We had a good day at Cheltenham yesterday with Buckle Street running another solid race, jumping for fun under Harry Stock who gets a great tune out of him, and staying on all the way up the hill to finish 3rd. His fun and enthusiastic owners, The Condicote Clan, were quite rightly thrilled with the run and for many of them it was their first venture into the Hallowed Cheltenham Winners’ Enclosure. He was unfortunately struck into by another horse and sustained quite a nasty cut on his hindleg but thanks to the Vets at Cheltenham for doing such a great job in flushing all the dirt out of it and stapling it up – he’s very lucky that it missed his tendon. He’s eaten up and is all good this morning.
At Catterick Weyburn ran another good race but just made a couple of mistakes when he needed good jumps and was 3rd. I watched him in from Cheltenham with part owner Neville Statham and his wife Pam. He too is good this morning.
At Cheltenham Paul Davis and Jon & Jack Hughes had a day they will never forget as in addition to Buckle Street’s brave 3rd place (they are part of the Condicote Clan) they also owned the Anthony Honeyball trained Acey Milan who made all to decisively win the concluding Listed Bumper and have them dreaming of The Festival no doubt in March. Acey Milan was one of three foals they bought and left in Ireland and was the most forward – an Oscar gelding who we visited a couple of months ago, joins us in a few months time. I’m not sure if anyone deserved that Cheltenham winner more than these guys as the support they give to horse racing in general is unbelievable. It’s been my dream to also train them a Cheltenham winner and get their names up on our Cheltenham Winners’ Board that adorns the entrance to our yard so hopefully Cheltenham winners will come thick and fast for them now they’ve had their first!
Busy here this morning with Maggie Turner, our physio, in and Nick Partridge our farrier too. Poor Nick did lose his car in the Liverpool Horse Show Car Park fire where well over 1000 cars burnt out. A New Year’s Eve they’ll not forget in a hurry.
Work morning too and we worked quite a few including Madame Fiona, Cul De Poule, Brillare Momento, Somewhere To Be, Hareshorne Abbie, Sporty Yankee and Lord Condi. Most of the rest did a swinging canter. Andrew Tinkler, Conor Shoemark and Warren Marston all in to ride out.