It has been a successful start to the 2016 season with the small winter string ticking over nicely. From just 15 runners we have had TWO winners and six places earning the yard over £14,000 in prize money. Hopefully it bodes well for the upcoming turf season.
Our first winner of the year was Isis Blue, who has returned in excellent form after nearly three years off the track with leg injuries this winter. He was second on his return back in November before failing to stay 12 …furlongs next time out. However, dropped back to a mile, he stayed on strongly to claim a decisive victory under Alice Mills at Kempton in January. Unfortunately things did not go to plan next time as he jinked and unseated his rider when beginning his challenge. However, he will be back on the racecourse in the coming weeks and should continue to progress from a nice handicap mark of 73.
The tough and consistent Cotton Club provided our second winner when landing a competitive handicap at Chelmsford in February. Although it’s a fair trek, the prize money makes it worthwhile and it was Cotton Club’s second victory at the re-opened venue. He has been on the go since March but it was his third success since stepping up to staying trips and he has had a short break but will be back in action for the valuable Queens Prize at Kempton at the end of March.
Although we don’t have too many jumpers in the yard, it has been great to get Starving Marvin back on the track this winter. The huge Hawk Wing gelding was very impressive when winning his bumper, useful chaser Le Bec was runner-up, back in January 2012 before heart and leg problems meant he was absent for nearly four years. He jumped extremely well before getting very tired on his comeback at Leicester in December, understandable after such a layoff and then showed his true ability when finishing third at Huntingdon. He then improved again to finish runner up behind Protek Des Flos, a Grade 2 winner at Cheltenham previously, in a decent novice at Sandown and he is an exciting hurdler for the yard. He is likely to head to Wincanton on Thursday and hopefully he can get his head in front before going onto bigger and better things.
The third of the trio to return from lengthy layoffs this winter was the consistent Icebuster. The eight year old shows he retains all his enthusiasm by finishing runner-up in two handicaps at Wolverhampton and he’s weighted to win again in the coming weeks.