On The Track
by Emily Scott
Highclere’s National Hunt season has continued into the new year with gusto as the winners keep flowing. Followcato posted a remarkable hat-trick with a third consecutive win at Hereford last month. His season didn’t get off to the best start in the autumn with an unfortunate unseat followed by a distant fifth, but he’s put that right in no uncertain terms. For his latest win at Hereford, the 24-length winning distance doesn’t tell the whole story because the favourite, Ski Lodge, fell at the 12th fence when just creeping into contention. Ultimately, I think Followcato was always in control of the race and even though he had to be kept up to his work by Kielan Woods when left out in front on his own, he ran out a ready winner.
Having only been put up 2lbs and 6lbs for his previous wins, he has now been lumped with a further 8lbs, putting him on a mark of 127 for his next start. Given his style of racing I would hope there is more improvement to come, how much improvement we’ll have to wait and see. Ben Pauling certainly isn’t shying away from a fight as he intends to run him at Sandown’s Imperial Cup meeting next weekend. Although the horse has plenty of scope, his jumping has been novicey at times and so the fences at Sandown, which come thick and fast, will be a test, but obviously one that the trainer would like the set him.
In the bumper division we had Dan Skelton’s 5yo Cooltobecareless lose his maiden tag in a National Hunt Flat Race at Fakenham. Even though he was up against an expensive store from the Paul Nicholls stable ridden by Harry Cobden, Cooltobecareless was still sent off 4/9F. This was probably because he did have the experience of a run having finished a decent second at Chepstow in October. Dan Skelton doesn’t like to over race his young horses and so it wasn’t a huge surprise to wait until mid-February to run again.
Jockey Tristan Durrell didn’t complicate things, popping him out in front to make his own running. He kept him wide, on a fresher strip of ground, and Cooltobecareless made light work of the testing conditions to win with plenty in hand. No sooner had he passed the post was Dan talking about taking him to Aintree on Grand National day for the Grade 2 bumper. That’s not a race he’s necessarily expecting Cooltobecareless to go and win, but the experience will stand him in good stead for his novice hurdling campaign next season. I’ve seen this horse jump and he’s as nimble as anything I’ve seen over a hurdle so I really look forward to seeing what he can do over obstacles next season and beyond.
Further bumper action came from Madam Speaker who made the perfect start to her career when finishing second in a Fillies’ “Junior” National Hunt Flat Race for 4yos only. Madam Speaker is a leggy daughter of dual Derby winner Harzand and her breeder, Henrietta Tavistock, retained a leg after Nicky Henderson bought her from the Goffs UK store sale last spring. Being a graduate from the sale she is eligible for a £100,000 bumper at Newbury in late March and I would think, all being well, that is where we will see her next.
Madam Speaker (in second) impresses on debut at Wincanton 25.02.26
Even though the turf flat season is still a month away, some of the Highclere horses who had early winter breaks have started to come out of the woodwork to get their seasons started on the All-Weather. The merit in this route is that the trainers use a run to bring the horses on without needing to put too much pressure on them at home. They are then match fit for when the more competitive racing starts on the turf in the spring.
Although not yet off the mark, we’ve had a pair of seconds at Lingfield. Respond took home a tidy £7,368 for finishing second in a Class 2 handicap last week. He’s always been a free going type, but he was especially fresh after a long layoff and rather threw his chance away by tugging his way through the first half of the race. It was surprising, therefore, to see him stay on so well in the closing stages and I think when he does learn to settle, he is capable of improving beyond his current mark of 88.
Moonshine post exercise
More recently the twice-placed maiden Moonshine was sent off a warm favourite to get off the mark at Lingfield. Unfortunately, the small field resulted in a bit of a muddling race with Moonshine being taken wide on the bend. She was doing all her best work late on but came up a fraction short, beaten a head at the line by the only previous winner in the race. If ever the phrase, ‘a winner waiting to happen’ was appropriate, it would be for this filly! She’s done little wrong in three starts now and will be hard to beat wherever she goes next.