Connections of Caldwell Potter have plenty to get excited about following his thoroughly impressive Leopardstown success over the Christmas period.
Gordon Elliott’s charge was sent off at odds of 6-1 for a competitive running of the Grade One Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle, but proved a decisive winner when pulling clear on the run to two out and galloping on to a cosy six-and-a-half-length success in the hands of Jack Kennedy.
It was a performance that justified his big-race jockey’s confidence and Joey Logan, racing manager to Andy and Gemma Brown’s Caldwell Construction Ltd string, believes connections are only getting a glimpse of what the talented six-year-old could be capable of.
He said: “He was very impressive and to be honest Jack was very confident going out, he had said it was one of the horses he was most looking forward to riding all week at Leopardstown.
“His form is good and he’s improving all the time and he is a lot stronger than he was last year. Hopefully that will continue going forward and he has a lovely way about him throughout his race.”
Having joined his ill-fated brother, Mighty Potter, on the race’s roll of honour, Caldwell Potter could have paved the way for a return to the Irish capital for the Dublin Racing Festival next month where the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle could be the ideal place to complete his Cheltenham Festival preparations.
Logan added: “More than likely we will (go back to Leopardstown), but I have to speak to Andy, Gemma and Gordon. You couldn’t seen much reason why not to and it would be the logical step towards Cheltenham.
“He could be a Supreme horse or a Ballymore horse and with the way he did it, he was only going through the motions. I don’t think either trip will be a bother.”
If Caldwell Potter proved the perfect way to end 2023 for the Caldwell Construction team, they then got the new year off to a flying start at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day as Mollys Mango spearheaded a brilliant double on the card.
The six-year-old, who was placed at Listed level in a bumper, ran out an imperious 17-length scorer to book a possible return to Fairyhouse for Grade Three duties later this month in the Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle.
“Mollys Mango is a very, very nice mare and we’ve always loved her,” said Logan.
“She wasn’t right the last time, but she won her bumper by nearly six lengths before getting black type and Jack said she gave him some feel the other day.
“She didn’t beat a whole lot and Jack said she would do more on the gallops at home than she did in the race.
“We’ll speak again but the Solerina would be probably what we would be thinking there.”
Staffordshire Knot then got off the mark at the second attempt in the concluding bumper and with the gelding already six, attentions could turn to jumping sooner rather than later.
Logan said: “His work was very good and the family are related to Many Clouds, so there is plenty of stamina in the pedigree. The Tullow Tank who won a couple of Grade Ones is in there as well.
“It was a lovely performance and we could go up to two and a half miles and start jumping hurdles with him, or he could stay in bumpers. I would be more inclined to go jumping with him and he looks a really nice prospect.”
Sandown’s feature meeting on Saturday must survive an 8am precautionary inspection on Friday.
With the going at the Esher venue raceable but already very testing, a new band of rain is due to arrive on Thursday evening which has seen the Met Office to issue a yellow weather warning.
Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper, speaking at 2.30pm on Thursday, said: “I think it’s a sensible approach to call the inspection given the uncertainty of the volume of rain that we may see through the rest of the day here.
“It looks like it’s about to start here looking at all the radars, so it is on its way and there is talk of 20 millimetres plus potentially.
“You’d race here today, you would have done every day this week, but there are parts on both courses that are approaching the limits of their capacity to take any more rain which can’t be avoided – we have to be able to race through them, we can’t doll them off and these areas are primarily in the home straight.
“The rain should have finished in the early hours of Friday so we can have a look first thing and see where we have got to – if necessary we can have a further look later in the day or whatever, all possible outcomes you wouldn’t rule out.
“Once that has gone through it does look a dry picture up to and including Saturday and beyond, it just depends on the scale of rain we see.”
Wincanton’s Saturday fixture is also in doubt with their clerk of the course Daniel Cooper calling an inspection called for 8am on Saturday, also due to a yellow warning for rain.
Fugitif has two options before a likely crack at the Ryanair Trophy in March.
Trainer Richard Hobson is weighing up whether to send him to Cheltenham on January 27 for Trials Day, or run a week earlier in Lingfield’s Fleur de Lys Chase.
Fourth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup in November, he finally broke Hobson’s duck at the track in the December Gold Cup.
It was perhaps fitting Fugitif was the one to give Hobson his first winner at Cheltenham given he has run so many good races there, including when second to Seddon in the Plate at last year’s Festival.
“He did his first couple of swinging canters the other day since winning at Cheltenham. He had a week off after that win but he is extremely well,” said Hobson.
“He will aim for either the extended two-and-a-half-mile Premier Handicap at Cheltenham on Trials Day (Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Chase) or the Fleur de Lys Chase at Lingfield.
“I had no intention of running him at the Christmas meeting at Cheltenham as we always felt he needed time between his races, but he came out of the Paddy Power Gold Cup so well and he was showing all the right signs that we decided to give the December Gold Cup a go.
“When I got my trainer’s licence, there were three things I said to my wife that I wanted to do. I wanted to train a big winner at Auteuil’s festival, train a big winner at Aintree, which we did with Dame Rose, and to train a winner at Cheltenham and that one took a bit longer than we liked, what with all the seconds we had before Fugitif won.
“We had so many hard luck stories at Cheltenham, it was nice to finally see one get their head in front.
“He is in the Ryanair and that is likely to be his main target for the season. He will be put in the Plate as well, but carrying big weights in those handicaps is a hard thing to do. If he was to place in the Ryanair, it would be a great result.”
Ben Pauling retains plenty of faith in Tellherthename as he attempts to get to the bottom of what caused his disappointing showing in Aintree’s Formby Novices’ Hurdle.
The five-year-old fetched £200,000 at the sales having got the better of recent Exeter bumper scorer and Envoi Allen’s brother Joyau Allen in the pointing field and backed up that promise in his opening outings under rules, pushing eventual Formby winner Jango Baie all the way at Ascot before bolting up at Huntingdon.
Tellherthename was sent off at odds of 5-1 when making the move to Grade One company on Boxing Day and was up with the pace before stopping quickly approaching three out, eventually being pulled up by jockey Kielan Woods.
Pauling has given the gelding a full MOT following that effort and if nothing comes to light from the extensive bout of testing, the Naunton Downs handler will be content to point towards the testing conditions at Aintree as a plausible reason for Tellherthename’s Formby no-show.
He said: “We’ve explored and turned most stones we can now because we were a bit perplexed at the time as we think he is a bit special. He was just beaten a long way out really for it to be right.
“At the moment we are still investigating but I would pretty much hang my hat on the fact he doesn’t handle that very testing ground.
“Everything so far, all his bloods and stuff, has been good, but we’ve got a few more little bits and bobs to check out.
“He seems very well in himself and if nothing comes to light, I will put it down to the fact he just can’t go on that very soft ground.”
Pauling went on: “I trotted off down the track to try to meet him to make sure he was OK and it was just very hard work.
“It was about as bad a ground I think I’ve seen in a long time and interestingly I shared a lift home with Felix De Giles who rode the French horse, July Flower, in the race and he said it was worse ground than Auteuil by a margin. His horse didn’t even handle the ground and travel to the second hurdle and she is proven on that very soft ground at Auteuil.”
Providing Tellherthename gets the all clear to continue his campaign, Pauling is keen to attempt to restore the talented novice’s confidence at the earliest opportunity.
He will be searching for an opening in calmer waters over the coming weeks where it is hoped the Megson Family-owned gelding can bounce back to his best and reignite spring festival dreams for all connected.
“If nothing comes to light, we will look to get him out in the next 10 days to two weeks in an ordinary novice somewhere, just to get his season back on track,” continued Pauling.
“We can then make plans from there whether we go straight to the Festival or look elsewhere, but as long as the horse is OK.
“From what he did at Huntingdon and before that at Ascot, the form is in the book. He just got touched off by Jango Baie at Ascot and I’m not overly worried about it all – if there is something to find we will find it, if not we will draw a line and go again.
“I think he is a very good horse and as good as we have had for a long time.”
Challow Hurdle runner-up Lookaway has a return to Newbury for the Betfair Hurdle or the M1 Agency Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle at Huntingdon as possible options en route to the Cheltenham Festival.
Neil King’s seven-year-old has become a real unsung hero of the novice hurdling division this term and although his winning streak has come to an end of late, Lookaway has still turned in high-calibre performances.
Stepping up in trip for a first taste of Grade One action on the back of his Greatwood Hurdle second, the Grade Two scorer pushed Paul Nicholls’ Captain Teague all the way in a thrilling event to end 2023.
King was thrilled with the performance and having only been put up 1lb by the assessor, he admits the Betfair Hurdle will be tempting, despite the Listed Sidney Banks – over a similar trip to the Challow – seeming a more obvious route to Prestbury Park.
“I thought it was a massive run from him, just with the wrong result,” said King.
“I was thrilled with him and it was just the wrong result. He’s come back home in really good form, I’ve ridden him out this morning and he’s in lovely form.
“He’s only gone up 1lb which has to be a bonus, so we could think about an entry in the Betfair, but maybe the Sidney Banks would be a more obvious target on the way to Cheltenham.”
Once at the Cheltenham Festival, King will need to decide whether to run in the opening Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle over a course and distance Lookaway has already tasted success this term, or tackle the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle over an intermediate trip.
“I’m sure for the Festival the Ballymore is probably going to be better than the Supreme,” said King.
“But as everyone is saying, if the ground comes up the state it is now, then maybe the Supreme is not such a daft idea.
“If it was typical Festival ground, then two-miles-five is going to be better for us.”
Options are open for Tahmuras after he made amends for a below-par chasing debut with a pleasing Aintree victory.
The Paul Nicholls-trained seven-year-old was a Grade One winner over hurdles after taking the Tolworth at Sandown this time last year.
He was previously a point-to-point and bumper winner and was well-fancied to land his chasing debut at Chepstow in November.
Under Harry Cobden he never appeared to take to the task, however, and came home last of three in a performance that showed little of his previous ability.
He then headed to Aintree on Boxing Day to try again over fences and this time he was successful, winning by three lengths.
Noel Fehily heads the syndicate that own the gelding and the former jockey was pleased to see him regain his form.
“We were pretty happy with that run the other day, he looked a bit more like the old Tahmuras,” he said.
“He hadn’t actually done that much wrong, his first run over fences didn’t go to plan but it was nice to see him put it all together the other day.
“He was under top weight and it was a good performance, we were happy with that. He’s come out of the race well so I’m sure Paul will have some plan up his sleeve.”
On the same card the ownership group ran Fergal O’Brien’s Kamsinas, winner of the Grade Two Newton Novices’ Hurdle at Haydock and a 15-2 chance for the William Hill Formby Novices’ Hurdle – the same race Tahmuras won last season but relocated and renamed.
Under Paddy Brennan the seven-year-old finished sixth of nine runners and although he was hampered by a late faller, Fehily considers him to have been beaten at that point regardless.
“I thought he was beat at the time, he’s probably not quite a Grade One horse and he got found out a bit,” he said.
“At the same time I think he ran OK, but I don’t think there are any excuses for him.
“We’ll see what Fergal has got in mind for him but I suppose we’ll look for a handicap now.”
Despite struggling to find some semblance of consistency, Waterhouse FC continues to get points on the board, as they defeated Harbour View 2-1 in a lukewarm Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (WNJPL) encounter at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Wednesday.
Andre Fletcher (43rd) and Javane Bryan (58th) were on target for Waterhouse, while Nigerian-born Chidalu Chukwuemeka, pulled one back for Harbour View in the 49th.
The win provisionally pushed Waterhouse into sixth position on 19 points, one ahead of Cavalier, who will be in action on Thursday, while Harbour View’s dismal start to the season continues and, as a result, they remain 11th on nine points.
Waterhouse’s assistant coach Damion Gordon welcomed the result as a step in the right direction to achieving their objective of making the playoff.
“We talk about consistency and that’s what every team is searching for, so once we find some consistency, we should be moving forward. But overall, our objective is simple, we want to finish in the top six and we are working towards it,” Gordon said in a post-game interview.
“It is just a work in progress for this team; it is about building a unit and the transfer window is now open, so hopefully we can get some numbers to strengthen the team. We have influential and experience players at the back, being solid at the back and efficient in front of goal is something that we want to achieve, and like I said, we are working towards it,” he added.
Waterhouse was more threatening in open play for most of the first half, and they eventually broke the deadlock when Fletcher pounced on a loose ball and fired home from close range to make it 1-0 at the break.
Harbour View showed more purpose in attack on the resumption and pulled level four minutes in when Chukwuemeka picked up a pass from Andre Fagan and calmly converted from just inside the 18-yard box, as he registered his first goal in Jamaica’s top-flight.
However, Harbour View’s celebrations were short-lived, as they succumbed to a blistering counterattack. Denardo Thomas produced a burst of speed from the middle of the park, and later played a pass across the box for Bryan to fire home his ninth goal of the season from dead centre of the 18-yard box.
There was very little to write home about from there, as the contest lost its tempo, with Harbour View in particular, seemingly accepting their fate.
This has left their assistant coach Sean Fraser infuriated.
“Our defensive shortfall is our Achilles heels, we have tried many things and we have been working hard in training, but it was just a total lapse in concentration that gifted the first goal, and the second goal Waterhouse punished us for it. So, it has just been a see-saw kind of thing. Right now, I am very upset because we have been putting in the work, but we are not getting the results, so it is just back to the drawing board to continue the work,” he noted.
Wednesday’s results
Vere United 1, Dunbeholden 2
Humble Lion 1, Portmore United 4
Lime Hall 1, Mount Pleasant 4
Harbour View 1, Waterhouse 2
Tivoli Gardens 1, Montego Bay United 2
Thursday’s games
4:30pm: Molynes United vs Cavalier @Anthony Spaulding Complex
7:00pm: Arnett Gardens vs Treasure Beach @Anthony Spaulding Complex
There will be no Grand National bid for Famous Bridge in 2024, but the improving stayer will be set some stern tests as he attempts to continue his rise up the chasing ranks.
Trained by Nicky Richards, the eight-year-old is becoming a real force over staying trips and made it back-to-back Haydock victories when landing the Tommy Whittle Chase just before Christmas.
His thirst for a stamina test and sure-footed jumping makes him the ideal candidate for the Grand National and sporting the colours of the Hemmings Family, the Aintree showpiece will always be high up on the agenda.
However, Richards is keen to keep building Famous Bridge’s chasing experience in the second half of the current campaign where he will seek to add to his burgeoning CV.
“He’s going along grand and he looks like he stays well, he’s a good, tough lad,” said Richards.
“I think myself and Mick (Meagher, racing manager to Hemmings Racing) thought it was probably just a year too soon (for the National).
“It was just his seventh run over fences in the Tommy Whittle and he is a lovely horse going forward. If he gets another two or three nice runs this year, hopefully we will be able to work towards the National next year.”
Options for Famous Bridge’s next outing include a return to Merseyside in search of a Haydock hat-trick in the Sky Bet Peter Marsh Chase on January 20 or wait an extra week for Doncaster’s Great Yorkshire Handicap Chase.
“There’s the Peter Marsh back at Haydock but I don’t know if that might come a week too soon for him,” added Richards.
“I haven’t done a great deal with him yet but he’s had canters and everything and everything seems grand with him so we will see.
“Then there is the Great Yorkshire the week after and we probably need a bit of rain there.
“There are nice races about for him and he’s a grand horse going forward. We will be racing him and he will be running in good races.”
However, it is unlikely the Cheltenham Festival will enter the equation with a further Town Moor contest, as well as Aintree and Ayr taking precedence when the season enters spring.
“Mr Hemmings loved Aintree and he loved the Ayr festival as well, so that will all be discussed as we go along, one race at a time,” continued Richards.
“You also have the Grimthorpe (at Doncaster) as well which is quite a valuable race now, so there are plenty of different options.
“That one (Grimthorpe) is early March, so it would probably be too quick to then go to Cheltenham.
“But we will be keeping our options open and he’s in grand old fettle and we are very happy with the way he is going along.”
The Jukebox Man will not be seen again until the spring following his fine third in Newbury’s Challow Hurdle.
Owned by football great Harry Redknapp, he was bought for £70,000 after impressing in the pointing field and since being beaten by the well-regarded Gidleigh Park on his rules debut, he has barely put a foot wrong for trainer Ben Pauling.
Two novice hurdle victories saw him stepped up in class for the final Grade One of 2023 and although failing to come away with victory, the six-year-old was less than two lengths adrift of eventual winner Captain Teague after being involved in a prolonged battle with both the Paul Nicholls-trained scorer and runner-up Lookaway up the Newbury straight.
That gives Pauling confidence that he has a special performer under his care and after being given plenty of time to recover from his Challow exertions, The Jukebox Man will be prepared for big-race targets in the spring.
He said: “We are really lucky at the moment to have some smart young horses, but he is definitely up there with the best of them.
“He’s particularly suited by that sort of ground and I’m not saying he does not have the speed or class for better ground, but I think he handles the soft very well.
“I thought he ran a lovely race and jumped particularly well and travelled strongly. Although four of them finished within two lengths of each other, rather than say the race wasn’t that strong, I think you probably have four nice horses.
“Lookaway brought very strong handicap form to the race and the others are very unexposed horses who have done nothing wrong in their preparation and are hopefully going to be smart horses for years to come.”
Pauling continued: “He won’t run again now until the spring. I just feel the Challow is always a gruelling enough test and I don’t think we can say this year is any different.
“Amazingly, he has come out of it very well indeed and is as fresh as a daisy. However, I think we will be saving him for something in the spring, whether that is Cheltenham, Aintree or even Perth.
“We will look to run once or twice max before the end of the season and although I think he will stay three miles very well, ground will probably determine which route we went really.
“I think he will definitely stay three, but if it came up soft I wouldn’t be afraid to leave him at two and a half and I think he is an absolute belter. He has a brilliant attitude, loves his job and I think he is going to be a very smart horse for the future.”
It was an exciting few days for both Pauling and Redknapp and although they fell short in the Challow, they received the perfect compensation package at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day when Shakem Up’Arry landed the valuable Paddy Power New Year’s Day Handicap Chase by an emphatic seven and a half lengths.
It was a long-awaited victory for the 10-year-old, who had been sent off favourite for the corresponding race in 2023 and had also placed over the course and distance at the Cheltenham Festival.
“He has always been knocking on the door of a big one without quite finding what is needed to get his head in front,” continued Pauling.
“Whether that be at the Festival or whenever he ran, he always seems to turn up, but has just fallen slightly short.
“We just gave him a tinker with his wind in the summer and whether it is that or not, I’m not sure, but it looks to be paying dividends and it is great for both Harry and the horse to get on the board in a big one and reap the rewards for almost Harry’s patience really.
“Harry couldn’t have been much happier, he was gutted not to be there, but he has always adored this horse – I think because he is named after him. He has owned him with me since he was a three-year-old and amazingly he turned 10 the other day which is frightening.
“He has always been fond of this horse and it was lovely to see him go and do it.”
Buddy One is set to take a direct route to the Stayers’ Hurdle after he was found to be suffering from a back problem following his disappointing run at Leopardstown last week.
The seven-year-old provided trainer Paul Gilligan with a memorable Cheltenham victory in November, but has since come up short in two starts at Grade One level – finishing last of five in the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse before being pulled up in the Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle.
However, Gilligan has not lost any faith in his stable star and will now look to get him back to his best for the Cheltenham Festival in March.
He said: “He didn’t scope clear after the race the other day, but I think the main thing was he had a very sore back afterwards.
“I don’t know if he took a false step or what happened, but we had him away yesterday and all will be good, so we’ll look forward to March.
“He won’t run before then and I would imagine it will be the Stayers’ Hurdle – I don’t think there’s anything else for him really. We haven’t entered him for the Dublin Racing Festival because there is no race for these three-mile horses and I’m not going to rush him back.”
Buddy One is likely to be a big price for the Stayers’ Hurdle, with Hatton’s Grace hero Teahupoo and his Christmas Hurdle-winning stablemate Irish Point disputing favouritism with some bookmakers.
Gilligan added: “I thought he ran a nice race to a point the other day, but he just didn’t gallop through the line the way he can.
“It’s horses for courses, he seems to like Cheltenham and we’ll look forward to taking him back there before going over fences next season.
“Teahupoo is a good horse and Irish Point is a good horse, but we have form around that course, which is a big plus, and there’s a reason for his run in Leopardstown.”
Cannock Park has been handed a big local target by Borders handler Paul Robson after his pleasing third in Aintree’s Formby Novices’ Hurdle on Boxing Day.
Although a winner at Cheltenham on his hurdling bow, it was a bold move by Robson – who combines training his small string with running a funeral directors business – to run the six-year-old in the Christmas Grade One on just his second start over timber.
Cannock Park gave a fine account when attempting to make all in the hands of Craig Nichol and although well held by the front two, he plugged on gamely to make the podium at odds of 40-1.
Despite being pleased with the performance, Robson believes the gap to the front two is too much to bridge at present, with ambitions of running in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle switched for a crack at Kelso’s bet365 Morebattle Hurdle on March 2, where he will seek a famous local victory.
“He’s a lovely horse and he deserved his place in the race at Aintree,” said Robson.
“He was probably a lucky third given the horse that fell, but at the same time, I would say all roads don’t lead to the Supreme. I feel he is not quite that level.
“He’s going to be a lovely, lovely horse and we might look at the Morebattle at Kelso in early March, but we won’t be going to Cheltenham.
“The Morebattle is worth a lot of money and he needs two more runs to qualify, so he is going to have to be busy between now and then.
“He will probably go to Kelso on the 14th, there is just a normal class four novice and he will obviously have a penalty. If he runs there, then we will probably run him in a handicap three or four weeks after that in preparation for the Morebattle.”
A return to Aintree for further Grade One action in the spring is a possibility granted a decent performance in his Kelso target, but Robson is already looking forward to next season where he envisages Cannock Park making his mark over the larger obstacles.
“I imagine that is what he will do and if he runs a blinder in the Morebattle, we can go back to Aintree and if he doesn’t, he can have a break and come back as a novice chaser,” said Robson.
“I’ve never been too fussed about him being too quick over his hurdles as I’ve been trying to teach him to jump correctly. We’ve always wanted him to be a chaser, we know he is going to be a chaser and we hope he is going to be a high-class two-miler. That’s what I think his forte will be.”
Cannock Park is by far the best horse to pass through Robson’s hands and although initially disappointed his first foray into Grade One company ended in defeat, the handler is now delighted to be flying the flag for the Scottish Borders with his promising inmate.
Robson added: “We were utterly thrilled and I think the fact we have never been in races like that before, I was kind of gutted finishing third, but when you come away and start looking at it, you get an understanding of what we have just achieved, which is massive.
“We’re delighted and proud of the horse and just very excited. Every trainer I have bumped into when racing since has been chuffed for the horse and for me which is lovely, and they obviously have a lot more experience than me and are delighted there is a nice horse in the north which is super.”
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has confirmed several organisational changes at the start of a significant year, that will see the launch of a new four-year strategic plan (2024-27) and the hosting of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June.
Johnny Grave, Chief Executive Officer of CWI, stated, “As an organization, we are dedicated to nurturing a culture of continuous evolution and improvement. We are steadfast in our pursuit to maximize our human capital, engage the best talent, and foster an environment where excellence thrives throughout the entire system.”
Grave also revealed that “We have concluded a thorough appraisal process, resulting in the realignment of responsibilities of some of our team members. As part of this process, while some contracts have reached a natural conclusion, including those of Dominic Warne, Commercial, Marketing and Communications Director, and Philip Spooner, Media and Public Relations Manager; both individuals will continue supporting us in the extremely important year ahead, in new roles working directly on the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June. We appreciate their contributions and dedication to our organization and remain committed to their involvement in this significant period.”
One of the components being assessed as part of the new cricket strategy is the selection system. CWI will further explore the strengthening of this area, building on the established policy from the 2019 selection review.
Miles Bascombe, Director of Cricket at CWI, emphasized the importance of this review, stating, "We are dedicated to refining our selection processes to better serve the needs of West Indies cricket. The ongoing evaluation and restructuring efforts are integral steps toward achieving this goal."
Bascombe elaborated that the review has resulted in some immediate changes in structure and personnel. “The review has been planned to coincide with the end of the contracts of some selectors to enable a seamless transition. CWI expresses its gratitude to Roland Butcher, Travis Dowlin, and Robert Haynes, whose tenures ended on 31 December 2023. Their dedication has been laudable, and CWI acknowledges their significant role with gratitude.”
CWI has taken the decision not to immediately replace these selectors until the completion of the review process. The remaining Lead Selectors shall continue to serve under their existing contracts with CWI.
Bascombe further added, “Coach Development Manager, Chris Brabazon, has also left the organisation to take up a new role back home in Australia. We are grateful for the tremendous contribution that Chris has made over the past 4 years, which has seen the introduction of a comprehensive range of coaching courses and accreditations, resulting in over 1,000 newly certified coaches in the region.”
CWI reaffirms its commitment to fostering an environment of continuous improvement and transparency within its operations. The recruitment process for a new Commercial Director and Coach Development Manager will begin imminently.
Flooring Porter could head straight to the Cheltenham Festival after coming up short in Grade One company over the Christmas period – but whether he will stick to fences or bid to secure a third Stayers’ Hurdle title remains uncertain.
The nine-year-old dominated from the front when claiming the Stayers’ Hurdle crown in both 2021 and 2022 and finished an honourable fourth when looking to make it a hat-trick last season.
This season Gavin Cromwell’s stable star has had his attentions switched to the larger obstacles and made an impressive start to his new career at Cheltenham in October.
However, he was well held in third in the Grade Two Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown on his next start, and while connections were hopeful a return to a left-handed track would see him in a better light in last week’s Neville Hotels Novice Chase at Leopardstown, he again had to make do with minor honours behind the impressive Grangeclare West.
Cromwell said: “He jumped really well, no excuses. The winner was very good on the day and we were beaten fair and square.
“He jumped well and he’s probably going to struggle at that level over fences.”
The County Meath handler is not ruling out the possibility of Flooring Porter contesting one of the novice chases at the Festival, but confirmed a return to the smaller obstacles is under consideration.
“It’s hard to know where we go. I will put him in the Stayers’ Hurdle,” he added.
“We could potentially go straight to Cheltenham with him, as we did when he won the two Stayers’ Hurdles after Christmas.
“I’m not saying he will go for the Stayers’ Hurdle. We could go straight to Cheltenham, but what race we go for is very much up in the air.”
Another Cromwell inmate who was placed at Grade One level at Leopardstown over the festive period was My Mate Mozzie, who filled the runner-up spot behind Found A Fifty in the Racing Post Novice Chase.
The trainer was delighted with his eight-year-old’s performance, but with hot favourite Facile Vega a huge disappointment, he does question the strength of the form.
Cromwell said: “He finished off really well, but I suppose he was ridden to do that and he may have been a bit flattered by the fact the favourite had cried enough and Sharjah hasn’t just been in form of late either, but it was nice to be second in a Grade One.
“I’m not sure where we’ll go now, I suppose the Grand Annual is a possibility at the Festival.”
Nigel Twiston-Davies has paid tribute to his star mare Zambella after her retirement from racing.
Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, Zambella joined the Twiston-Davies team in 2019 and would go on to win nine times in the owners’ famous double green silks.
Winner of 12 of her 29 starts overall, she struck eight times at Listed level with her final outing coming when pulled up in search of a third victory in Doncaster’s Yorkshire Silver Vase Mares’ Chase.
Twiston-Davies said: “She has been brilliant, she jumped beautifully and was so genuine and it is a great shame she has got to retire, but she will breed some lovely foals I think.”
Zambella also won the Houghton Mares’ Chase for three successive years and by a combined winning distance of over 35 lengths such was her dominance in a race that was twice ran at Aintree when rescheduled from its usual home of Carlisle.
She competed three times at the Cheltenham Festival in the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase, falling when travelling strongly three from the finish in 2021 before returning to Prestbury Park to finish fourth in the following two years.
“She was the best of the British but then the Irish would come over and beat her at the Festival,” continued Twiston-Davies.
“But otherwise she was best of the Brits and there are lots of highlights. We hope we can find another one.”
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