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JUMP racing returned to Windsor for the first time in 20 years last Sunday, where there were two locally-bred winners on the seven-race card.
There were only four runners in the opening two and a half-mile ‘National Hunt’ novices’ hurdle and an odds-on favourite in the Nicky Henderson-trained Excello.
Having tried to make all the running, that French-bred 1/2 shot was collared at the last and went down by one and three-quarter lengths to the Emma Lavelle-trained, Harry Cobden-ridden Ma Shantou.
As mentioned when the five-year-old Shantou gelding won on his previous start at Warwick last month, and when landing his bumper at Huntingdon in March on his first outing in Britain, Ma Shantou was bred in Co Down by Michael and Leonard Cave out of the Great Pretender mare Ma Pretention.
The two-mile maiden hurdle was won by the Pillar Coral gelding Starcrossed Lover, who was having his first start in Britain.
When trained in Co Wexford by Colm Murphy, the bay ran twice, finishing second of 15 in a maiden hurdle at Punchestown in May this year, followed by a third-place finish in a Downpatrick bumper in June.
Candlefort
Starcrossed Lover was bred at his Candlefort Stud in Co Louth by Fergus Cumiskey who, with his wife Sandra, is an owner in Stuart Crawford’s yard.
The Windsor winner is out of the unraced Beneficial mare Verona’s Sister, a half-sister to Verona Opera (by King’s Theatre), who is dam also of the winning Court Cave gelding Bumble Bee Bet.
Starcrossed Lover is now trained in Wiltshire by Co Antrim-born Neil Mulholland, who was saddling his 42nd winner of the campaign.
Another Co Antrim native to send out a winner in the period under review was Ayrshire-based Ian Duncan, whose charge Cave Hill landed the opening conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle at Newcastle on Saturday.
A three and three-quarter length winner under Alan Doyle, Cave Hill, a five-year-old son of Universal, is owned by Duncan and Stephen Sinclair, who bred the chesnut out of the Jamesmead mare Belfast Central, who ran twice in bumpers and twice in point-to-points and is a half-sister to two winners.
THERE were a few other locally-bred winners in Britain recently, starting last Friday at Bangor, where the opening hands and heels handicap hurdle for conditional jockeys and amateur riders was won by the Edward Vaughan-ridden, Jennie Candish-trained Classic Maestro.
Despatched as the 4/11 favourite and winner of the extended two-mile race by six lengths, the six-year-old Jet Away gelding, who was recording his fifth career success, was bred in Dundonald by Graham Morrow.
Classic Maestro is the first of five foals out of the unraced Shantou mare Shantelle Line, a half-sister to the three-time winner Present In Court and from the family of Line Ball, Rocco, Mighty Mogul and Court Leader.
On Sunday at Carlisle, the concluding mares’ open National Hunt Flat Race was won by the Workforce bay Smile Back, who was having her first start on the track and her first for trainer Richard Phillips.
Taylorstown win
Smile Back had previously been in the care of Mark O’Hare, who saddled her to win a four-year-old mares’ maiden on her debut in May at Taylorstown, where she scored by eight lengths in the hands of Noel McParlan.
She was then consigned to the Goffs UK Spring and Point-to-Point Sale at Doncaster, where she was purchased by Phillips, through Gerry Hogan Bloodstock, for £30,000. Smile Back was bred in Co Down by Neville Reid out of the unraced Taipan mare Lady Leila, who is dam of four other winners.
On Monday at Southwell, the Paul Nicholls-trained, Harry Skelton-ridden Bond Broker justified 8/13 favouritism in the second division of the two-mile maiden hurdle on his first start over timber, having won a Fakenham bumper in April on his third track start.
A winner on his only start between the flags in a two and a half-mile Garthorpe maiden in February 2023 when trained by Tom Weston, the bay son of Doyen was then consigned to the next Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale, where he was knocked down to Highflyer Bloodstock for £80,000. Weston had given €6,500 for Bond Broker as a foal at Tattersalls Ireland, where he was sold by his breeders, the Enniskillen Campus of CAFRE.
He is the only track winner to date out of the hurdle and chase winner Indian Love (by Indian Danehill).
Wincanton
The following afternoon at Wincanton, the near two-mile handicap hurdle was won by the Jeremy Scott-trained Phoenix Risen, who recorded his third career start by two and three-quarter lengths under Gearoid Harney.
The seven-year-old Conduit gelding was bred by Hylda Mills out of the Sin Kiang mare Tchatchacoya, who won twice on the flat in her native France and is a half-sister to Epervier Bleu mare Symphonique.
Moving on to Lingfield on Wednesday, where the Olly Murphy-trained, Sean Bowen-ridden Wade Out justified 4/9 favouritism by four and a quarter lengths in the three-runner, two-mile novices’ hurdle.
This was a third track win in four starts for the Shantou bay who, on his only outing in this country, landed a four-year-old geldings’ maiden at Lisronagh in November 2023, when trained by Tom Keating and partnered by Dara McGill.
Wade Out, who now runs for the foursome of Ferguson, Mason, Hales and Done, was bred by Stone Electrical Ltd out of the hurdle-winning Milan mare Whats Up Britta, the dam of one other winner in Whatsupwithyou (also by Shantou) and a half-sister to the Grade 1-winning hurdler, Dedigout (by Bob Back).
Also at Lingfield, the near three-mile handicap chase was won by the J.P. McManus-owned, Nick Gifford-trained, James Davies-ridden 6/5 favourite Aworkinprogress, who was bringing up a four-timer and a hat trick of wins over fences. The five-year-old Soldier Of Fortune gelding was bred by Paul and Margaret Haughey out of the Presenting mare Reine D’Or, who comes from the family of Regal Encore and The Organist and is dam also of the eight-time winner City of Derby (by Ask).
UNDER a well-timed ride by Danny Mullins, and in the double green colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the Stuart Crawford-trained Interchangeable got up on the line to win the two and a half-mile maiden hurdle for four-year-olds and upwards at Naas on Monday.
The 2020 British-bred Jack Hobbs gelding, who failed to finish in the first three in five previous starts, two of which were in bumpers, is the first of four foals out of the Flemensfirth mare Alletrix, whose two wins over timber included the Grade 2 Paddy Mullins Mares’ Hurdle, while she was also Grade 1-placed.
Not too surprisingly, she comes from the Cox family of Atone, Aces Four and Splendour.
On Wednesday at Dundalk, the Andy Oliver-owned and trained Inthesmallhours (5/2) landed the mile and a half maiden by two and three-quarter lengths from the 6/4 favourite Aird, a four-year-old owned by Randox’s Peter FitzGerald. The winning three-year-old Muhaarar filly, was ridden by Gary Carroll as she was on her two previous starts.
Bookmakers
The bookmakers around Downpatrick probably didn’t have the best of weeks as Caoilin Quinn and Danny McMenamin rode three winners apiece in that time.
Also over jumps, Brian Hughes was on the mark twice, Simon Torrens rode a winner at Navan on Sunday and, having parted company from the errant Continuance when that three-year-old swerved into the rails at Catterick on Tuesday, Daire McConville bounced back to ride a winner at Ludlow the following afternoon.
On the flat, there were wins for Darragh Keenan at Chelmsford last Thursday week, for Patsy Cosgrave at Meydan last Friday when Dylan Browne McMonagle scored at Canterbury Park, and at Dundalk on Wednesday for Luke McAteer.
AS there won’t be a View From Above column in the issue of The Irish Field which will be published on Tuesday next, December 24th, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmas.
If you are going to Down Royal’s Boxing Day meeting on December 26th, train/ride/back plenty of winners: last year, Noel Kelly recorded a double on the seven-race card, while Stuart Crawford saddled the winner of the bumper. If, on the other hand, you are going hunting, sit tight.
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