Tag Archive for: Richard Spencer

Cunningham has Classic aspirations for Yah Mo Be There

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Yah Mo Be There has been touted as a “lively outsider for the Guineas” by owner Phil Cunningham after the two-year-old’s brief but promising juvenile campaign.

The Richard Spencer-trained colt made an impression on debut when he went down by a short head to Karl Burke’s Andesite during the Dante Festival at York in May.

That performance immediately saw him step up to Pattern company at Royal Ascot, but he finished down the field in the Coventry Stakes despite high expectations from connections.

However, he bounced back by becoming the first black-type winner for sire Mohaather when landing the Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury in July, seeing off subsequent Rockingham Stakes winner Jungle Drums on what proved to be his final start of the year.

As a result, Yah Mo Be There has been set big targets by Cunningham, who famously saw Cockney Rebel carry his colours to English and Irish 2000 Guineas glory in 2007.

Yah Mo Be There en route to victory in the Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury
Yah Mo Be There en route to victory in the Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury (David Davies/PA)

“He had a small little issue after he won the Rose Bowl at Newbury, but he looks a lovely horse. He will get the mile and we will start him off in the Guineas trial at Newbury,” said Cunningham.

“I think it will be one of those form lines (the Newbury victory) that will come to the fore as the season starts next year, but he’s a very, very nice horse.

“I was gutted, I thought he was going to win the Coventry Stakes. Obviously, things didn’t pan out for him that day but I think he’s a lively outsider for the Guineas.”

Cunningham and Spencer have an array of juvenile talent this year, with Candy the latest to enter the winner’s enclosure when securing the Two Year Old Trophy at Redcar earlier this month.

After struggling to make a mark at five furlongs on his first four starts, the Ardad colt stepped up in trip and took the runner-up spot at Newbury in August.

He returned to the Berkshire venue to claim his first success in September, which was soon followed by a win at Ayr before completing his treble at Redcar.

“He’s fantastic. Tremendous performance, fantastic by George (Wood) up at Redcar. He’s a lovely horse,” Cunningham added.

“I think the whole thing looks like we’ve been smarter than we are. He’s been a lovely, fun purchase. At the start of the season he had some maturity issues, but maybe putting him away for a little bit has done him good.

“I think he’s probably finished for the year. If you look at what races are available to him, it’s going to be Listed races carrying a penalty and I’d rather keep the dream alive over the winter and what we are going to do is have a proper crack at the All-Weather Championships.

“We will give him a bit of a rest, then we’ll probably bring him back early next season and possibly have a crack at one of those trials and see where we go from there.

“With the versatility ground-wise, it would be nice to get him going earlier so he can hit the start of the turf as well.”

Another on the conveyor belt at Sefton Lodge is Righthere Rightnow, who breezed to a five-length victory on debut at Newmarket in August.

He was a strong contender for the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster on St Leger day, but he was keen during the early stages of that Group Two contest and faded to finish last of five, leaving question marks over his optimum distance heading into his three-year-old campaign.

“He’s great, I was devastated after Doncaster,” Cunningham admitted. “It was all over before it started for him, he’d sort of run away from Rossa (Ryan, jockey) down to the start, was very keen during his race and he wasn’t meant to go off like that.

“He looked magnificent when he won at Newmarket. He’s finished for the year and I think whilst his pedigree suggested he should be looking more along the sprint trips, the way he won at Newmarket suggested otherwise.

“I think we feel that we might start him off over six furlongs next year and see where we go from there.

“Maybe it was the way it was ran at Newmarket, they went very slow at the start and his last sectional was the fastest of the meeting – the last two-furlong sectional – but it was the way he finished out.

“He might turn out to be a miler, but I’m not too sure, so we will start him out at six and see where we go from there.”



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Spencer happy to play the long game with Yah Mo Be There

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Richard Spencer is already dreaming of Classic success in 2025 after confirming his talented Listed scorer Yah Mo Be There will not run again until next season.

Owned by Phil Cunningham, the son of Mohaather looked a smart prospect when beaten a short head at York on debut and although finishing down the field in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, he roared back to form at Newbury when winning the Rose Bowl Stakes with ease.

In the immediate aftermath, a move up to seven furlongs and group company for Doncaster’s Champagne Stakes was mooted, but he is now set to miss the rest of the current campaign and return next year in an early-season Classic trial.

Spencer said: “He won’t run again this year, we’re going to put him away and look forward to him next year.

“He will be trained for a Guineas trial in the spring.”

Spencer has a ready-made replacement to fill the Yah Mo Be There void in the Champagne Stakes, having highlighted the Town Moor event as the next stop for impressive debut winner Righthere Rightnow.

Another to don the colours of the trainer’s long-time ally Cunningham, the Kodiac colt sauntered to a five-length success on his racecourse bow at Newmarket, with connections immediately eyeing bigger and better things.

Spencer continued: “He was good and it was a pleasing result. He has been showing up well at home and I didn’t think he would win that far, but thought he would be bang there.

“He’s a lovely horse with a good mind and he’s an exciting horse for Phil and the team.

“It’s early to say but we would be leaning towards the Champagne at Doncaster. I don’t think we will run him in the sales races because we have others to run in those races – we are going to treat him like a good horse because we think he is a good horse.

“We will lean towards the Champagne and he will probably have a Dewhurst entry as well.”

Trainer Richard Spencer has some quality colts on his hands
Trainer Richard Spencer has some quality colts on his hands (David Davies/PA)

Although only at the early stages of their respective careers, thoughts have already turned to next season, when connections could have two smart colts to aim high with.

Spencer added: “There’s a lot of water to pass under the bridge, but if we have to keep them apart, I imagine one will go to Newbury for the Greenham and the other will go to Newmarket for a trial there.

“You have to plan and we like planning in advance – and hopefully two exciting horses and a quick and exciting winter to get through with two nice horses for next year.”



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Yah Mo Be There swoops late to land Rose Bowl in style

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Yah Mo Be There swooped from last to first to land the Ire-Incentive – Pays To Buy Irish Rose Bowl Stakes in good style at Newbury on Friday.

Trainer Richard Spencer and owner Phil Cunningham had hoped the son of Mohaather could follow in the footsteps of their Rajasinghe and strike in the Coventry Stakes after finishing a narrow second at York on debut.

Royal Ascot did not go to plan for the well-regarded youngster and with sights lowered to Listed level, he was slowly away from the stalls as the northern pair of Kevin Ryan’s I Got Soul and Karl Burke’s Jungle Drums set the early fractions.

However, jockey Jamie Spencer was simply waiting for the perfect moment to strike and approaching the two-furlong pole he began manoeuvring the 9-2 second favourite into a position to challenge.

He eventually unleashed his mount to make a winning run, coming through to lead with a degree of ease inside the final furlong and then surging a cosy length and a quarter clear of Jungle Drums who kept on gamely for second.

Richard Spencer was thrilled to see the colt not only shed his maiden status but also highlight his top-class potential, with a move up to seven furlongs and Doncaster’s Champagne Stakes highlighted as a next port of call.

He said: “I was pleased he was able to put that unlucky run at Ascot when he got hampered behind us. It was a good run at York on debut and we thought he’d go to Ascot and run a very big race and he just had no luck. But today he has got back on track and has shown us what we’ve seen at home.

“They didn’t go very quick and I think you can upgrade the performance because they didn’t go quick early and he has then quickened off a very slow pace to win very well. He only got one flick to do so and he is an exciting horse.

Trainer Richard Spencer was delighted with the performance of Yah Mo Be There
Trainer Richard Spencer was delighted with the performance of Yah Mo Be There (David Davies/PA)

“We’ve held him in high regard all winter and throughout the spring we thought he was very nice. I think we are only going to see better from him when he steps up to seven furlongs later this season and hopefully a mile next year.

“We have two by Mohaather in the yard and they both have very good minds and show us good ability so we are pleased with the purchases and hopefully the sire can show us he can produce some nice horses with his offspring.

“All being well, if he comes out of it well, I would say the Champagne Stakes would be where he heads next.”



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