It was an excellent day for the yard last Thursday as we had a double and a second from our three runners.
At Ffos Las our summer chaser PRESENT ACCEPTED got off the mark when landing the 2m4f Handicap Chase. It was a well-deserved success as he had run a cracker when fourth on his return at Bangor having been off the track for over 1000 days and was then constantly hampered at Kempton before a loose horse ran right across him and caused him to fall through no fault of his own. For once we received some help from the handicapper and he actually dropped him 8lb which meant he was racing off just 75 on Thursday. Although his jumping was a bit sketchy in the early stages, he soon warmed to his task and ended up winning quite comfortably. It was an emotional success for his owner Nerys Dutfield, as her husband Simon had recently passed away and it was great for the family to see their homebred win. While he was also the yard’s first chasing winner since Gaysun won at Wincanton in 1999 and it is nearly eighteen years since we had the great staying chaser KENDAL CAVALIER, who won four for the yard, including twice at Cheltenham and only left the yard a few days before winning the Welsh National. Due to the fact we generally only get sent flat horses (we have probably only had four or five horses to try the bigger obstacles since then) it was great to show people that the yard can still get the job done if we have the right type of horse at our disposal. Present has come out of the race in great shape and he should have a profitable summer, especially as he should stay three miles on breeding which could eke out further improvement.
At Kempton EUGENIC rewarded the patience of his owner Chris Scott having twice fractured his pelvis and had nearly two years off the sidelines by flying at the finish to claim victory in the apprentice handicap under Lulu Stanford. He did well to win despite the steady pace and he should have a good summer if staying sound. While she has been disappointing LADY FONTENAIL ran much better to finish second at Lingfield under Alice Mills in the seller. She certainly has the ability to win a race and has been sold to join Neil King’s yard and you may well be seeing her over hurdles.
MASTER CARPENTER faced a tough task in the Coronation Cup at Epsom, although it was made harder by having to be reshod at the start and once again was left unsuited by the sedate early pace and he was left outpaced and struggling when they sprinted down the hill. Yet he still ran on with credit to claim sixth prize and cover all his expenses. He has now won over £21,000 this year and is a joy to have in the yard.
At Goodwood on Sunday, COTTON CLUB returned to form on the turf, taking advantage of a reduced turf mark and the seven pound claim of the excellent George Wood. He had no chance against the easy Godolphin trained winner Galizzi but it was a solid effort in defeat and he is extremely tough and consistent as he hasn’t really had a break for eighteen months.