BLOG NINETY
Welcome back to another DCR blog…
As always, let’s kick things off with a little motivation:
“Your normal day is someone else’s dream, so be thankful every day!”
We had a dream Saturday just gone with Fireblade winning The Shergar Cup Stayers under a top-class ride from Suraj Narredu. This is an event we’ve only ever had one runner in before—back when we had just four horses in training—and Moliwood finished a close-up fourth in the Stayers. Fast forward three years, and to come away with a win was hugely exciting and a real team achievement.
Congratulations to his owners, Emma Banks and Richard & Sue Banks, who watched the race with me from Newmarket. The prize money alone was more than we paid for Fireblade at the Tattersalls Horses In Training Sale—and now he’s won twice for us, with a few placings in between. I still think there’s plenty more fun to come.
A big thank you as well to my landlord, William Jarvis, who spotted this horse at the sales, introduced me to the Banks family, and was on hand to collect the trophies. Phantom House Stables has been churning out winners over the past two years—big, small, flat, jumps, international—you name it. We’ve built a solid team to get the best out of every horse.
On that note, Lee Edwards was over last week to school a few, including Fireblade, and the horses really enjoyed a hurdle in front of them. The results speak for themselves: team work makes the dream work!
Asgard’s Captain also ran an unlucky fifth, still earning £4,000 in the process. He was shuffled back early but hit the line hard and will be winning another nice pot soon, just like he did in The Great Metropolitan earlier this year at Epsom.
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Thoughts on The Shergar Cup
I was surprised to see some negative comments about the event. Ascot is a fantastic facility, the prize money was huge, and the jockeys all had incredible CVs in their own right. Some of the criticism of the riders struck me as a bit entitled. Racing is competitive worldwide, and when you travel you quickly learn to respect every country’s top talent.
The crowd certainly appreciated them—and for attracting new fans, events like this are a great way in. The winners were well spread, and some so-called “lesser names” rode as well as the stars.
It’s worth noting: on the same day, the Group 3 at Newmarket offered £13k less to the winner than our Shergar Cup race did. That’s more concerning than any criticism of the event. If I had to nit-pick, I’d say the British team could’ve done with a name like Oisin Murphy, but otherwise it was top-class.
Internationally, the Shergar Cup is big—I’ve had messages from all over the world, especially India and South Africa, after our win. I hope Ascot keeps hosting it.
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Racing League
On Thursday we’ve got Zarathos running with Callum Shepherd on board. He’s been so consistent and really deserves a win—he’s one of the toughest, unluckiest horses we train. Hopefully he can earn his owners some well-deserved prize money.
I think the Racing League is a great idea, but I’d tweak it. For me, it’s too long and at the wrong time of year. I’d run it in February, make it for 0–65 handicappers, and shorten it to three weeks on Thursdays, finishing with a massive Saturday finale. February racing needs a boost, and this could give smaller owners and trainers a real incentive to keep horses in the UK over the winter. Food for thought.
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Looking Ahead
It’s sales time already, and we’re off to Deauville this weekend—so get your orders in!
We’re just one winner away from matching last year’s total, and hopefully Gorgeous Mr George, who’s going for a hat-trick at Carlisle today, can get us there.
Our York team is in full swing for next week, and we’ll be heading there with a handful of runners with good chances.
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As always, I’ll close with something to take into the week:
“A kind act can be as powerful as a sword.”
Until next time,