Tag Archive for: Marsh Wren

Thurles delight for Stuart Edmunds and Ciaran Gethings

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Stuart Edmunds was rewarded for rolling the dice as Marsh Wren took top honours in the Carey Glass Irish EBF Colreevy Mares Novice Chase at Thurles.

The eight-year-old – who numbers former footballer Ben Turner among her owners – was a good-quality hurdler who has been highly consistent since switching to fences, winning two of her three starts prior to setting sail for Ireland from her Stewkley base in Buckinghamshire.

Her only reversal was a second-placed run in the Listed Lady Godiva Chase at Wincanton in December and at Thurles she aimed to go one better at the same level.

Under usual pilot Ciaran Gethings, she seemed to relish the soft ground and made the running before facing a challenge or two in the home straight, as other horses tried to compete.

Marsh Wren was not for passing, however, and held on resolutely to prevail by three-quarters of a length at 9-4 and provide both trainer and jockey with their first win on Irish turf.

“She’s a credit to everybody and to herself, she never knows when she’s beaten. She did it very well,” said Edmunds.

“She’s very, very tough. She is a credit to everybody at home, as they do a great job and she always rewards them.

“It was a brave choice, as it costs a few quid to go, but she had placed black type over here and we wanted to try to win one.

“It’s very valuable for a mare, it makes a big difference for them.”

A delighted Gethings added: “That was a some buzz and fair play to Stuart and Ben Turner, the owner, and fair play to everybody for putting their hands in their pockets and coming over.

“I’m from Tinahely (County Wicklow) and moved over to England when I was 16. I spent six years with Philip Hobbs before moving to Tom George’s and have been with Stuart for a long, long time now. I live in Cheltenham and this is my first Irish winner.

“I might have bits and bobs for Cheltenham (Festival) and might ride for Kim Bailey if he has two horses for a race.”

Marsh Wren holds an entry for the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival but would require the going to be soft if that race is to be considered.

“It would need to be soft, it seems silly to say that with the rain at the minute!” Edmunds said.

“We put her in because it wasn’t too expensive but we’ll have to see what the weather does closer to the time.”

Willie Mullins’ Largy Hill continued his progression with a neat success in the BoyleSports Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle.

The seven-year-old has been making a good go of his first season over timber so far, placing second on debut and then winning last time out at Cork.

He was 100-30 at Thurles when stepping up to Grade Three level, with stablemate Stoke The Fire starting at 7-1 and Gordon Elliott’s Staffordshire Knot the 8-11 favourite.

Largy Hill was comfortably able to take the top prize, travelling and jumping well under Paul Townend and strolling to a four-length success ahead of the market leader.

“Largy Hill did everything right and that was a good effort,” Mullins said.

“You could see his jumping was that of an ex-point-to-pointer, compared to Stoke The Fire (third), who was novicey, and What Path (fourth), who jumped a bit left.

“I was very happy with Stoke The Fire and that will bring him on hugely.

“The winner is a big, chasing type and it is nice to win a prize like this. I doubt he’ll go to Cheltenham and will wait until Fairyhouse instead.”



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Marsh Wren breaking new ground for Stuart Edmunds

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Stuart Edmunds will saddle his first ever runner in Ireland on Thursday when Marsh Wren bids for Listed honours in the Carey Glass Irish EBF Colreevy Mares Novice Chase at Thurles.

The eight-year-old, who is part-owned by former Cardiff and Coventry City defender Ben Turner, has won two of her three starts over fences to date, with victories at Warwick and Uttoxeter sandwiching a second-placed finish in Listed company behind Nicky Henderson’s Arclight at Wincanton.

Edmunds admits taking on the Irish in their own back yard is a stiff test, but with conditions in Marsh Wren’s favour and Turner and other members of the Far Bihoue Partnership set to make the trip, the trainer is excited by the challenge.

“We thought about going for a previous mares’ race there, but in the end we decided to go for what was not too difficult a race at Uttoxeter,” said Edmunds, who is based near Milton Keynes.

“We just thought she’s already Listed placed, she loves soft ground and the boys are all very excited about going to Ireland, so she’s gone.

“We wouldn’t be going if we thought it was a waste of time, we think she’s gone there in good order and the more rain they get the better, as long as it’s on.

“She loves testing conditions, the trip (two and three-quarter miles) in Ireland is about right and it’s worth a few quid at €30,000, so why not have a go?”

Marsh Wren features in a six-strong field, with Gordon Elliott’s pair of Harmonya Maker and Jumping Jet and Gavin Cromwell’s Law Ella seemingly her biggest threats.

There is also British interest in the BoyleSports Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle, with the Willie Mullins-trained Stoke The Fire carrying the colours of Middleham Park Racing.

An impressive winner on his hurdling debut at Tramore, the five-year-old lines up as one of three runners for the champion trainer in the Grade Three contest alongside Largy Hill and What Path.

Middleham Park’s National Hunt racing manager, Tom Palin, said: “He’s the first horse we’ve had with Willie, but we’ve obviously been huge admirers of his for a long time. We like to have our horses with trainers who provide you with the best chance of having good runners on the best days, and there’s probably no finer man than Willie for that.

“We actually bought this horse as a possible Irish Cesarewitch contender, that’s more of a longer-term plan, but he might give us a little bit of fun over hurdles in the interim.

“He certainly gave us a bit more than a little bit of fun on New Year’s Day with a fairly bloodless victory at Tramore, when he seemed to cope with the testing conditions well and we were very taken by how he jumped on debut.

“This feels like the right sort of race to pitch him in and I’m sure whatever happens, he’ll still be a nice horse capable of taking us to Festivals both on the Flat and over hurdles, whether that’s Fairyhouse or Punchestown in graded company or in handicaps, we’ll have to wait and see.”

The likely favourite for the race is Elliott’s Staffordshire Knot, who will carry the colours of Gigginstown House Stud for the first time after being bought to stay in the yard for €510,000 at Andy and Gemma Brown’s dispersal earlier this month.



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Former footballer Ben Turner eyes Listed glory with Marsh Wren

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Ex-footballer Ben Turner is excited to see Marsh Wren return to Warwick for what he describes as her ‘cup final’ in Thursday’s Larkshill Engineering Lady Godiva Mares’ Novices’ Chase – should the meeting survive a morning inspection.

The Stuart Edmunds-trained seven-year-old carries the colours of the Far Bihoue Partnership, which is fronted by the former Cardiff and Coventry City defender.

Having seen Marsh Wren make a successful debut over fences at Warwick last month, Turner is keeping his fingers crossed she can boost her future value as a broodmare with victory in this Listed event.

“This is a massive opportunity for her to get some black type as we want to breed from her eventually and I don’t think we will get a better mare to breed from,” he said.

“From what both Stu and Ciaran Gethings have said she is looking in savage form at home. Arclight is rated higher than us, and is trained by a master trainer in Nicky Henderson, and we have to give her weight as she is only a four-year-old, but her best form is over shorter and on better ground.

“The ground can’t be testing enough for Marsh Wren. So many horses struggle to find that little bit extra when the ground is bottomless but she takes to it like a duck to water.

“This is Marsh Wren’s time of year, and this is her trip. This is her cup final, and we planned to go here even before she won her last start.”

Turner is now retired from professional football following a fine career which saw him play and score in the 2012 League Cup final for Cardiff City against Liverpool. He also featured in the ‘Bluebirds’ team that lifted the 2012-13 Championship title.

Ben Turner (right) in action against Luis Suarez in the 2012 League Cup Final
Ben Turner (right) in action against Luis Suarez in the 2012 League Cup Final (Nick Potts/PA)

Having been associated with the glamour of the Premier League, the 35-year-old is proud of the fact that he been able to offer people outside of the stereotypical racehorse owner the opportunity to be part of something special with Marsh Wren.

He added: “My family would say the League Cup Final would be their best memory, and it would be my best one-off memory, but getting promoted to the Premier League was my best achievement as that takes some doing over 46 games.

“Marsh Wren was purchased on a shoestring budget and we have 30 people involved in her including several members of my family.

“What is great about the syndicate is that they are all working class people who have normal jobs. We haven’t got the resources to spend big money out of the point-to-point field, but here they are with a horse in a Listed race.

“When I was playing football I was fortunate enough to have half and quarter shares in horses, along with owning one outright, but being in a syndicate like this is no less of a buzz.

“We have people in their 20s right through to their 70s involved so we have the full age scale, which is great to see.”

The meeting is subject to a 7.30am inspection due to the threat of waterlogging.



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