POINT-to-point trainers can ill afford to rest on their laurels, and so at the beginning of the month, as the rest of the racing world watched on in awe and marvelled at the ease at which Samcro landed his first Grade 1 success at Leopardstown, Colin Bowe, the man responsible for producing him to win his point-to-point, was back at the day job.
Fifty minutes before Samcro had set the Dublin Racing Festival alight, the five-time champion handler had unleashed his next potential superstar.
Samcro was 2016, and in Envoi Allen, he looked to have one of the stars for 2018. The French-bred son of Muthathir routed the field at Ballinaboola and was sold for £400,000 at Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale on Thursday.
Bowe runs through his team of four-year-olds currently in training at Milestone Stable in the first of a two-part stable tour.
BLACKSTAIRS LAD
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Flemensfirth – Blarney Kestrel (Presenting)
Milestone Racing Partnership
He is a nice Flemensfirth gelding that I paid €36,000 for at the Land Rover Sale during the summer. He is out of a mare that won a point-to-point for Adrian Maguire. He is a very forward horse that looks to go on soft ground. I will look to run him within the next two weeks.
COBBLERS WAY
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Oscar – Beeper’s Leader (Supreme Leader)
David O’Connell
He is a nice big horse that is not far off a run but he probably wants a bit of nicer ground. He will run this year. David O’Connell, who is my farrier, owns him with his brother Paul and he bought him out of the Land Rover Sale.
DALKINGSTOWN
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Malinas – True Rose (Roselier)
S O’Neill
Sean O’Neill owns him. He is a great owner of mine and we have had some brilliant success together. Shantou Flyer won a Grade 2 at Punchestown and took us to the Cheltenham Festival, and then Western Victory won very well at Borris before Christmas. This is a Malinas gelding that is a half-brother to Tara Rose, who won a listed chase for Nigel Twiston-Davies, and he will be out later in the year.
Dont Dismiss Me
4yo b f
Westerner – Back To Stay (Supreme Leader)
Milestone Racing Partnership
She came out of the August sales and her dam has already produced two track winners. We are happy with what she has done so far and she will probably get a run later in the season.
Easyrun De Vassy (FR)
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Muhtathir – Royale The Best (Cadoudal)
Milestone Racing Partnership
He is a big scopey horse that we got for €52,000 at the Derby Sale and he is a half-brother to a mare, Royale Majesty, who produced a Grade 2 winner in France before Christmas. We had entered him in all the four-year-old maidens on the first weekend, but we have plenty to run at the moment, so we held him back to last week. We were very hopeful going to Oldtown on Sunday with him as his work at home had been very good, but I was disappointed with how he ran. It turned out that he got an overreach so we can put a line through that run and I’m looking forward to getting him back out.
Eclair Des Sablons (FR)
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Noroit – Jolie Fabi (Villez)
Milestone Racing Partnership
He cost €42,000 at the Land Rover Sale and his dam has already produced three different track winners. He is a 16.2 or 16.3hh horse that I took my time with him at the start, but he is going well now and we like him. He will run within the next month or so and we will look for a nice big galloping track on a bit of better ground for his debut as that should suit him. He is a big horse.
Eclat Des Bieffes (FR)
4yo b g
Enrique – Poliada (Poliglote)
Milestone Racing Partnership
He is a real sharp type of a horse. His dam won four races on the flat and he has plenty of speed. He would have no problem with a tighter track and as he is nice and forward, he will be running in the next couple of weeks. It’s the first Enrique gelding that I have trained, but he is a stallion that has had a four-year-old winner before. Donnchadh Doyle had Super Follo win at Bartlemy and he is the sire of Binocular.
Eglantino Kauto (FR)
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Spanish Moon – Kauto Lorette (Useful)
Milestone Racing Partnership
He is a Spanish Moon gelding that cost €30,000 at Goffs. He is a bit behind some of the others at the moment, so we are taking our time with him and he will probably be one that we could keep back for the autumn.
Etat Souverain (FR)
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Vision D’Etat – Coolraoul (Suave Dancer)
Milestone Racing Partnership
He would not be the typical point-to-pointer that I would buy. His dam was a winner on the flat and she has produced a couple of winners on the flat too. He is a forward horse that will also have no problem handling one of the tighter point-to-point tracks.
Golden Nomad
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Gold Well – Roaming (Be My Native)
Milestone Racing Partnership
This is a lovely big horse by Gold Well, he is a smart one. I bought him from Dick Firsby at the Derby Sale for €52,000 and he is from the family of Boston Bob and Briar Hill. His work has been good.
He is entered at Punchestown and Cragmore this weekend but I think with all the rain that has come, we will probably wait for another week, but he is a big, quality young horse.
Highway Companion
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Milan – Niffyrann (Sheyrann)
Milestone Racing Partnership
He was to run last Sunday but I wasn’t happy with how he scoped so it was best to play it safe and leave him for the week. He is a strong type of a horse that I bought for €38,000 at the Derby Sale and he goes well.
He has a couple of entries this weekend and we are expected him to run a big race. We will leave it a bit closer to the weekend to see where he goes, but he won’t have a problem with the ground.
John Adams
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Presenting – Liss Alainn (Flemensfirth)
Milestone Racing Partnership
I paid €50,000 for him at the Derby Sale and his a half-brother to Next Destination by Presenting. There are plenty of blacktype horses on his page, like Liss A Paoraigh and Blazing Liss, and he is a nice horse. He is a fine stamp of an animal and we just got a hunter certificate for him this week. He is about a month away from making his debut.
Kiltealy Briggs
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Fame And Glory – Baby Briggs (Presenting)
Milestone Racing Partnership
He is a lovely quality horse by Fame And Glory. He is about 16.3hh and he came from the Derby Sale. He cost €42,000 and it out a sister to Ballabriggs. We had him away schooling and he went very well so he will probably be out within the next five weeks. I just think that he might want a bit of better ground. He is a smart horse.
Monsieur D’arque
4yo b g (5)
Muhtathir – Nervous Breakdown (Miesque’s Son)
Milestone Racing Partnership
We bought him for €50,000 at the Derby Sale and he was one of the first four-year-olds that we ran this year when he finished fifth at Bellharbour. He finds the gallop at home very easy and he caught us out a bit as we probably didn’t have enough work into him. He ran well until the second-last and will improve for the run. He has come out of the race well and he will probably go again within the next three weeks.
New Age Dawning
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Stowaway – Captain Supreme (Captain Rio)
Milestone Racing Partnership
He is a nice type of a horse who jumps very well. That’s why we decided to go to Kirkistown with him as they are big fences and he handles soft ground. We were delighted with the run, he just got beaten on the day by a quicker sharper horse, whereas my lad is a lovely three-mile chaser going forward. He came from the Derby Sale and his dam is a half-sister to Blackstairmountain.
Shadow Rider (FR)
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Martaline – Samansonnienne (Mansonnien)
W.B. Connors
This is a lovely Martaline gelding that I have for Walter Connors and he has a big page. His dam is a six-time winner over jumps. He is a full-brother to Gordon Elliott’s Squouateur, who was third in the big Paddy Power Chase at Christmas, and a half-brother to a six-time winner in Samingarry. He has a big engine, gallops very well and he will probably run at the rescheduled Knockanard meeting.
Some Detail
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Getaway – You Should Know Me (Oscar)
Milestone Racing Partnership
He is a nice horse who we think will handle winter ground. He is out of a half-sister to You Must Know Me and we got him for €38,000 at the Land Rover Sale. We had him in last weekend, but had to scrap plans with the cancellations. He has a couple of entries on Sunday and he will probably run in Punchestown. He has shown enough to suggest that he should be there abouts.