Fantastic to have our first winner of the season and at Stratford too which, apart from Cheltenham, is our most local track so we were assured a big reception in the Winners’ Enclosure which we duly got thanks to lots of our extended team of owners and friends!
The reception was much deserved for both Steve & Helen Sugden’s First Angel (Marshall) and also for Adam Wedge as the combination were not far off foot perfect and it was lovely to see Marshall galloping through the line with his ears firmly pricked. We are so thrilled for Steve & Helen and for Marshall to win the first race of his career and are so pleased that he seems to be thriving since he moved to us about three weeks ago. Hopefully there will be lots more to come to now he’s got his head in front but we will see how he comes out of his race before looking into where he goes next.
Thanks to the team at Stratford including Simon Hart for looking after us so well yesterday. Such a good idea at Stratford too is that the owners have a wide choice of what they would like to have as their winning memento from personalised cushion, mugs or door stops in their racing colours to leather personalised headcollars to tweed ponchos. Steve and Helen have chosen to have a unique Darren Birdie print commissioned of First Angel’s win yesetrday and we can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Today we head to Market Rasen with David Maughan’s Redbridge Rambler and The Cotswold Lockdowners’ Herecomeshogan and Champion Jockey Brian Hughes partners them both. Redbridge Rambler steps up to 3 miles in the Maiden Hurdle and will hopefully build on his third place at Uttoxeter last time out. Herecomeshogan makes his chasing debut in the 2m 3f Handicap Chase and he’s schooled nicely at home and will hopefully enjoy the switch to fences although it’s a pretty competitive race for a 5 runner affair. Good luck everyone.