The Winter Jumps Season Draws to a Close

Sandown on Saturday 26th April was the finale of the 2013-14 British Winter Jumps Season. Our trainer, Nick Williams, had the one runner Dolores Delightful who came a close 5th in the juvenile hurdle. The highlight of the day was a win for ‘Horse of the Year’ Sire De Grugy in the Grade 1 Celebration Chase. Tony McCoy was champion jockey for an amazing 19th year, with Gavin Sheehan Champion conditional jockey, JP McManus Champion owner and Paul Nicholls Champion trainer.

In the British Jumps Trainers Championship Nick came 28th winning £309,874 in prize money. He had his highest number of winners in a season with 23 out of 129 runners which is an 18% win rate. In the same period in France he accumulated €331, 050 with 5 winners out of 42 runners which is a 12% win rate. The total for the UK and France combined is £582,479 and 28 winners. If it had all been won in the UK this would have put Nick as high as 16th in the British Championship. In addition Nick and Jane won the 2013 Crystal Cup Cross Country Series for the second year in a row with winners and placed horses in the UK, France and Italy.

Reve De Sivola was the stables highest earner with £185,813 and two Grade 1 hurdle wins at Ascot in the Long Walk Hurdle and Auteuil, France in the Grand Prix D’Automne. Nick achieved a third Grade 1 win during the season with Le Rocher in the Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow in December. To finish a quality season both Le Rocher and one of his other young juvenile hurdlers Fox Norton also won Grade 2 hurdle races at Cheltenham and Doncaster, respectively.

Graham and I finished the season by watching the Sandown finale on the television with Channel 4 Racing. However, we did manage some excellent days at the races at Cheltenham and Newbury in April. Admittedly Newbury was on the flat but we had the thrill of seeing The Queen in the paddock watching her horse run that day. Cheltenham was a good last visit of the season for us with lots of great racing and easter eggs all around for the children (we managed to eat some chocolate egg having pinched it from the unsuspecting daughter of one of our friends!). Cheltenham is changing with lots of old buildings having been demolished in preparation for building work to start on their new stand. We had a look at the changes as well as an enjoyable visit to the centre of the racecourse where we watched the horses jump the final steeplechase fence at close quarters.  The speed at which they travel is amazing!

With just a few days break before the British Summer Jumping Season starts we are looking forward to Punchestown in Ireland where their big season finale will boast many a re-match of champions from the Cheltenham Festival. Reve De Sivola is due to run in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle on the Thursday and Fox Norton in the juvenile on the Saturday. Beau De Tabel is then due to start racing next week at Newton Abbot in a 2 mile 3 furlong maiden hurdle. Roll on the summer jumping!

A final note to say I have just spotted in the press that our favourite jockey Daryl Jacobs has announced he will go freelance when he returns from injury.  We wish him all the best and hope that he will ride many more horses for us in the future.

Great Winter Jumps Racing Festivals 2014

Well I haven’t blogged for a while and during that time the racing world has staged two great Festivals at Cheltenham and Aintree.

We visited Cheltenham in person but watched the Channel 4 coverage of Aintree’s famous Grand National. I hope that we can manage a visit to Aintree next year as it is one of the most exiting meetings on the racing calendar. We were lucky enough in 2007 and 2008 to have a runner called Philson Run in the Grand National. In 2007 he finished a spectacular 4th followed by an unseat at The Chair in 2008. One of the things I remember most about the National is watching all the jockeys and horses coming back home with tales of what if this and that hadn’t happened! This year’s renewal was full of drama and produced another great story with Dr Richard Newland winning with his horse Pineau De Re. He trains as a hobby with his main job being a GP. Stories such as this are what make the Grand National so great.

We had a wonderful week at the Cheltenham Festival in March. None of my tips won which is why I don’t bet as a rule as I am so bad at it! My favourite winner was Sire De Grugy in the Champion Chase. He ran so well during the season and was really under rated by the press. It was good to see him follow up all that promise by winning the Champion Chase in majestic style.

On Wednesday we were invited for hospitality by our friends at French Racing (FRBC) and enjoyed a fantastic view over the paddock that day. We met lots of interesting people and were treated to a day of food and drink whilst enjoying the racing. On Thursday Reve De Sivola ran in the World Hurdle and made all of the running. However, he just does not seem to be able to cope with the good ground at this time of year and came in a gallant 8th. He may run at Punchestown at the end of April but it will all depend on the weather and whether he gets his favoured soft ground. He should then have a well deserved summer break before going back to France in November to defend his Grade 1 Grand Prix D’Automne hurdle title.

Our trainer, Nick Williams, continued his run of bad luck at the Cheltenham Festival with no winners. His best hope Le Rocher was not declared for the Triumph Hurdle on the Friday as he was found to be lame.  Reve came 8th and Diamond Harry was pulled up in the Cross Country Race on Wednesday (the winner of that race, Balthazar King, came 2nd in the Grand National giving me a rare eachway win with the bookies). There is always next year and maybe After Eight Sivola (Minty) will be the one to break Nick’s duck.

A great way to finish off the Cheltenham Festival week is to make a visit to Uttoxeter racecourse to watch the Midland Grand National. Our old horse Philson Run won the 2005 renewal of this race and so I don’t need much of an excuse to travel there at the end of a busy Cheltenham week. This year Alfie Spinner was racing for the ‘Beard Brothers.’ There was a good crowd in attendance along with many friends to chat to about our betting losses (or even wins!) from the past week. Unfortunately, Alfie was not able to finish the race having had a long hard season and has now joined our youngster Minty out at grass for a long summer break.

Our other Larkhills horse, Beau De Tabel, has now come back into training having recovered from all his various problems. With the winter jumps season drawing to a close at the end of April we are looking forward to the summer jumps season and seeing Beau run on the better ground in about a month or so time.