JANUARY BLOG
Happy New Year to all our readers.
What a way to start the year for us with the Berkshire Winter Million proving to be a massive success for the whole team at Higher Crockermoor.
Gidleigh Park won the £75,000 Lightning Novices’ Chase, Altobelli asserted in the £30,000 Holloway’s Handicap Hurdle and Idaho Sun thrilled in the concluding £40,000 bumper.
The two-day meeting at Windsor, combined with Ascot in between, made for three days of top-class jump racing with superb prize money. It was a fantastic initiative from both racecourses and at just £40 for all three days, it was a great value for racing fans.
This sport can be challenging. We have a small but immensely talented team, and it proved patience is a virtue – weekends like that make it all hugely worthwhile.
Avoiding too many weather disruptions in the coming weeks would benefit all, and then, we’ll be ready to shift our focus to the big spring meetings.
Lorcan Murtagh left us in early December after three years as an incredibly hardworking member of the team. We wish him all the best with his future endeavours.
Ciaran O’Shea has since joined us as a claiming professional jockey from James Owen’s yard.
Valadon got us underway for 2025 at Taunton. Back over hurdles, he jumped and galloped with much more fluency. His hurdles form last year showed plenty of promise, so that is the sphere in which he will remain for now.
High Fibre contested the maiden hurdle on the same card, where he was narrowly touched off. It was an improvement on his previous third-placed start. Hopefully, he will take another step forward on his next start.
Following a slight weather-enforced pause to racing across the UK, three horses ran at our local track, Wincanton. Monjules will step up in trip after his efforts; he’s a tough little horse, but the handicapper needs to relent.
Neon Madonna was always going to need the racing experience, and that’s exactly what she got. She’s a lovely filly with a bright future, and we expect her to be much sharper on her next start.
Old favourite Ask Me Early didn’t get the opportunity to run in the abandoned Veteran’s Chase Final, but he is all set to defend his title at Exeter in early February.
Gideligh Park’s performance in the Lightning Novices’ Chase needs little introduction. We had trained him very lightly following his atrial fibration diagnosis, so to see him do that on what was effectively his chasing debut was special. The Kingmaker at Warwick over two miles might come a little soon, so we are leaning towards Kempton’s Pendil Novices’ Chase over two-and-a-half miles at the end of February.
While Gidleigh Park appeared to relish the step back to two miles, it was too sharp for Beat The Bat around Windsor. His intended engagement was the abandoned Lanzorte at Kempton, so we had to revert to plan B. We’re eyeing up the big handicap hurdles at Newbury or Ascot for his next outing; he should go close!
Fitted with first-time cheek-pieces, Altobelli enjoyed the step up in trip to come home comprehensively in the Holloway’s Handicap Hurdle at Ascot under Bryan Carver. He has come out of the race well and will return to Ascot next month for the valuable handicap hurdle over course and distance.
Boothill didn’t give his true running at Ascot in the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase. However, it transpired that he suffered a nasty overreach which required surgery at Donnington Grove Equine Vets. We are pleased to say he returned home just before last weekend. The long-term prognosis is good, but he is unlikely to race again this season.
On the same day at Taunton, Might I finished fourth, staying on without being able to threaten the leaders. We believe he is best suited to the intermediate trips. Star Walking will return to novice company after her run at Fakenham; although she is a winner at the track, Brain Hughes suggested she never found a rhythm.
To round off a superb few days, the exciting Idaho Sun brushed aside a competitive field in the concluding bumper at Windsor to remain unbeaten. All being well, hopefully he goes to Cheltenham or Aintree.
