GREAT foresight on my part, or because I ran out of room, meant I didn’t mention many local breeders of winners over the pre- and post-Christmas periods but, with so little racing this week, I now have the chance to do so.

The Nicky Henderson-trained East India Express won both sides of the big day under Freddie Gordon, landing a conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle at Ascot on Friday, December 20th, when he was sent off a 7/1 shot, and a handicap hurdle at Kempton’s Boxing Day meeting, as the 5/4 favourite.

Now the winner of four of his seven starts, the 2019 Milan gelding was bred by Sean McElroy out of the Desert King mare Roztoc, a half-sister to the blacktype performers Master Hill (by Tikkanen) and Now This Is It (by Accordion) and dam also of another four-time winner by Milan in Surrey Quest.

At Haydock the following morning, the duel for honours in the opening beginners’ chase at 11.45am was won by the Jennie Candlish-trained 1/10 favourite Classic Maestro, a 2018 Jet Away gelding who was bringing up a hat trick.

This was a sixth win in 12 starts for the Graham Morrow-bred bay, who is the only runner to date out of the Shantou mare Shantelle Line, a half-sister to Present In Court from the family of Line Ball and Rocco.

Down Royal

While there were three locally-trained winners at Down Royal’s Boxing Day fixture, there was just one locally-bred winner, St Denis’s Well, who, trained in Co Meath by Ian Donoghue for the Declan’s Bar Syndicate, was scoring at odds of 2/1, when landing the opportunity handicap hurdle.

This was a second success over hurdles to go with three over fences for the 2018 Famous Name gelding, who was bred by Andrew McNally out of the unraced Indian Haven mare Annie Greene, a half-sister to My Tent Or Yours (by Desert King) out of a half-sister to Conduit.

On Saturday, December 28th, the second race on the card at Leicester, the two and a half-mile novices’ handicap chase, was won by the Evan Williams-trained Henry Box Brown, who now has two chase wins to his credit, along with one over hurdles and one in a bumper.

Bred by Elizabeth Hamilton, the 2017 Getaway gelding is out of Lough Coyne (by Bob Back), who was placed twice in bumpers, is the dam of two other winners and is a half-sister to the blacktype performers Mendip Express (by King’s Theatre) and Sheer Genius (by Insan).

On the same afternoon, but in the second-last race at Limerick, a handicap hurdle, the Declan Queally-trained Beggars Rock got off the mark at the 13th attempt, his 12th over hurdles.

Cox family

This 2019 Soldier Of Fortune gelding was bred by Sally Cox and is the only runner to date from just three Weatherbys-registered foals out of the Try Prospect mare Try Trix, a half-sister to the six-time winner Aces Four from the family of Atone, Splendour, etc.

On the final day of 2024, Rebecca Curtis saddled Andy Amo to land the opening near three-mile maiden hurdle at Uttoxeter in her own colours.

The successful 2019 Sageburg gelding, who was winning for the first time in six starts, his third over timber, was bred by Danny Doran and is a full-brother to the year older Valens Bruyee, who has won twice for Curtis. The pair are out of the unraced Generous mare The Right Thing, who comes from the family of Cyborgo and Hors La Loi III.

TO ensure I have the ages of horses correct, I have a defined break between 2024 and 2025 and, fortunately, given the hit National Hunt racing took in recent days because of the weather, the New Year action started off quite well.

On the breeding front, the first division of the handicap hurdle at Exeter last Wednesday week, New Year’s Day, was landed by the 5/4 favourite Keable, who is trained by his owner Philip Hobbs and Johnson White.

Winning for the first time in eight starts, all over hurdles, for his present connections, the Fame And Glory bay ran once here when trained by Jamie Sloan for Ronnie Bartlett, finishing sixth of 11 in a five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Portrush in March 2022.

Keable was bred by Colm McHenry out of the Witness Box mare Sarahs Quay, whose two wins over fences included a win in a listed mares’ novice chase at Uttoxeter in March 2006.

She is the dam of two other winners, headed by Kings Palace (by King’s Theatre), who was sadly fatally injured as an eight-year-old, having won seven races to that point including a Grade 2 hurdle and a Grade 3 chase.

The following day at Huntingdon, the novices’ hurdle was won by the Fergal O’Brien-trained 2/5 favourite Sixmilebridge, a 2019 gelded son of Affinisea, who had ended 2024 when recording his first success at Leicester in early December.

The bay was bred by Barbara Hanna out of the unraced Haatef mare Luck Or Logic, who comes from the family of Urgent Appeal and Zenta.

Having saddled two runners at Fairyhouse, Mongibello and Largy Belter, who both finished second, Stuart Crawford sent out two winners in his five-strong raid on Ayr the following day.

While all five runners from the Larne yard were ridden by their newly-retained jockey, J.J. Slevin, four of the quintet ran in the double green colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, including the two winners who bookended the sortie, Al Kalila (4/6 favourite in mile maiden hurdle) and O’Toole (14/1 on his first start in 698 days in the extended three-mile handicap hurdle).

THE sole National Hunt meeting in Ireland in the past week was staged last Sunday at Naas, where Sam Ewing had three rides for Gordon Elliott.

The Co Antrim-born jockey finished second on both Firefox (Grade 2 Racing Post Novice Chase) and the newcomer Honesty Policy (maiden hurdle), but landed the intervening Grade 1 Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle on Bective Stud’s home-bred Yeats gelding The Yellow Clay, who was bringing up a four-timer on his fourth start over hurdles.

Up to and including Wednesday just past, Derek Fox partnered four winners in Britain since the turn of the year.

Two of his victories were recorded last Thursday week at Ayr, where Brian Hughes was also on the mark, while one was posted on Monday at the same track, where Danny McMenamin also visited the winner’s enclosure. On the level, Oisin Orr scored at Wolverhampton last Saturday.

AN early read for me most days is the Racing Post’s Good Morning Bloodstock email, written by the informative and entertaining Martin Stevens.

In Wednesday’s offering, Stevens also referred to an advertisement for “just the 16 stallions on the Scarvagh House Stud roster”. No doubt, if still operating, Scarvagh House Stud would be on the 2025 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Irish Stallion Trail. As it is, there are no local farms listed with the most northerly stop being the Diamond Stud in Bellewstown, Co Meath, home of the Footstepsinthesand stallion Marie’s Diamond, who has first crop foals on the ground this year.

THE pony racing world was not alone when mourning the death on New Year’s Eve of Uel (Samuel) Adair, who is survived by his wife Ina, son Craig and daughter Sharleen.

He was described by the Derry Journal as “a leading Derry trade unionist who, when working at the Molins cigarette-machine factory at Maydown, became an Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) shop steward and was for years a leading member of the trade union movement locally”.

Uel, whose funeral service took place last Friday, was also a leading member of the Credit Union movement in Ireland, being awarded an MBE in the 2009 New Year’s Honours list for his work with the Waterside Credit Union.

There were many tributes to Uel posted online, with Pony Racing Ireland commenting: “When a legend and an absolute gentleman passes away, it’s a very sad day for all. Uel Adair was a passionate pony racing advocate and supporter all his life. He will be truly missed.”

From all parts of the country, people involved in the Credit Union movement joined with those from the pony racing world to mourn Uel’s passing with Curragh trainer Denis Coakley, a former horse and pony racing correspondent for The Irish Field, writing a very personal piece.

This also mentioned Uel’s stint as a soccer referee and his desire to see an All-Ireland soccer team.