After a record-breaking season for the yard in terms of prize money, winners and highest position in the trainers’ table, it was good to get off the mark for the new campaign with Ballyfinn at Fontwell in midweek.
With 52 winners our horses earned £931,000 and took us to fourteenth in the trainers’ list.
Our squad remained in form from May pretty much until the final day at Sandown late in April with a rewarding strike rate of 18%.
There were so many highlights, starting with Gustavian’s storming triumph in the Badger Beer Handicap Chase at Wincanton.
Others to shine included Dartmoor Pirate landing the Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster, and Jasmin de Grugy’s memorable win in the valuable Grimthorpe Chase at the same track.
Park Princess was another to sparkle at Doncaster with a runaway triumph by twenty-one lengths in a mares’ Listed hurdle.
Leave of Absence played his part with a fluent success in a Class 2 Novice Chase at Cheltenham, where Jordan’s Cross and Kdeux Saint Fray both hit the bullseye in novice handicap chases.
Dance and Glance, so progressive, impressed in winning the Challenger series hurdle final at Haydock while Ferret Jeeter and Breaking Cover both made significant contributions to our final score with five wins apiece.
Looking forward, Catchsintavo showed notable promise in finishing an excellent second in the Grade 1 Sefton Novice Hurdle at the Aintree Festival.
We bid farewell to two stalwarts. Sam Brown was a marvel who has finally retired after delivering year after year, winning nine times and £273.000 in prize money. The hardy mare Credo has gone to stud with eight wins and £161,000 on her CV.
Rachael and I remain as ambitious as ever and will be looking to maintain the momentum over the next twelve months.
We are determined to achieve our first Grade 1 winner this season, although, as usual, we will have only a handful in training over the summer before moving into top gear in the late autumn.
We are very hopeful that Rex Dingle will back in action by then after sustaining serious leg injuries in a horrid incident at Taunton.
He has been a key player for us with 102 winners for the yard while Sam Twiston-Davies recently notched up a half-century for us.
