October Newsletter
With the Flat turf season having reached its climax on Champions Day at Ascot, now seems a suitable time to reflect on recent performances from the The Horse Watchers’ string and to look ahead to the winter all-weather campaign. There’ll be another newsletter along shortly with a full report from the Horses In Training sale at Newmarket where we’ll be aiming to unearth the next Hakam, Big Country or Rhoscolyn.
Champions Day itself saw RHOSCOLYN take his chance in the valuable Balmoral Handicap, and although he finished only ninth of the 20 runners he ran a really encouraging race with next year in mind.
Prior to Ascot, Rhoscolyn had been campaigned mainly around a bend, his wins coming at Beverley, Goodwood and Epsom. His official rating had risen 32lb in just six months but even off a mark of 106 he looked perfectly comfortable in the Balmoral, his run just petering out after he’d made a surge from the rear of the field, stamina for the stiff mile a possible factor.
What we learned there was that Rhoscolyn should be capable of running right up to his best in a straight-track cavalry charge under different circumstances, and races like the Victoria Cup, the Buckingham Palace and the International, all over 7f at Ascot, will be under consideration for him next season, along with Listed and Group 3 races elsewhere.
Nothing’s set in stone yet, but it’s likely that Rhoscolyn will have a well-earned winter break now after doing himself proud in 2021 with 12 outings that netted three wins, four places and £112,000 in prize-money. He gives his band of owners, who have had some great days out in the last few months, a good deal to look forward to next year.
Another of our team currently on a break is LIBERATION POINT. He’d looked a horse of some potential when making a winning start for us in a maiden at Ripon in August, and he went close to making a successful handicap debut at Pontefract the following month, but since then things haven’t gone to plan.
He didn’t travel with much fluency on heavy ground at Leicester, but we were hopeful he’d be suited by the much longer trip next time at Redcar, only for him to disappoint with his finishing effort and trail home last.
Liberation Point is a big, strong sort, and rather than plough on with him, we’re happy to give him a few months off to come right. We’re hopeful he still has more in the tank, and he could be well handicapped off 82 (the mark he ran off when second at Pontefract) when he returns to action.
One horse who has benefited hugely from a softly-softly approach has been RAASEL. Like Liberation Point, he was in the doldrums earlier in the year, finishing last in handicaps at Lingfield (when favourite) and Newcastle, and at that point it seemed wise to draw stumps with him and give him a long holiday.
When he eased back into his routine at Mick’s in the second half of the summer, he seemed altogether more relaxed, showing none of the buzziness he’d previously displayed at home and accomplishing his morning workouts with ease.
So when he made his return, in a 5f apprentice handicap at Goodwood towards the end of September, we were hopeful of a bold show. As it turned out, he was very well treated off a mark of 73, travelling strongly and needing only to be nudged out to win impressively under the promising Adam Farragher.
Unpenalised for that success, he followed up at Nottingham the following week, but it was his third consecutive win, over the same course and distance, that left us with the firm impression we had a useful sprinter on our hands.
Upped 5lb for his first two successes, RAASEL again impressed with the way he travelled in a well-run race, easing to the front inside the final furlong under William Buick and doing just enough to keep the rallying runner-up at bay.
A Timeform timefigure of 90 suggests that form is rock solid, and the fluency with which he went about his business makes us think he’ll take a rise in grade in his stride. He’s been edged up another 3lb to 81, and if all remains well with him that mark should not be beyond him.
Raasel was originally owned by the late Hamdan Al Maktoum, and another to come our way from the same source was SAATTY, who made a winning start in our colours with a win at Chelmsford under Oisin Murphy, in a race that admittedly fell in his lap.
In the last newsletter we remarked that further winning opportunities looked likely for Saatty, and he duly showed that a handicap mark of 70 underestimated him with a tenacious success at Kempton the following month.
A last-of-nine defeat back at Chelmsford next time was therefore a disappointment, but it turns out there was a genuine excuse, as Saatty suffered a knee problem which required a small operation to remove a chip.
These things are never ideal, but at least the injury fully explains his poor run, and we expect Saatty to make a full recovery from his setback and to continue his progress next year.
Saatty was bought at the same time as HATHLOOL, a further recruit from the Shadwell operation, and this striking three-year-old has been simmering away at Mick’s with a view to making a return to action in the next few weeks.
Twice-raced in Ireland for Kevin Prendergast, Hathlool is a horse with bundles of scope and his recent work has been very solid. Middle-distance handicaps will be on the agenda for him in time, but he’ll first run in a maiden or novice to blow away the cobwebs. Expect further updates on him over the winter.
One horse who won’t be featuring in future newsletters is MAHANAKHON POWER, but we’ll certainly be following his new career with interest as he was a popular member of the team and notched two wins in the summer for his loyal group of owners.
Last time, we predicted that his sales entry might “catch the eye of some jumps trainers”, and sure enough he was bought for £15,000 at Doncaster to join Martin Keighley. As tough as they come, and best under a positive ride, Mahanakhon Power should make a hurdler and we’ll be rooting for him as he moves on to the next phase of his career.
Heading back to North Yorkshire, we’ve news on TIGER TOUCH, who does everything right at home but has yet to deliver on the racecourse. In three runs for us since he came over from France, he has finished nearer last than first each time, and we took the decision after his most recent outing that he’d benefit from a rest.
It’s not unusual for French recruits to take some time to acclimatise to a different regime, and we’re hopeful that by taking a patient approach with Tiger Touch we’ll reap the rewards in the longer term.
His final run, at Newcastle in September, promised more than the first two, as he made up ground from the rear only to flatten out late on. He’s been dropped another couple of pounds in the weights, and if he’s refreshed by having a proper break he could do some damage next year off a mark of 67.
It’s unlikely Tiger Touch will be out between now and Christmas, but with our all-weather syndicate fully subscribed for the winter we’re expecting to have a busy time over the next few months.
The first cab off the rank could be NIGHT ON EARTH, who won three races for Andrew Balding and Nigel Tinkler and came to us for 18,000 guineas at the end of August. A nimble, speedy type, he looked well suited by a turning track when winning at Chester in the summer and we expect him to take well to the demands of racing round a bend on the all-weather courses. He’s almost ready to go.
Next up could be SEAGULLS NEST, who came to us from Mick Channon at the end of the summer with a view to an all-weather campaign focused on Lingfield’s polytrack, a surface she’s already shown a liking for. A taller model than the compact Night On Earth, Seagulls Nest is a maiden after 11 attempts, but she has gone close on several occasions and should not be difficult to place to success.
The third component of the all-weather syndicate will hopefully join Mick’s team after the Horses In Training sale at the end of the month. The catalogue has been studied carefully and we’ll have a full update on any business conducted at Newmarket in the next newsletter.
As usual, for any more information about getting involved with The Horse Watchers, simply get in touch via the website.