Tag Archive for: James Owen

Burdett Road on course for Ascot Gold Cup

The Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and a trip to Australia for the Melbourne Cup are both on the agenda for Champion Hurdle runner-up Burdett Road, as James Owen plots an ambitious campaign back on the level for his high-class performer.

Freshened up from his excellent stint over hurdles during the winter, the five-year-old could head to Sandown on May 29 to set up his tilt for a second victory at the Royal meeting, having won the Golden Gates Stakes back in 2023.

“Burdett Road is great and it’s all systems go for the Ascot Gold Cup with him,” said Owen.

“He’s going to run at Sandown in the Henry II Stakes later this month and that will hopefully set him up for Royal Ascot.”

As well as a run at the summer showcase in Britain, Owen is also lining up a trip to the southern hemisphere for the highlight of the Australian spring at Flemington in early November.

“The main aim is the Melbourne Cup but he’s going to have some nice targets throughout the summer along the way,” continued Owen.

“He’s had a nice break since his run at the Cheltenham Festival and he’s back in full work now and gearing up for hopefully a fun summer.”

East India Dock flies home for Chester Cup honours

Harry Davies registered back-to-back victories in the Ladbrokes Chester Cup as East India Dock made a brilliant winning return to the Flat.

Successful aboard Hugo Palmer’s Zoffee 12 months ago, Davies is now forming a blossoming relationship with Newmarket handler James Owen and delivered the Triumph Hurdle third to perfection in the prestigious £170,000 handicap.

It was Ryan Moore who set the fractions aboard Joseph O’Brien’s Leinster and when the leading jockey allowed his mount to stride on passing the five-furlong marker on the second circuit, the four-year-old appeared full of running.

The field swarmed rounding the home turn with George Scott’s progressive Caballo De Mar laying down a stern challenge and hitting the front a furlong out, but East India Dock was staying on with every stride as the 9-4 favourite turned Cheltenham Festival disappointment into Roodee delight.

Owen’s charge returned a length verdict over Caballo De Mar, with defending champion and Davies’ old favourite Zoffee an honourable third, and the winning trainer was delighted to see a plan come together for his owners.

He said: “He travelled lovely and hit his flat spot like he usually does but he stayed on well.

“Tim and Mr (Bill) Gredley had this plan and it’s great that we have pulled it off. There are some big pots on the Flat and he’s a lovely dual-purpose horse now.

“To win the Chester Cup is fantastic, we’ve hit the crossbar a few times coming here, but it’s nice to have a winner here and we’ve won the big one.”

Davies told Sky Sports Racing: “I’m very lucky to get the rides in this race I have and every time I have ridden in it I don’t think I’ve had a bad ride.

Harry Davies excelled aboard East India Dock
Harry Davies excelled aboard East India Dock (Martin Rickett/PA)

“He got a good draw which always helps round here and he jumped good, I was able to hold my pitch and then he was gutsy. He stays well and had the perfect profile coming into the race.

“He loved that dead ground and while everything else was sort of half struggling, he just cruised on through – what a tough horse and I’m delighted for connections.

“He’s a strong traveller and when horses have run over hurdles they learn how to relax better and in a race like this where you have to really rev them to hold their pitch, if they can then relax and drop the bridle there is nothing better.

“James has been very supportive of me and the Gredley Family have also been happy for me to ride their horses and I was delighted when I got the ride on this fella.”

Owen hoping he has Derby ace with Wimbledon Hawkeye

James Owen is dreaming of Betfred Derby glory after Wimbledon Hawkeye’s commendable fifth-placed effort in the 2000 Guineas.

Owen said prior to the son of Kameko’s Newmarket run that a top-five finish would be the perfect preparation for a tilt at the Epsom Classic and he is now relishing the thought of stepping the colt up in trip.

“He’s come out of the Guineas well and we think he will improve for a step up in trip and that’s what he showed at Newmarket really, he settled nicely and stayed on well, I thought,” said Owen.

Trainer James Owen is dreaming of Derby glory
Trainer James Owen is dreaming of Derby glory (Mike Egerton/PA)

“We’ll keep an eye on the Dante but the Derby is the big aim with him. We’ve got a nice lead-up time to Epsom and he’s had his first two runs for the season and it’s exciting to go to Epsom with him.

“He deserves his place in the Derby and I thought he ran a great trial. I think he came on from his Craven run and improved a little bit and he’s also a horse who improved with every start last year, but most importantly I think he is crying out for a step up in trip.”

Wimbledon Hawkeye is as short as 25-1 in places for the Derby and split the market leaders for the premier classic, Aidan O’Brien’s The Lion In Winter (first) and Charlie Appleby’s 2000 Guineas hero Ruling Court (third), when they all clashed in the Acomb Stakes at York last summer.

Wimbledon Hawkeye completed his 2000 Guineas preparations on Thursday
Wimbledon Hawkeye on the Newmarket gallops (John Hoy/The Jockey Club)

The Gredley Family-owned colt went on to scoop Group Two honours in the Royal Lodge as a two-year-old and will now attempt to go one better than the owners’ Ambiente Friendly, who was second to City Of Troy at Epsom 12 months ago.

“It’s unbelievable to have such a horse and it was great to have a Guineas runner and he ran with huge credit – and it will be fantastic to have a Derby runner,” continued Owen, who will saddle his first runner in the Derby in just his second season training on the Flat.

“He’s a well-balanced colt, who should enjoy the track and get the trip and I’m looking forward to it.”

East India Dock camp eager to exploit Flat mark

East India Dock will attempt to go from Triumph Hurdle contender to Ladbrokes Chester Cup champion on Friday, with jockey Harry Davies having the chance to register back-to-back victories in the prestigious £170,000 handicap.

James Owen’s four-year-old was sent off favourite for top juvenile honours at the Cheltenham Festival when finishing third in a thrilling finish behind Poniros and Lulamba and now reverts to the level with connections seeking to take advantage of what they feel is an unexposed Flat rating.

Owen – who also saddles Charging Thunder – said: “He was progressive on the Flat, albeit on galloping tracks, and this is the first time he will run on a tight track. I do think he is a better hurdler than he was on the Flat – he quickly came alive over hurdles – but he could be pretty well handicapped and it looks like he will stay the trip.

Trainer James Owen has a strong hand in the Chester Cup
Trainer James Owen has a strong hand in the Chester Cup (Mike Egerton/PA)

“There’s probably not many who have gone from third in a Triumph Hurdle to the Chester Cup but we’re hoping he’s well handicapped. He’s got a good level of fitness from hurdling and hopefully he will run really well.”

Davies was in the saddle aboard Zoffee when victorious 12 months ago, igniting jubilant scenes for trainer Hugo Palmer and his landlord Michael Owen at a meeting he holds dear.

Apprentice Joe Leavy takes over on the defending champion this year and Palmer is hopeful he can thrive early in the campaign once again.

“He’s all set to defend his title and I’m very, very happy with him,” said Palmer.

The Zoffee team after victory last year
The Zoffee team after victory last year (Mike Egerton/PA)

“We took him to Southwell and he worked very well a few weeks ago. It’s nice when they go that far for the first time since last year to have had them on a racecourse, I always think, and we know he goes well fresh.

“The last couple of years his best run of the season has been his first run, so fingers crossed it’s the same case again.”

No horse heads into the race in better shape than George Scott’s Caballo De Mar, who arrives at the Roodee on a five-race winning streak.

He easily accounted for a useful cast including Cesarewitch runner-up Manxman (second) and Michael Bell’s reopposing Duke Of Oxford (third) at Southwell recently and is backed to continue his fine form.

“We are delighted to get in and it was touch and go, but we ended up getting in comfortably, which was a bit of a surprise,” explained Scott.

“He obviously went up 8lb on Tuesday so is effectively 5lb well in, so he has to take his chance. His recent form is on the all-weather, but that is mainly due to how the races have been falling for him, rather than trying to keep him off grass.

“He has gone well tightish left-handed at Southwell, so hopefully the track won’t be a problem. The music is going to stop at some point but he looks progressive and everyone can see that.

“It’s not very often you get a horse like this into the Chester Cup off this rating, so we feel very lucky. The horse is training well and it’s nice to take our chance with a progressive horse.”

Joseph O’Brien is double-handed with Curragh scorer Leinster and Dawn Rising, while Andrew Balding will also saddle two – Queen’s Prize runner-up Who’s Glen and Spirit Mixer.

Trainer Andrew Balding is in top form
Trainer Andrew Balding is in top form (David Davies/PA)

Balding said: “Who’s Glen ran a very good race in the Queen’s Prize and he’s a course winner, although in very different conditions to those we are likely to see here. I can’t see why he wouldn’t be effective on fast ground, but it’s a question mark the first time he tries it.”

Meanwhile, Tom Dascombe is confident Hot Fuss can make his mark providing conditions do not prove too quick for his Cheltenham Festival fourth.

He said: “He’s drawn three and that is perfect. If the ground is good we will run him, but if it’s really quick we might not, but if he runs I think he will run really well. He wouldn’t want too much firm in the description of the going though.”

Owen predicting bold show from Ambiente Friendly

James Owen is confident last year’s Derby runner-up Ambiente Friendly will put up a “much improved performance” when he makes his second start for the yard in Friday’s Betfred Jockey Club Stakes.

The four-year-old found only City Of Troy too strong in the premier Classic at Epsom last June, but while he went on to finish third in the Irish Derby, he subsequently lost his way and disappointed in the Juddmonte International at York and the Prix Niel at ParisLongchamp.

Having since moved across Newmarket after leaving James Fanshawe, the Gleneagles colt was beaten into fourth place on his debut for Owen in last month’s Earl of Sefton Stakes, but the Hamilton Road handler is expecting to see a leaner and meaner version of Ambiente Friendly on his return to the Rowley Mile.

“He did so well last year and has come on a hell of a lot for his first run,” he said on Thursday.

“There’s only four runners and the ground is ideal for him and I think he has a great chance.

“It’s not the easiest track to settle a horse when you are cantering a mile and four (furlongs) to the start, turning round and racing back, so he does have to learn to settle a bit better.

“It wasn’t ideal last time when he pinged the gates, got out in front and the lead horse wasn’t quick enough to lead him. It wouldn’t worry me again though, as I know he’s fit now and if he went out in front he would be fine.”

Owen revealed he has seen a significant improvement in Ambiente Friendly’s work on the Newmarket gallops since his seasonal reappearance two and a half weeks ago.

He added: “If you watch his last race he went up and over the hill and took some pulling up. His last furlong was good, but he just took a blow as they started to quicken up and they got away from him before he stayed on again. That was a positive I took from it and the way he’s trained since, I couldn’t be happier.

“He doesn’t work like a quick horse and he works like a stayer – he worked the other day and left his lead horse for dead strongly at the end, but before his first run he couldn’t get past his lead horse, that’s how much he’s come on. He has to translate that to the track, but hopefully he puts in a much improved performance.

“The two Derby runs last year are great form, but he needs wins and he needs Listed wins and Group wins. Hopefully he’s a Royal Ascot type or he could be a Coronation Cup horse with his Epsom form, but he’s also a horse we want to travel with and have a little bit of fun with.”

Ambiente Friendly is set to face three rivals on the opening day of the Guineas Festival, with the globetrotting Silver Knott making his first appearance on UK soil in two years off the back of a Group Two win in Dubai in early March.

“We were delighted with Silver Knott’s victory in Dubai and he has returned to Newmarket fit and well,” his trainer Charlie Appleby told the Godolphin website.

“Conditions here should suit and we are hopeful he can be a big player.”

Andrew Balding’s pair of Bellum Justum and Divina Grace complete the line-up.

John and Thady Gosden are responsible for two of the five runners in the Listed Nyetimber Newmarket Stakes, with Kempton scorer Ernst Blofeld joined by Nebras, who suffered a short-priced defeat on his three-year-old debut at Southwell.

John Gosden said: “We’ll be getting Nebras on the grass for the first time (this year) which has been something that has been quite missing and then we’ve also got a horse who won on the all-weather the other day in Ernst Blofeld.

“I want to see Nebras over a trip on grass before we really judge him, I don’t think you can judge him on that run over a mile on the all-weather.”

The Godolphin silks are carried by Appleby’s Alpine Trail, who supplemented a dominant debut win at Wolverhampton with a similarly impressive display on his second start at Yarmouth.

Appleby added: “Alpine Trail has done nothing wrong so far, in his races and his work. Stepping up to this level will potentially give us a steer on where we head in the summer and he goes into this in good shape.”

Davies hoping Wimbledon can prove a Frankel-style ace

Memories of Frankel are inspiring Harry Davies ahead of a huge weekend, when the local rider will partner James Owen’s Wimbledon Hawkeye in the Betfred 2000 Guineas.

The 20-year-old has grown up in the heartland of British racing and was embedded in Hugo Palmer’s operation as a youngster when Galileo Gold won the Classic in 2016, while he was an apprentice when then boss Andrew Balding’s Kameko claimed the Covid-hit 2020 edition.

However, it was the Rowley Mile romp of Sir Henry Cecil’s superhorse in 2011 that sticks in his mind, as Davies anticipates some butterflies when getting the leg-up for his first taste of Classic action on home soil.

Frankel blitzed his rivals in the 2011 2000 Guineas
Frankel blitzed his rivals in the 2011 2000 Guineas (Steve Parsons/PA)

Davies said: “Frankel demolished them that day and while I was only very young (six), I can still remember sitting on the floor and watching it. At that age you don’t really know much, but even then Frankel had the ‘wow’ factor.

“I had some great years at Andrew Balding’s and was there when Kameko won the 2000 Guineas which was amazing and when I was a kid at Hugo’s he had Galileo Gold, so I have quite a few memories of the race that really stand out and they are all very special.

“To have a ride in the race is amazing and it has always been a dream for me to ride in the 2000 Guineas. It will be a big day.

“I just hope it’s all smooth with no excuses and he can run a nice race. It’s a big thing and I have to pinch myself – it’s not to be taken for granted.”

He added: “I never really get nervous before a race, but the 2000 Guineas is a whole different ball game. I have never been nervous before a race in my life but this is something I have grown up watching, so I’d like to say I will have some butterflies and if I don’t I will be surprised.”

Wimbledon Hawkeye completed his 2000 Guineas preparations on Thursday
Wimbledon Hawkeye completed his 2000 Guineas preparations on Thursday (John Hoy/The Jockey Club)

Wimbledon Hawkeye won the Royal Lodge over the 2000 Guineas course and distance last year before chasing home Field Of Gold on his return in the Craven Stakes and his jockey is hoping there is improvement to come from the talented son of Kameko as he attempts to turn the tables on the big-race favourite.

Davies continued: “I think he can take a step forward from the Craven and hopefully he is not out of it.

“He is a horse that we are viewing to be going further with at some point so as much as this is the Guineas, it is a stepping stone to what is to come for him and he is always going to improve from this run.

“The track will suit him. He hit a little bit of a flat spot in the Craven but once he hit that rising ground, he came home nicely. I will be riding him nice and handy and making use of him.

“You just never know, it’s the 2000 Guineas and you’ve seen wilder results. He is a horse that wants a little bit further, so hitting a flat spot – it’s not about the flat spot but how you can use it. He is a very tough horse and every time you ask him, he finds a little bit more for you.”

Harry Davies will don the Gredley Family silks in the 2000 Guineas
Harry Davies will don the Gredley Family silks in the 2000 Guineas (Joe Giddens/PA)

Davies’ weekend will also see him take the reins aboard Wimbledon Hawkeye’s Owen-trained stablemates Ambiente Friendly (Jockey Club Stakes), Pellitory (King Charles II Stakes) and Trad Jazz (Pretty Polly Stakes) over the course of Newmarket’s three-day Guineas meeting in a fruitful association the jockey is enjoying.

He added: “James has a growing team and is a young trainer who has really put himself on the roster of trainers that are going places.

“It is a nice link up for me. James has a lot of runners and trains all different calibres of horse. He has winners every day of the week and it’s important as a jockey for the momentum to be riding winners as often as you can.

“The Crisfords, along with James, Hugo Palmer and David Menuisier, are the main four trainers I’m riding for at the minute and it is going nicely, so I will just try to keep it going on the trajectory that it is and you never know where it will take you.”

Pellitory picks up nice Newmarket prize – and set for bigger things

Pellitory went into the bet365 EBF Conditions Stakes at Newmarket as the outsider of six – yet emerged as a potential French 2000 Guineas or Royal Ascot candidate, as James Owen looks to split his aces.

Owned like Owen’s smart three-year-old Wimbledon Hawkeye by the Gredley family, the two colts are work companions.

Yet while Wimbledon Hawkeye won the Royal Lodge and finished second in the Craven Stakes, Pellitory had earned a rating of 87 in five runs at two, some way shy of Charlie Appleby’s Anno Domini’s 103, whom he was racing against off level weights at Headquarters.

A son of Sergei Prokofiev, Pellitory made a mockery of his 25-1 odds, coming from last to first under Harry Davies and holding off the Godolphin horse by half a length.

“He’s a lovely horse. We thought a lot of him last year and he won twice as two-year-old,” said Owen.

“He is a big horse and was always filling his frame. He’s always worked with Wimbledon Hawkeye and we never thought there was much between them, but he just never quite put it together as we thought he would.

“He’s developed fantastically well over the winter, and it shows what we thought of him as he’s got a French Guineas entry so that’s an option – or we could come back here for a Listed race and then look at the Jersey (at the Royal meeting).

“He’s a lovely horse, not just for this year but the years ahead. He was very well bought by Tim Gredley and it’s lovely to have a winner at the Craven meeting. On the whole they’ve run well this week, but it is very hard to win on home turf.

“He’ll get a mile, that was slowly run today, he’s always been a bit eager out of the stalls and he was a bit keen in the first furlong today, but he’ll get a mile no problem now – he’s an exciting horse.”

Wimbledon Hawkeye has the Derby as his aim
Wimbledon Hawkeye has the Derby as his aim (Mike Egerton/PA)

Pellitory was given a 16-1 quote for the French Guineas by Paddy Power, while stablemate Wimbledon Hawkeye will take on Craven winner Field Of Gold again in the Newmarket Guineas in just over a fortnight, with the Derby his big aim.

“He’s come out of it great and on reflection we’ll be coming back for the Guineas,” said Owen.

“He’s a horse that is always going to improve for a step up in trip and the Derby is the main aim, but if we can come back for the Guineas, why not? He’s by far our best horse and he should be running in the best races, I think he’s got huge talent.

“The winner of the Craven looked exceptional and will probably improve, but hopefully there’s not too many more and we are still in the mix.

“The Guineas is usually the best Derby trial, he’ll come on a good bit for the run, he improved with racing last year and it’s just a great Derby trial.”

Ambiente Friendly starts afresh in Sefton heat

Last year’s Derby runner-up Ambiente Friendly will make both his seasonal and stable debut in the bet365 Earl of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket on Tuesday.

The Gleneagles colt was previously trained by James Fanshawe, for whom he was second to City Of Troy at Epsom and then a close-up third at the Curragh in the Irish Derby.

He has since been moved to James Owen’s yard by owners the Gredley family and will make his first start for his new handler and rider Hector Crouch in the nine-furlong Group Three.

“He’s very well, he’s been training nicely and this is a good starting point for him,” said Owen.

“We’re looking forward to getting him on the track, obviously this is his first start for us, so it’s exciting.

“He’s been very straightforward at home and Hector has got on well with him.

“It’s a race we’ll build from, he’s going to come on from it but he’s in a good place and should run well.”

The same trainer and owner are also represented by Lavender Hill Mob, who switches his attention to the Flat having been campaigned over hurdles through the winter.

Owen added: “He’s been training very well, I think he’ll be pleased he hasn’t got a flight of hurdles in front of him!

“He’s training well, he’s fit and he should give a good account of himself.”

Charlie Appleby has two entrants in 2023 and 2024 victor Ottoman Fleet and First Conquest, who will be ridden by William Buick and James Doyle respectively.

Appleby told www.godolphin.com: “I think we have two live players. Ottoman Fleet has a good record at Newmarket and has returned from Dubai fit and well.

“I’m sure he will put up his usual solid performance and should be bang there at the finish again.

“First Conquest improved throughout the winter and I felt he lost nothing in defeat in the Singspiel Stakes, when he gained more experience.

“He is less exposed than Ottoman Fleet and comes here a fit horse following his Dubai campaign.”

Richard Hannon’s Persica and Alice Haynes’ Cairo complete the field of six.

East India Dock setting sail for Chester Cup mission

James Owen has confirmed star juvenile hurdler East India Dock on course for a return to the Flat in next month’s Ladbrokes Chester Cup.

Having rounded off an excellent first season over obstacles with a close-up third in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, East India Dock will switch codes for Chester’s £170,000 feature on May 9, with Newmarket-based Owen excited about his chances on the Roodee.

He said: “We are keen to go to Chester with East India Dock. If he gets in, I’m sure we’ll be coming.

“He’s rated 89, which would have got him into the main race in any of the last three years, and I think he’s well handicapped on his hurdles form.

“I think Chester will suit him. He’s not ground dependent, he’ll stay the trip, he races economically, and on his hurdles form he’s well handicapped on the Flat.

“We bypassed Aintree so that he could have a short little freshen up for the Flat, and I think there are a lot of pluses.”

East India Dock may not be Owen’s only Chester Cup representative, with Fred Winter third Liam Swagger also in contention along with Cavern Club, a hurdle winner at Doncaster last month, and Charging Thunder, who has won four of his five races since joining the stable.

“Liam Swagger is an intended runner too. He’s currently rated 83, but we’d like to get in the main event if we can and so he’ll go to Chelmsford in the meantime to try to pick up a penalty,” Owen added.

“Charging Thunder likes going left-handed and won well at Southwell last time. He’s rated 90 and will be suited by a race of this nature. Cavern Club is headed for the consolation race probably off his rating of 81.”

The 73 entries for the 201st Chester Cup also include last year’s winner Zoffee, representing locally-based trainer Hugo Palmer, and the 2023 winner Metier.

There are also six entries from Ireland, including Aidan O’Brien’s London City and Gavin Cromwell’s Sixandahalf, who was a good Flat winner at Newmarket last year and finished second as favourite for the Mares Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival last month.

Monday Musings: Horses In Training

We’re in that fallow period between the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree’s Grand National meeting, writes Tony Stafford. Not much happens although this time round my wish to see a horse go off odds on for the National early next month will not happen. Inothewayurthinkin was taken out of the race last week.

No doubt JP McManus thinks his other 7yo, Iroko, trained by Josh Guerriero and Oliver Greenall, can do the job in the Gold Cup winner’s place. That seems to be the wayhesthinkin, and with another five also potentially in the eventual line-up, it could be one more for the man whose support for racing and trainers in his native Ireland and the UK knows almost no bounds.

He has last year’s winner I Am Maximus at the top of the weights for Willie Mullins and, a bit lower down, Perceval Legallois, trained by Inothewayurthinkin’s handler Gavin Cromwell.

Gavin has played an almost classical National hand with this eight-year-old, picking up the 27-runner Paddy Power (formerly Leopardstown Chase) over 3m over Christmas and then snaffling another big pot on the same track in a hurdle race over 3m at the Dublin Racing Festival in early February.

Had that been a chase it would have put him into the stratosphere but, like Iroko (10st11lb), he has a nice racing weight at 10st12lb. You wouldn’t put it past JP to win the race yet again with one of these or the trio lower down the betting lists.

What did happen for me though was the always welcome arrival of the new version of Horses In Training. The 2025 book, sent kindly by Sir Rupert Mackeson of Marlborough Books and Prints, arrived a nice few days earlier than last year.

One would expect the horse population to have fallen in these troubled times as well as trainers giving up. The front cover says 522 trainers (538 in 2024) and 17,681 horses, down from 17,906, are listed, so not all doom and gloom by any means. Especially when you consider none of the massive Richard Fahey team gets a mention.

That’s also the case with several teams’ juveniles who aren’t listed, such as John and Thady Gosden’s, so the actual number will be well over 18,000. At an average of maybe between a minimum £350 a week to train the horses and, at the elite stables, nearer £700, plus Vat, and Newmarket (and other, as well as private) gallops fees, it’s remarkable how well the figures have stood up.

The Guerriero/Greenall stable houses two McManus horses other than Iroko, in Jagwar and My Noble Lord. Jagwar was the 3/1 favourite when bolting up in the Trust A Trader Plate, a 20-runner handicap chase at the Cheltenham Festival. My Noble Lord, a hat-trick scorer to end his three-year-old career with Michael Bell, struck first time of asking over hurdles but has been plodding along nicely enough at a level since then. No doubt there are bigger fish to fry with him. We know JP has plenty of patience.

The double Gs – with apologies to the Double Greens, messrs Munir and Souede – have 108 horses listed at their Stockton Hall Farm near Malpas in Cheshire, only two more than last year. Others have enjoyed spectacular increases, none more so than James Owen.

In the 2024 book, Owen had 31 horses under his control, five of them owned by the Gredley Family, including Burdett Road, also a Michael Bell graduate. He had already won his first two hurdle races for Owen and was a prime candidate at the time for a Triumph Hurdle challenge, but injury ruled that out.

He has bounced back very well to win the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham and then, earlier this month, he took advantage of the general carnage of the Champion Hurdle to finish second to Golden Ace, picking up £97k for his efforts.

Later in the meeting, on Bill Gredley’s 92nd birthday, East India Dock, developed by James Fanshawe, was a hot favourite for this year’s Triumph but was beaten in a tight finish by 100/1 shot Poniros, on debut, and Lulamba.

Bell and Fanshawe, respectively with five each last year for the family, are down in numbers but do retain an involvement. Ambiente Friendly, last year’s Derby second to City Of Troy, has moved from Fanshawe to Owen, symptomatic of the way his stable strength has soared thanks to his remarkable achievements so far.

Taking out a licence for the first time in 2023, Owen didn’t have a winner until the 2023/24 jumps season when he had 38 winners. He’s up to 54 this season.

On the flat, again, there were no winners in 2023, but last year exploded to 63 victories with another 24 already in the AW phase of the 2025 campaign. My pal Mick Godderidge is happy that his syndicate horse Carlton has provided two each either side of the New Year over Chelmsford’s 1m6f.

This year’s book shows that Owen’s team has multiplied exactly four-fold. The Gredley family had five listed including of course Burdett Road, but it was probably Owen’s exploits with a later arrival, the Kameko colt Wimbledon Hawkeye, that got Bill and son Tim sitting up and paying proper attention, prompting them to go all-in.

Wimbledon Hawkeye made a winning start at Kempton in late May, then after a couple of placed efforts at Group level, won the Royal Lodge (Group 2) at Newmarket. He finished off with a third place in the Wiliam Hill Futurity, a race his sire won before collecting the following year’s 2000 Guineas.

So, from having a smattering of mainly jumps horses for them in his Green Ridge stables along the Hamilton Road, now James Owen has seven older horses, including last year’s Derby runner-up. He can add to that ten three-year-olds an,  astonishingly, 29 juveniles for the family. That makes it 46 of the 124 in his yard. Some compliment, but at the same time some responsibility for the former point-to-point and Arab racing trainer.  Phew!

You don’t like to focus on trainers going In the other direction but I was so heartened to see after a few absences, the return to the pages of Brian Meehan’s team. The Sam Sangster Manton Thoroughbreds have been a constant over the past few years and Brian and Sam’s sales partnership has found gold many times at value prices. Brian fought back in 2024 and 2025 and now has 43 animals listed, 22 of them juveniles.

Last year, the exploits of his three-year-olds Jayarebe and Kathmandu, second in the French 1,000 Guineas, thrust him back in the headlines and it was cruel when Jayarebe collapsed and died after finishing a close seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Turf race at Del Mar. He would have had a big season in front of him as Brian had been careful not to over-race him.

That was the race Meehan had won twice previously as a trainer, including for Jayarebe’s owner Iraj Parvizi with Dangerous Midge. Parvizi renewed his acquaintance with the stable when Sam Sangster Bloodstock paid Euro 180,000 at the 2022 Arqana October Yearling sale.

Jayarebe was one of two Group 2 winners for the stable at Royal Ascot last year, the other being the juvenile Rashabar. He won the Coventry Stakes on the unfavoured far side of the track when the next nine home in a 22-horse field all came down the stands rails.

He ended his season with a staying-on neck second to the Aidan O’Brien colt Camille Pissarro in the Group 1 Jean-Luc Lagardere Stakes over seven furlongs on Arc day at Longchamp. He will no doubt be campaigned for the races this year that Isaac Shelby contested as a three-year-old in 2023, when he won the Greenham Stakes and finished second in the French 2000 Guineas.

His owners, Wathnan Racing, have retained him for breeding and he stands this year at Newsells Park Stud in Hertfordshire at a fee of £7,000.

There are so many trainers and so many good young people on the way up too. I used to see young Jack Morland at Brian’s Thursday work mornings when his father was a prominent member of the earliest Manton Thoroughbreds syndicates. Jack has made a good start and lists 15 horses in his care, with Sam Sangster the owner of the previously unraced four-year-old Farrh filly Nature’s Charm.

Sam also has a foothold in his nephew Ollie Sangster’s stable. Robert Sangster’s grandson has 59 horses under his care at his much-improved and sympathetically developed yard at Manton, just a few hundred yards from Meehan’s stables. Surprisingly, only ten juveniles are listed, but no doubt there will be some more waiting to come in from his good breeders’ connections when ready and, like everyone else, the breeze-ups at Newmarket, Doncaster, Ireland and France offer the potential for more arrivals. Let’s wish them all continued success in 2025.

-TS

Henderson happy with Lulamba but does respect East India Dock

Nicky Henderson believes Lulamba draws comparisons to stable star Sir Gino as he looks to celebrate a record-extending eighth success in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday.

The Seven Barrows handler has a brilliant history in the juvenile championship, starting 40 years ago with First Bout.

Alone Success (1987), Katarino (1999), Zaynar (2009), Soldatino (2010), Peace And Co (2015) and Pentland Hills (2019) have all entered the winner’s enclosure alongside Henderson over the intervening years, and he has every chance of adding to his list.

Lulamba, who like Sir Gino is owned by Joe and Marie Donnelly, arrives at the Festival with an unbeaten record after winning on his debut at Ascot for the six-time champion trainer in January.

Henderson anticipates a tussle with James Owen’s East India Dock, but hopes he has a horse who is “in the Sir Gino mould”.

“In the future, I do think Lulamba will have the ‘X’ factor, but he’s only had two runs in his life coming into a race like this,” said Henderson, who had to rule the luckless Sir Gino out of last year’s Triumph and also this week’s Arkle Trophy.

“He’s a big, scopey horse who you could easily see jumping a fence next year like we switched Sir Gino. He’s in the Sir Gino mould.

“He might not have the pace of Sir Gino at the moment, but he has a great constitution and does everything nicely.

“I do respect East India Dock and he’s been very impressive. I think he’ll be there over the last two and maybe we will be following him.”

Henderson was set for a two-pronged attack in the opener on day four before Palladium, the German Derby winner who cost his new connections €1.4million, was ruled out on Tuesday.

Palladium, in the colours of Lady Bamford, whose family sponsor the Triumph, made a winning hurdling debut at Huntingdon in January and was due to be ridden by champion jockey Harry Cobden, but was “quite sore” on the morning of his withdrawal.

East India Dock, the only horse with course and distance pedigree in the race, is looking to make it four wins out of four over hurdles for Owen and owners the Gredley family, who sent out Burdett Road to be a shock second at 66-1 in Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle.

The son of Golden Horn has been mightily impressive since switching to obstacles, winning by four lengths at Wincanton on his hurdling debut in October.

He supported that with an 18-length triumph around the Old course in November before coasting to victory over Stencil by 10 lengths on the New course in January.

“He’s in good order, form’s strong and we can’t wait until Friday really – really looking forward to it,” Owen said.

“He’s won on the Old course and the New course, he’s not ground dependent. He’s exciting.

“I’d say there’s quite a few threats, the Irish have a couple as well (as Henderson’s runner). But listen, we are concentrating on our horse and couldn’t be happier with him.”

Dublin Racing Festival Grade One winner Hello Neighbour lines up for Gavin Cromwell, while Willie Mullins has 11 chances, with stable jockey Paul Townend opting to partner Lady Vega Allen.

Mondo Man will renew his Ascot rivalry with Lulamba for Gary and Josh Moore, while Haydock scorer Gibbs Islands risks his perfect record for Tom Lacey.

Further British representation is formed by Owen’s second runner Opec and Jamie Snowden’s Marche d’Aligre.

Owen plotting Derby route for Wimbledon Hawkeye

Wimbledon Hawkeye is to be trained with the Dante Stakes in mind before a tilt at the Betfred Derby.

The Kameko colt was the star of James Owen’s blistering first full season training on the Flat, making the podium in both the Superlative Stakes and Acomb at York before providing the Green Ridge Stables handler with a first Group-level success when landing the Royal Lodge on home Newmarket soil.

He finished his juvenile campaign with an honourable third in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, but a return to the scene of his finest hour for a shot at 2000 Guineas appears unlikely, with Owen eyeing a trip to the Knavesmire to test the colt’s Derby credentials in the Dante.

Owen said: “Wimbledon Hawkeye is great and looks fantastic, we’re going to train him for the Dante.

“He’ll have an entry for the 2000 Guineas, but at the minute he’s not being trained for the Guineas. At the moment he’s being trained for the Dante with the Derby in mind, but if he tells us different then we’ll see.

“It’s a long season and there’s no rush with him. He gets a penalty in all the trials and the Dante is a nice trial and he’s run well at York before so we know he handles the track.

“I’ve never been in this situation before, so we’ll enjoy working it out week by week and let him tell us.”

One of a 90-strong initial entry for the premier Classic, Wimbledon Hawkeye is a 40-1 shot with Derby sponsors Betfred, but is as short as 25-1 with William Hill.

Meanwhile, Owen has placed a target on the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot for his high-class new recruit Ambiente Friendly.

He won Lingfield’s Listed Derby Trial when trained by James Fanshawe last season, before going on to finish second to City Of Troy in the Derby at Epsom and also placing in the Irish equivalent when another Aidan O’Brien-trained inmate, Los Angeles, proved a thorn in his side.

The colt’s form may have tailed off in his final two appearances last term, but Owen appreciates how fortunate he is to be handed another top operator from owners the Gredley family and is looking forward to mapping out an exciting summer campaign for the four-year-old.

Owen has nominated the Group Two Hardwicke as the ideal early-season objective, with Ambiente Friendly likely to hit the track under Owen’s name beforehand in preparation.

He said: “He’s good and cantering away lovely. Freddy Tylicki and Tim Gredley were in to see him and he did a couple of steady canters. He’s looking great and we’re looking forward to the Flat season with him.

“The Hardwicke would be the aim, but he’ll have a prep run before. I don’t know where he’ll go, but there’s plenty of options.

“I’m very lucky to have him and I know he was second in the Derby, but he’s only a Listed winner so there will be lots of options. He’s a very good horse.”

County ‘probably’ favoured over Champion Hurdle for Burdett Road

It could be an exciting final day of the Cheltenham Festival for James Owen and owners the Gredley family after the Newmarket handler admitted he is favouring a shot at the William Hill County Hurdle with Burdett Road.

Leading Triumph Hurdle fancy East India Dock will represent connections in the opening contest on Gold Cup Day, and it now appears his half-brother will revert to the handicap ranks after Champion Hurdle ambitions were dented when only second in Wincanton’s Kingwell Hurdle.

A winner of the Greatwood Hurdle in the first half of the season, the Royal Ascot scorer has registered two hurdling victories at Prestbury Park and on his penultimate start mixed it admirably with Constitution Hill and Lossiemouth in Kempton’s Christmas Hurdle.

He is a 12-1 shot with race sponsors William Hill for the County Hurdle, while in contrast is a best price of 33-1 for the feature event on day one, with Owen expecting to use the valuable claim of Alex Chadwick who is a key member of his Green Ridge Stables operation.

Owen said: “He’s come out of Wincanton really well and I’m really happy with him.

“The County is probably favourable at the moment, unless the Champion Hurdle cuts up. He’s a shorter price for the County than the Champion Hurdle, so maybe they (the bookmakers) know more than we do.

“He’s shown in the Greatwood that type of race is up his street and we would claim off him as well with Alex who rides him every day.”

Burdett Road remains on Cheltenham course

James Owen is still keen to head to the Cheltenham Festival with Burdett Road but also has an eye on a return to the Flat for the Melbourne Cup in November.

The smart dual-purpose performer narrowly lost out to Golden Ace in Wincanton’s Kingwell Hurdle, going down by three-quarters of a length under Sam Twiston-Davies on good to soft ground.

Owen felt morning rain worked against him, while also a mistake two out hindered his cause further in the closing stages of the race.

“He made that error two out. He’s absolutely fine but the set up of the race didn’t help,” the trainer told At The Races.

“It rained in the morning which made the ground very loose and while he can cope with it on the Flat, he’s an explosive horse over his hurdles and he never really got into that fluent rhythm.

“He’s got a high cruising speed and we couldn’t really use it. I’m not taking anything away from the filly, she outbattled us in the end. We looked the winner turning in, made a mistake two out which opened the door and we couldn’t close it.

“I’m proud of how he ran, it opens the door so he’s having an entry in the County Hurdle and we’ll see what the Champion Hurdle picture looks like closer to the time.”

Having won a Listed race on the Flat in September, a return to that discipline is also very much on the agenda with his ultimate target already identified.

Owen added: “We’re still very keen to go to Cheltenham and we’re still very keen to have a Flat campaign with this horse as well, ending up hopefully at the Melbourne Cup, for which he’s got a lovely mark.

“We know he likes fast ground and the track will be perfect. We’ll go to some big places with him and have a lot of fun.”

Also heading to Cheltenham in March is the hugely-promising East India Dock, another horse owned and bred by the Gredley Family.

He made a perfect start to his hurdling career when winning at Wincanton on debut, after which he continued to shine when winning both Triumph trials at Cheltenham by significant margins.

Those victories tee him up nicely for the race itself in March, though the role of ante-post favourite is currently filled by Nicky Henderson’s Lulamba.

East India Dock has been impressive to date
East India Dock has been impressive to date (David Davies/PA)

“He’s great, he’s been a thrill train really,” Owen said.

“He comes alive when he sees a hurdle. He’s won both trials at Cheltenham on both tracks, the new and the old.

“I couldn’t be happier with him and how he is at this stage, I’m looking forward to the Friday of Cheltenham.

“I wouldn’t swap our horse, Lulumba is a very talented horse and a very different type to our horse.

“The Irish horses are OK as well, the form hasn’t really crossed over yet so it’s hard to equate.

“I wouldn’t swap my horse and a bit of spring ground will hopefully eke out a bit more improvement.

“Sam (Twiston-Davies) gets on very well with him and we’re all looking forward to Cheltenham with him.”

Burdett makes Wincanton stop on Festival Road

Burdett Road bids to keep Champion Hurdle dreams alive when he heads to Wincanton for the BetMGM Kingwell Hurdle.

The five-year-old has some striking Flat form and having scored at Royal Ascot when trained by Michael Bell, has also won at Listed level and placed in group contests since James Owen has been overseeing his racecourse preparations.

He has been equally successful over hurdles so far and having created a taking impression in his early forays over obstacles, he returned to hurdles after a summer on the Flat to claim the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham in November.

His next start was in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, where he was third behind Constitution Hill and Lossiemouth and would have been closer to the action were it not for a final-flight error.

The Champion Hurdle is now on the horizon for the gelding, who is owned and was bred by the Gredley family, and the Grade Two Kingwell is designed to serve as a perfect springboard for that task in March.

Owen said: “He’s improved his last four runs – two on the Flat, two over hurdles. It was a great performance in the Greatwood Hurdle and I though he backed that up and improved again in the Christmas Hurdle.

“Barring a mistake at the last, I thought he would have been involved and he mixed it pace-wise with the best in the division.

“Hopefully he is a progressive five-year-old and we’re obviously keen to run in the Champion Hurdle. It’s not going to be an easy task at Wincanton giving weight away to some useful opposition, but if he can’t be competitive he is going to struggle in a Champion Hurdle, so we thought it was well worth having a go.”

Jeremy Scott’s Golden Ace will steps down in trip after two beaten efforts over further in the Ascot Hurdle and the Relkeel so far this season.

Golden Ace was a Cheltenham Festival winner last season
Golden Ace was a Cheltenham Festival winner last season (Mike Egerton/PA)

The seven-year-old was unbeaten in her novice campaign, winning two Taunton events before landing the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and taking the scalp of Gordon Elliott’s top-class Brighterdaysahead.

She then won for a fourth time in a Listed event over an extended trip at the same track in April, a success that seemed to suggest she was destined for the two-and-a-half-mile division when returning this season.

Scott has always felt she had plenty of speed for a lesser trip, however, and she will now drop back to two miles again.

“She’s very well at home. It will be interesting to see her back over two miles on a fast and flat track, so it’ll be a difference to Ascot and Cheltenham,” said Scott.

“We’ve been wanting to run her over two miles all season but we’ve not managed to find the right race.

“In fairness she only came into herself this time last year, we’ve struggled to get her 100 per cent all season but I feel we’re nearly there now.

“Hopefully we can see her more like she was last spring than she has been so far.

“So far she hasn’t seemed like she has seen out the two and half miles very well, but we’ve been on deep ground and I don’t think she’s been 100 per cent, so I think we are really trying to find out about her.”

Harry Derham’s Brentford Hope – a creditable three lengths behind Constitution Hill in the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham on Trials day – and the Gary and Josh Moore-trained Hansard are the other two runners.