I thought he had a really stiff task in the Galway Plate but he put up another career-best and would have finished closer still but for running into trouble off the home bend. He keeps on amazing us and his last three runs suggest he’s still improving. He needed it quite badly and he should go on and win a handicap hurdle. We gave him a good break as he’d been on the go on the Flat and over jumps, and it was a bit embarrassing as he was as fat as anything when reappearing at Kempton last month.
Has run a couple of tidy races over hurdles and was probably beaten by a smart horse at Taunton last time.
#RYAN LANGY BUCK COMMANDER FULL#
He’s had the full works done: he couldn’t breathe properly so we got that sorted, and then he was gelded and took some time to get over it.
He’ll want some cut and we’ll take him to Chepstow or Newbury in about a fortnight for a maiden hurdle.ĭecent Flat horse for Richard Hannon who didn’t run for us last winter. He bolted up on soft ground in his bumper, and then he was never going to win a race like the Champion Bumper but nothing was lost by giving him further experience. Gorgeous type of horse, very much a chaser of the future but well up to winning over hurdles first. I just hope he doesn’t turn out to be a morning glory, as last season he never produced on the track what he was showing us at home. Since he came back in mid-July his target has been the 0-125 novice handicap hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday. If he does then he’d look fairly treated off 119. We realised last season his breathing was troubling him, so that was sorted in the summer and he could improve significantly for it. Come the spring he’ll be trained for the National. He loves it round there, having won the Grand Sefton in 2016 and completed three times in total over the big fences. Andy is sponsoring a 3m handicap hurdle at Cheltenham this week, so he’ll have a run there, which he’s bound to need, before going to Aintree next month for either the Becher or the Sefton. He picked up a tendon injury in February last year and ended up missing the whole season. When he gets a bit of luck in running there’s a decent handicap chase to be won with him. He needs to be dropped right out and come late – tactics that don’t always work out. Has plenty of ability but still inclined to be a bit keen.
It’s looking more like he wants an easy 3m nowadays, so we may even consider dropping him in trip next time. I fancied him to be in the first four when he was pulled up at Ascot nine days ago. Jockeys Harry Cobden, Sam Twiston-Davies, Bryony Frost, Sean Bowen, Brendan Powell, Harry Skelton, Katie O’FarrellĬonditionals Lorcan Williams, Bryan CarverĪmateurs Will Biddick, Natalie Parker, Matt Hampton, Harriet Tucker, Angus Cheleda Pupil assistant trainers Natalie Parker, Charlie DaviesĪssistant head lass Kate McCormack, Rose LoxtonĪssistant travelling head girl Trudie Smith Second yard Highbridge Farm, Alhampton, Somerset Nicholls looked out on his second yard at Highbridge Stables the other evening, complete with 11 new boxes put up in September, and said: “This is some ammo we’ve got here. Ten winners in the last fortnight, including two at Wincanton’s popular Badger Beers meeting on Saturday where he always excels, have signalled a marked change of tempo and the likes of Politologue, Getaway Trump and exciting French import Mick Pastor will spearhead a strong team at Cheltenham this weekend. We have to remember, it’s a long season and I’m in less of a hurry than I used to be at this time of year.” Nicholls offers another reason for the quieter start: “Some of my younger rivals bring theirs to peak fitness from the word go nowadays, whereas I prefer to play the longer game. Some of them have had racecourse gallops to bring them on, but there’s only so much you can do at home and in the end you have to give them a run – and some of them have needed it.” “The horses have held on to their condition and never taken so long to get fit. “I’ve never known a start to a season quite like this one,” says the 11-time title holder. With 11 winners in October you can’t say it’s been a slow start for Paul Nicholls, but neither has he raced out of the blocks like he did in 20. The champion trainer is warming up nicely with a promise of much more to come. I thought I would put these up here for people to read with the NH season hotting up.