Skip to Content

Latest News

By

in

Latest News

Monday 18th December

We ended another week of solid achievement with narrow defeats in tight finishes to the two big chases at Cheltenham on Saturday.

It was frustrating to see Il Ridoto chinned by Fugitif in the last stride after a brilliant run from the front in the December Gold Cup.
Just over half an hour later Threeunderthrufive ran up to his best when beaten just over a length in a valuable Premier Handicap Chase.
Bryony Frost got a great tune out of Il Ridoto who idled a bit in front before rallying strongly when challenged by the winner. While he shapes as if he will stay three miles I’m thinking of sending him back to Cheltenham at the end of next month for the £100,000 Paddy Power Podcast Handicap Chase over two miles, four and a half furlongs or possibly the Fleur De Lys chase at Lingfield Jan 21.
Monmiral was a bit disappointing behind Il Ridoto and was flat out the whole way before keeping on at the one pace. It looks as though he needs three miles these days.
Threeundertheufive was the only one to give Broadway Boy a race in the three and a quarter mile chase. He travelled well, is a strong stayer and his owner Max McNeill is keen for him to have an entry in the Grand National.
With doubles on Tuesday and Wednesday before a treble on Friday we moved on to sixty winners for the season at a strike rate of 25%.
It was good to see some of our nice young prospects living up to their homework by registering their first successes through the week, among them Toss of a Coin and Quebecois who now goes for the Cheltenham Bumper .
On Friday I was thrilled with the victory of Ginny’s Destiny in the Class 2 Novice Chase over two and a half miles at Cheltenham. New to us this season he is progressing swiftly, jumps like a natural, made just about all the running and should have no problem staying three miles. Harry Cobden’s ride from the front on Ginny’s Destiny was top drawer.
On the same day Rare Middleton bounced back to form on the better ground he appreciates at Doncaster where Twinjets made a winning start for us later in the afternoon.
One horse who is unlikely to run again this season is Knappers Hill who has made such a sparkling start to his career over fences. Unfortunately he has had a little setback. It is only minor but as I regard him him as a possible King George V1 Chase horse next year I feel we need to stop with him now and concentrate on getting him right.
This week we will have runners at Wincanton and Newbury in the coming days before sending a strong team to Ascot on Friday and Saturday.
On Friday Welcome To Cartries is a likely starter in the maiden hurdle and Captain Bellamy and Marvellous Mick could well take part in the Listed bumper.
A day later Blueking d’Oroux and Red Risk could both go for the Long Walk Hurdle and Flash Collonges and Switch Hitter are possible starters in the £100,000 handicap Chase while Solo is under consideration for the Graduation Chase.
For all latest news on all my Saturday runners please do check out my Betfair column which goes live on Friday morning.

READ MORE

By

in

Latest News

Monday 11th December

The fatal injury to Iceo at Sandown on Saturday took all the gloss from another successful day for Team Ditcheat.

Losing any horse is the hardest part of our sport and Iceo was a star for his enthusiastic owner Chris Giles and shone when winning the Imperial Cup at Sandown in March. We felt he had a big future as a chaser and it was so tough to lose him after he suffered a catastrophic fracture of his front leg in the Henry VIII Chase. It affected everyone involved with Team Ditcheat and put a dampener on the rest of the day.
Talk about the highs and lows of racing. Twenty four hours earlier Chris Giles was on top of the world after his star novice Stay Away Fay won the Grade 2 Betfair Esher Novice Chase from the front in great style. You are a sitting duck when you have to do the donkey work like that but he stayed on strongly when challenged by Giovinco and was in command at the line. The better the race, the stronger the gallop, the more it will suit Stay Away Fay whose jumping was again very good. Two interesting Grade 2 options for him are a £75,000 Novice Chase over three miles at Warwick on January 13 and the Reynoldstown Chase at Ascot a month later.
Stay Away Fay’s victory took us past the the £1 million mark for prize money this season with a helpful contribution a little earlier in the afternoon from Insurrection who ran so well when a close second in the Grade 2 novice hurdle over two and a half miles. He was a shade keen and was just outstayed late on.
A four timer on Saturday took our score to 53 winners. First to strike was Liari who again looked very smart with a decisive success in the Class 1 juvenile hurdle at Aintree. He is a gorgeous horse, travelled strongly, jumped like a natural and eased clear in the closing stages. Liari will be even better on drier ground and has a bright future. He will get an entry in the Triumph Hurdle but we have the option instead of taking back to Aintree in April.
Sonigino then completed our double at Aintree with a comfortable success in the two and a half mile Class 2 handicap hurdle. He relished the step back up in trip, cruised through the race and is clearly thriving. The target I have in mind for him next is the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton in January.
At Chepstow Isaac Des Obeaux doubled his score for the season by bolting up under a penalty. He is a three parts brother to Clan Des Obeaux, made all the running and looks every inch an exciting candidate for chasing next season.
The hardy veteran Truckers Lodge then brought up our four timer with a determined performance in the London National at Sandown. The ground can’t be testing enough for Truckers Lodge, an amazing old horse who will soon be twelve, has been in so many battles and has formed a rewarding partnership with his jockey Freddie Gingell who is only a few years older than him. It’s unlikely Truckers Lodge will be returning to Chepstow for another crack at the Coral Welsh National which might come a bit too soon and be too competitive for him. We will look for a suitable target in a few weeks time.
We will have plenty of runners through the week with the good news that Wincanton and Exeter have rescheduled meetings lost to the wet weather. Then we will be concentrating on Cheltenham at the weekend when Monmiral and Il Ridoto are likely to run in the December Gold Cup on Saturday.
For all the latest news on my runners in Friday and Saturday please turn to my Betfair column which goes live the previous day.

READ MORE

By

in

Latest News

Monday 4th December

The sparkling success of Hermes Allen in the Grade 2 John Francome Novice Chase at Newbury on Friday was the highlight of another fruitful week for Team Ditcheat.

We had planned to give him his debut over fences a bit earlier in the season until a minor foot issue forced us to take a pull. It took a while to diagnose the problem so he missed a fair bit of work while he was on the easy list and is bound to come on plenty for the outing given that he also had a wind op in the summer.
It was encouraging to see Hermes Allen travel well in a racecourse gallop at Newbury with Complete Unknown on November 21st and I was thrilled with the way he jumped on Friday on his way to a decisive victory against some useful opponents. He isn’t the biggest but he has plenty of class, and his schooling was spot on ahead of Newbury. Although he landed the Challow at the track last season on bottomless going he is more effective on the better ground he encountered on Friday. Likely to go next to The Noel Novice chase at Ascot on December 22nd.
Kandoo Kid completed a really good day for us with a battling win in a £26,000 handicap Chase over two and a half miles in the colours of Michael Geoghegan. Raised 6lbs for a narrow defeat at the previous Newbury meeting he finished with purpose to beat Frero Banbou by two and a half lengths.
Kandoo Kid has needed time but he is getting there now and shapes as though he will stay further in time. Might go over 3 miles at Kempton on 27th December.
A disappointment on Friday was the performance of Hugos New Horse who struggled from an early stage in the Grade 2 Long Distance Hurdle and was eventually pulled up. He was choking on the way round, and will be off for wind surgery this week and back again in the spring.
On Saturday Complete Unknown found the ground was too quick in the Coral Gold Cup Cup. Harry Cobden said the horse was always in top gear and sensibly looked after him once he couldn’t finish in the money.
Complete Unknown still ran tidily and there are plenty of options for him this winter when conditions are in his favour including the Coral Welsh National and chases at Warwick and Lingfield where the going is usually deep at this time of year.
Emailandy ran a very nice race in finishing third under a penalty in a decent novice hurdle and would have gone close to winning but for a mistake at the final flight and Irish Hill ran as if he wants a bit further.
We enjoyed success with two more of our talented bumper squad on their racecourse debuts earlier in the week with Just Lucky Sivola on the mark at Southwell on Tuesday and Jackpot Des Bordes winning a day later at Hereford.
This week we are sending Stay Away Fay to Sandown on Friday for the three mile Grade 2 Esher Novice Chase and Insurrection goes for the Grade 2 Ballymore Winter Novice Hurdle the same day.
The following afternoon Iceo is on course for the Grade 1 Betfair Henry V111 Novice Chase.
We could also have runners at Aintree on Saturday while on Sunday we will definitely be sending a team to Kelso including Truckers Lodge who tackles the four mile chase.
For the latest news on all our Saturday runners please be sure to check out my Betfair column which goes live the previous day.

READ MORE
«←678910→ »