEW SEASON

Winterwatch delivered our first success of the new season with a fluent victory in a Class 5 handicap hurdle at Newton Abbot on Monday over two and a quarter miles in the colours of Somerset Racing.

He was given a lovely, positive ride by Megan Bevan who has been with us for two seasons and will be getting more chances in the coming months.

It has taken Winterwatch longer than I expected to win over hurdles partly because his jumping lacked confidence in his early races as a novice. That has improved with experience and he was well suited by the decent gallop set on Monday by the pacemaker before taking up the running half a mile out on the way to a decisive triumph.

He travelled strongly in first-time cheek pieces, and hopefully, there is more to come now that he has broken his duck over hurdles. I’ll be trying to find another suitable race for Winterwatch in the next ten days before the handicapper reassesses him.

Photo Credit: PPA