The Finest Four Days

What a week – The Cheltenham Festival served up some top class sport, and unbelievable drama over the course of 4 days. It never ceases to amaze me how our sport creates narratives and stories like no other. In the grand scheme of things, horseracing is a very small ‘village’, yet time after time it produces the kind of scripts that would nearly appear too far fetched even for a feature film! This last week has been no exception!

Our week starts last Sunday – after publishing the weekly ‘ramble’ – I got a call from Martin Stevens, Bloodstock journalist with the Racing Post. He had been made aware of the photograph I popped on the News page, of our very own ‘Famous Five’. The photo, taken by Louise Kemble at the Elms where all the horses were raised, featured the first and second from last weeks’ EBF Final in Sandown along with Romeo Coolio, who would be lining up for the Supreme Hurdle on Tuesday, so Martin was keen to write the story behind the photo which would be published on the first morning of the Festival.

Monday morning, Greyval got an entry in Chepstow on Sunday. She has a target race in Cheltenham in April, and this race fits in perfectly in preparation for that. She is far better on a sounder surface, and with a dry week forecast, the ground should come right for her by Sunday. Having run over 3m against the geldings last time out in Ascot, this race will be back in mares’ company and will be a drop back to an intermediate trip for her – but the big galloping track will mitigate the drop in distance, and she is in very good order at home.

After lunch it was time to head towards The Cotswolds, but we would be making a stop en route – a flying visit to Stratford where Intrepide Sud was making his chasing debut. A quick reroute as we neared the town due to a sink hole, we arrived at the track an hour before he was due to line up. I had a chat with Ferg and Johnny after he had weighed out, and we agreed that after having pulled up on his last two starts, the main aim of the day was to see him jump round safely (a big worry for me – putting Johnny up on a chasing debutant the day before the biggest four days of the year!) and see IS run right to the line. We knew that the sharp track, the minimum trip and the left handed configuration would not suit him at all, but we all felt that it was the right place to start, while there was a bit of decent ground about. We could wait for a more suitable race later in the month, only to see the ground get too soft for him again.

Having been an absolute tearaway two starts ago, when he was basically unrideable, it was good to see IS steady into the first and pay the bigger fences far more respect. He was a little big over the first two but soon got into a rhythm and jumped well in the main. He was outpaced as they turned for home but jumped home safely and ran right through the line.

Intrepide Sud leaving the paddock

Post Race - safe and sound!

This was just what we wanted to see, with the added bonus that he seemed to jump a lot straighter over fences than he did hurdles, meaning that could be less restricted to right handed tracks in the future. Johnny was delighted with him, the fences getting him to back off will now give him a chance to ride a ‘normal’ race on him, and he is certain that chasing is his game! He should give his owners plenty of fun over the spring and summer!

Happy Onwers - Lunch on it's way!

His race was at 3.50pm, and after Johnnys debrief we headed to the Owners Marquee for a bite of late lunch, only to be told that service had stopped at 4.00pm – which was a bit disappointing, but in fairness to our waitress, and the team behind the scenes, we did manage to get a hot lunch for the syndicate members who wanted one. Thanks to the team at Stratford, credit where it is due – they didn’t have to do it but were happy to do so – thanks from The Chicheley Partnership! There is a lot more to this syndicate management lark then you think!

We managed to beat the traffic and get out of the racecourse in good order and made the short trip down to Broadway and out usual base for ‘Festival Week’ The Fish Hotel.

We have stayed here since it opened in 2015, and for us it is the perfect base for the week, great rooms, super friendly staff, many of whom have been there for the ten years that we have been going there, and who we have got to know really well. A cracking restaurant is the icing on the cake – safe to say we love it there!

We were joined by friends Matt and Sarah on Monday evening, they would be racing with us on Tuesday and Wednesday. We always head to Punchestown with Matt and Sarah – this would be our first Cheltenham Festival. We normally spend this week with Jan and Paul, but they couldn’t make it this year – but it is safe to say that the news we received on the way down really did start the week in the best possible way! I would be seeing Paul later in the week!

Tuesday, and the start of Festival week. Martin Stevens piece published first thing, and it was really nice to receive so many lovely messages from friends and colleagues about the interview. I was just thankful that I hadn’t said anything stupid!

Tuesday

Louise Kemble had to do a double take after Laurens Bay flew from the clouds to deny Off The Jury in a thrilling finish to the EBF National Hunt Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final at Sandown on Saturday.

Both protagonists in what is often a highly informative race came off her Elms Stud in Northamptonshire. Not only that, but they also formed part of an intake of five foals in 2019 that has worked out extraordinarily well.

The result sent Kemble frantically searching through her phone to try to find a picture she knew she had taken of the paddock mates. Fortunately, she found it and is sharing it with Good Morning Bloodstock readers.

The picture, below, really is a humdinger. Off The Jury, just poking his nose in on the left and almost blending in with the hedge, and Laurens Bay, with his big white blaze on the right, flank the smart winners Cloud Dancer and Dino Bellagio, as well as a certain Romeo Coolio – the wide-margin winner of the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown in December and a leading fancy for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham today.

“It’s quite something, isn’t it?” says Kemble with a laugh of disbelief. “I took the photo in the November of their two-year-old season. I couldn’t believe it when Laurens Bay and Off The Jury finished first and second on Saturday, and for Romeo Coolio to be running at Cheltenham a few days later is something else. All five of them have turned out to be talented, as well.

“They were all pinhooks by Nick Brown, apart from Dino Bellagio, who he bred himself. I reared them from when they were foals until they were dispersed in the spring of their three-year-old seasons.

“I’d like to think that it shows that we provide a good upbringing at The Elms Stud, and the horses put on plenty of bone and condition here. For a smaller scale stud we’re punching well above our weight.”

The benefits of an early education at the 200-acre farm, handily located in a rural spot in the English Midlands and once home to the noted National Hunt sires Broadsword, Jupiter Island and Neltino, have also been shown by last month’s impressive Market Rasen bumper winner Un Sens A La Vie, a year-younger pinhook by Brown, and Kemble’s own homebred four-year-old filly Shotgun Shirley, a promising second on debut in recent weeks.

Kemble admits that Romeo Coolio always stood out from the crowd, though.

“He was a good size and absolutely gorgeous – I know people always say that but he really was,” she relates. “That’s what you need, isn’t it? It hasn’t been a total surprise to see him sell well as a store, win his point-to-point and then turn into such an exciting jumper.”

Brown, who has successfully syndicated horses under his own name for more than 25 years and breeds and trades under the Olney Bloodstock banner, was pleased as punch to see the picture, too.

“Michael Dickinson had his famous five, well this is my famous five,” he says before explaining more about the pinhooking side of his business.

“When pinhooking syndicates qualified for the government’s Enterprise Investment Scheme [EIS] we thought it was a worthwhile venture to get involved in,” he continues. “I still think it’s criminal that they removed EIS status from them, but there you go, that’s another story.

“We set up the first one and on the back of the success of that we did two more. We enlisted the help of JD Moore for sourcing foals, mainly privately from France and Ireland. Then they would go to Louise to be stored at The Elms Stud until they reached maturity.

“We actually managed to unearth some absolute superstars in those groups. Romeo Coolio tops the bill, but Horaces Pearl in the year before wouldn’t be all that far behind him. A few others didn’t really grow to what you might be deemed a sales horse and so we purchased those out of the pinhooking syndicates and put them in our racing team instead.

“They included Cloud Dancer, who’s got a lovely pedigree being by Jukebox Jury and from a strong German family, but just wasn’t quite big enough to maximise his value at the sales. He’s turned out to be a nice horse, and we’ve got high hopes for him this spring when he gets better ground.”

Brown backs up Kemble’s assertion that man of the moment Romeo Coolio was always an absolute knockout – and from a remarkably young age.

“I remember JD had flown into Manchester for the Goffs UK Spring Sale, but had nipped down to Will Kinsey’s before travelling on to Doncaster,” he says. “He’d taken a video of the Kapgarde mare Miss Bailly with her Kayf Tara colt, who would have only been a few weeks old at the time, and showed it to me when he got to the sales.

“I took one look at the video and just said ‘buy him’. JD said ‘you don’t even know what Will wants for him’, and I very nearly replied ‘I don’t care what he wants, I’m buying him’. We wanted nice models with nice pedigrees and he fitted the bill. Fortunately we managed to get a deal done for the horse very quickly. We left him with Will until he was weaned and he went to Louise later that year.

“Louise did the bulk of his prep at The Elms Stud, and then he went over to Tommy Rudd, who consigned him to the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.

“He was one of those horses you hear about sometimes who really shine at the sales. He’s the first one I’d seen myself and I can understand what people mean now: he came out and did his shows on the first day and you thought, 'oh yeah this is a nice horse', and then you’d see him on days two, three and four and you were saying to yourself, 'wow this horse is just getting better and better, rather than falling away and getting tired'.”

Romeo Coolio was sold to Monbeg Stables for €92,000 and was sent out by Donnchadh Doyle for an authoritative victory between the flags at Belclare, to spark a resale to Gordon Elliott and Mouse O’Ryan for £420,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale of 2023.

Brown adds: “There’s a strange twist to the tale, as Dave Page, one half of KTDA Racing with Dave Rabson, was in my first pinhooking syndicate and also in the third one, but not in the second one, which contained Romeo Coolio, and yet he’s ended up racing him.

“Dave was a client of mine early doors, when he first got into racing, so he’s been a mate for a long time. He’s kept me up to speed about his progress and I’ve really enjoyed following him. We always thought he was special.”

Laurens Bay and Off The Jury, who fought out a typically fraught finish for Sandown on Saturday, were both also bought privately, raised at The Elms Stud and sold by Peter Molony’s Rathmore Stud at the Goffs Land Rover Sale (now Arkle Sale), for €32,000 and €35,000 respectively.

“Laurens Bay is by Youmzain and I was a bit wary about the sire’s standing in the market at the time, but Peter rang after a day and said I didn’t need to worry, the horse was showing himself well and there was a lot of interest in him,” says Brown. “Cormac Doyle bought him and resold him well.

“We were a bit unlucky with Off The Jury as Rob James and Gavin Cromwell both liked him and they ended up sitting next to each other in the pocket at Goffs during the bidding. Rob ended up buying him for what was still a fair price, though, and he did well with him too, selling him on to David Maxwell for good profit.”

Besides all those in-form horses, Brown’s pinhooking syndicates also included Herakles Westwood, who has won five times and tries his luck in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham today. He was raised by Arthur Moore and failed to make his reserve as a store, so was sold privately to Tessa Greatrex, whose husband Warren now trains him.

Incidentally, Brown is also the purchaser of today’s Fred Winter hopeful Mister Cessna on behalf of trainer Fergal O’Brien, though not as a trade.

That’s some strike-rate of success for the pinhooks. Is he not tempted to buy some more foals to resell as stores?

“I’d love to but without the EIS they’re not as viable,” he says. “Most of the young stock I buy ends up going into the racing team at the moment. I still buy them with half an eye on them being sold as stores, but if it doesn’t look like they’ll make their money in the ring we’ll try them on the track instead.

“Besides that, though, trade for foals was getting a bit crazy. I think there was a downturn of about ten per cent in the National Hunt market last year and I can see that happening again, if not a little more this time.

“I certainly wasn’t disappointed not to have expensive foals going into sticky store sales last year, put it that way. I think we dipped out at the right time. I gather coverings are going to be a long way down for National Hunt mares this season, so it would make sense to get involved in the market again later this year, but I’ll have a good talk to investors about it first.”

Let’s hope Brown and Kemble have cause to team up on more pinhooks in the future. As the photo of Romeo Coolio and the gang at The Elms Stud in 2021 shows, the system clearly works.

It was good to get the early update from Fergal that Intrepide Sud had come out of his run in Stratford in good order – he will be out again in 3 to 4 weeks.

After a hearty cooked breakfast, we were off to the races! It would be a fun day – Romeo Coolio the ‘main man’ for us – victory in the Supreme would be beyond our wildest dreams – but in addition to him there would be two more that we would be keeping a keen eye on – Mister Cessna in the Fred Winter and Herakles Westwood in the concluding National Hunt Chase. Mister Cessna had been bought in France last autumn, and Herakles Westwood was another graduate of our Pinhooking Syndicates.

A quick stop off at Olly Murphys picnic on the way in, a drop of fizz to start the week off in the right way – but my goodness it was chilly! Great to catch up with a few folks before we went in.

We met up with a nervous Dave Page, half of KTDA Racing who own Romeo Coolio before racing. Dave and the gang all very much looking forward to seeing what RC could do up against the very best.

Dave and the Romeo Coolio crew!

Nigel Tinkler called to see where we were and stopped by for a pre race drink – Nigel always great company – and enormous fun, As the racecourse paused to remember Michael O’Sullivan the young Irish jockey so sadly killed in a fall last month, all the enclosures fell silent. In the O&T Marquee we all stood, and almost everyone observed the minutes silence perfectly.

Ever the source of wonderful entertainment!! Nigel Tinkler!

Romeo Coolio ran a blinder in the Supreme, he was outpaced by two speedier types after making the running. He was staying on again at the end and will be a different proposition stepped up in trip in Aintree! Thanks to Debbie who sent through some fantastic photos of RC – he really is the most stunning horse!

Romeo Coolio (photos courtesy of Debbie Burt)

Tuesday was a wonderful day, one of those days when you just run into the right people at the right time. Folks over from Ireland, who would only make the trip once a year – people we have dealt with over the years – friends from both the racing and bloodstock industries stopped to chat about the interview that morning and say how much they had enjoyed reading it. A super time, great fun, great folks and a few pints!

The racing was fantastic too – the Champion Hurdle was simply unbelievable! Constitution Hill falling at the top of the hill, State Man cruising to the win his race only to fall at the last leaving Golden Ace to win! They are there to be jumped – and I was thrilled for her trainer Jeremy Scott who is simply one of the nicest men in racing – a thoroughly deserved success. Great to see Golden Aces sire, Golden Horn get his first Grade 1 winner – GH is without doubt the best National Hunt sire standing in the UK and we can’t wait to see what our homebred gelding by him (George) can do!

Donald McCain in Cheltenham with a couple of runners, and it was good to catch up with him later in the afternoon. He gave an update on all three of ours in training with him. Dino Bellagio seems to be thriving in his new regime – and he will be putting him through a set of stalls next week in preparation for a run on the flat. Old Blue Eyes is well in himself – he had a bit of treatment from the vet earlier in the week. Nothing sinister, just a little bit of treatment that will help him along, and he only missed a couple of days work. Ridin Solo is really well and is still on course for the £30,000 Go North Final in Kelso next weekend.

Wednesday we awake to a dusting of snow! Quite to contrast to the previous morning!

Wednesday - Snow Day!

I preferered Tuesday!!

Thankfully it soon cleared, and we arrived at the track in bright sunshine. After a quick fizz with Olly Murphy on the way in, we were walking to the entrance when Johnny Burke beckoned me over for a chat. He had given Greyval a spin around the round gallop earlier in the morning, without any nosebands on, and she had felt like a different mare – he had schooled her over 6 hurdles, and she was very good. Removing her nosebands was something we had discussed after her last run in Ascot, and Johnny was very pleased with how she had felt without them that morning!

Wednesday was a day that will live long in the memory. Having remembered Michael O’Sullivan on the first day – the results in the afternoon wrote their own story. Marine Nationale hacking up in the Champion Chase – the horse who Michael had ridden to win the Supreme Novices Hurdle in 2023, and then 40 minutes later, Jazzy Matty winning the Grand Annual – a horse that Michael had ridden to win the Fred Winter in the same year. Racing once again creating the most amazing stories – it was almost as if the young jockey was looking down on everyone that knew him, and every fan of the sport, as we all got together at the seasons ‘pinnacle’ meeting. It certainly felt that way!

We ended the day with dinner at the ‘pop up’ Gaucho’s at the racecourse. Sarah had booked a table at 5.30pm – this way we got to see the last and could let the traffic calm down as we ate a good steak. The plan worked perfectly – fun to watch the ‘goings on’ outside the restaurant as we waited for our starters – a wonderful steak, and a bottle of red went down well, and it was an easy exit when we left the course around 7.00pm. Thanks to Matt & Sarah, who dropped us off at the Fish before heading home.

Thursday morning, and it was great to see Paul, who dropped by and picked me up in the morning. Another wonderful days racing to look forward to. Good to see Alan King ahead of racing, who gave a really positive update on both And She Was, who he had entered in Huntingdon next week, and Nevada Samba, who is doing everything right at this stage. Rockola will be back from her spa break at Jamie Magee’s next Monday.

Another fantastic days racing – great to see Brian Hughes win on Doddiethegreat, Brian is one of the best jockeys riding, and it was fantastic to see the former Champion get a winner on the board. Doddiethegreat had beaten Cloud Dancer a couple of seasons ago after coming back off of a life threatening injury and a monster break, and we have followed his career since – all of the prizemoney that the horse wins in his career goes to the Doddie Wier Foundation to find a cure and to provide funds for those suffering with Motor Neurone Disease. Another great result was Daily Present winning the Kim Muir at the end of the day. Daily Present a half brother to Go Millie Go who raced in our colours a few years ago.

We made our way out of the course straight after the last and had the easiest exit ever. No Hold ups, and back to the hotel in great time. One of the advantages of small crowds!

A lot has been said and written about the crowd sizes at this years Festival. I don’t believe there is a single factor to the decrease in attendees. The reasons are different for different people – some will raise issue with the lack of competitive racing – with a small number of big yards winning the bulk of the races – well that may be the case, but a quick look at this years results show that every race can still throw up the most amazing stories and drama – I don’t get that one. Cost is huge – I think that the course really do need to look at some of the pricing – it is simply too expensive for a lot of people – especially those from Ireland – it was very noticeable this year that there seemed to be far fewer visitors from the far side of the Irish Sea. One place that didn’t seem to suffer was the corporate hospitality boxes and suites, which I am told were very full. Is it possible that Cheltenham have concentrated on filling £8,000 tables rather than looking after the Club Enclosure race goers? I think they need to look at that policy if so!

There are probably very good reasons for not taking it, but a return of cash being accepted on the course would in my mind help enormously as well – I think the course are alienating a big group of people with this policy.

Another thing that would help would be a change in the ITV Coverage. I appreciate that we need to attract a new audience, but please watch the interview with Jemma Collins and tell me how that helped racing. This was aired minutes before a Grade 1 race – when surely, we should be seeing the horses and jockeys who are about to head out to compete in one of the season highlights – let us not forget the product that we have – it is after all a race meeting!

A few from around the track - a couple of hours before racing.

Friday, and we decided to head home, and watch the final day on the TV – Racing TV – not ITV – I wasn’t interested in more ‘celebrity’ interviews.

Before we left, I chatted with Fergal about declaring Greyval on Sunday in Chepstow. We decided that given the timing of this race and her next possible starts we would declare her and run. She will run without her usual noseband combination, and we will see if this allows her to go forward earlier in the race. We will learn lots on Sunday – and we should have all the pieces of the jigsaw in place in preparation for her seasons target in Cheltenham next month.

All back and unpacked by the time the tapes went up for the Triumph – very keen to see how Lulamba would get on – a son of Nirvana du Berlais – it was his run in Ascot that had persuaded me to send Savingforvegas back to the stallion in France this year – I thought he looked very good that day, and a Grade 1 win here would do wonders for his sire, Nirvana du Berlais’ already lofty reputation – and in turn do absolutely no harm to the value of our new foal, ‘Nancy’ who is by him. Lulamba looked like he had the race won in the closing stages as he battled past favourite East India Dock – only for a 100/1 hurdling debutant to grab victory from him in the shadow of the post. Not all bad – the winner Poniros and the third East India Dock both by Golden Horn – and as you know – we have one of those too!

Galopin Des Champs not quite able to land his third Gold Cup in a row – a gallant second – on unsuitably quick ground. The winner looks very good indeed!

The meeting ended with a tearful Gordon Elliot getting his one and only winner of the meeting in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle.

Saturday – great to get some pics of Savingforvegas and Nancy from Louise. Both doing really well. It will not be long before they are both heading back over the channel to visit Nirvan du Berlais once again.

Savingforvegas and 'Nancy'

Alan King sent through a couple of fantastic work videos. And She Was working very well upsides bumper and hurdle winner Ski Lodge – she looks in great shape and ready to make her long awaited debut on Wednesday in Huntingdon.

The next one was a bit of an eye opener – Nevada Samba working in behind 95 rated flat performers, Insanity, and the legend that is three time Group 1 winner Trueshan. My eyes nearly popped when I saw how easily Nevada Samba was travelling in behind two supremely talented horses! Very exciting!

Jason Maguire sent through some pics and vids of the team that are in pre training there. All four cantering away and going very nicely.

Masterstroke x Ma Councha filly

Three yr old unnamed The Grey Gatsby gelding.

One to get an entry was Itchy Feet, who was entered in the Hunters Chase in Newbury on Friday – it will be fun to see how he likes the switch back to regulation fences.

Around the remainder – Cloud Dancer is fresh and well down at Gary and Josh Moore’s – all roads lead to Haydock with him – it was good to see Patriotik run such a good race in a valuable handicap hurdle in Uttoxeter yesterday – giving the form of CD’s last run a solid look. We are very much looking forward to him going there a fresh horse and are very hopeful that we can eek out a bit of improvement in him as well. At Ravenswell, Chevelle is in full work and working her way back up to full fitness once again.

Time to head off to Chepstow – next week we are looking forward to getting And She Was started in Huntingdon. Then it will be two days in Newbury on Friday and Saturday. Be warned – next weeks News may be a little later than usual!

The Finest Four Days

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