Sporting Life
Tom Clover sits on his hack as he watches his horses on the Longhill gallop
Tom Clover sits on his hack as he watches his horses on the Longhill gallop

Our Friends in Newmarket - Tom Clover Stable Tour including Celsius and Ritchie Valens

By Oli Bell
Horse Racing
Tue April 28, 2020 · 5y ago

Tom Clover has been making great strides in Newmarket and Oli Bell gets the lowdown on the trainer's string for the 2020 Flat season.

Our Friends in Newmarket – Tom Clover

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Older horses

Balgair

He’s rated 82 so back off his last winning mark, he’s owned by a new initiative which is the Newmarket Racing Club. He must have fast ground and loved a strong pace to aim at. He ran well in some good handicaps last year but we feel we’ve got unfinished business with him. We’d love to get him in a big field and see him passing horses, ideally we’d get him to Ascot at some stage.

Celsius

He was great for us last year, winning four races and culminating at Glorious Goodwood which was terrific. It was the plan to go there from early on and he won his races and got there. He’s a horse I always liked and made me look like a bit of an idiot as a two-year-old as he didn’t fire then but subsequently gelded and dropped back to five furlongs he’s been great. I think six is well within our realms, he’s bred for it, and he’s got some mileage off his mark of 85. He probably wants quick ground as well, he got stuck in the mud last year at Ascot, and I would hope that he can win a race early on and we can look towards good handicaps through the summer.

Crimewave

He’s won two of his last three, he’s a great little syndicate horse for a great group of owners. He’s a much stronger horse now and he looks much more developed as he’s from a late-maturing family. There’s still a bit of wiggle room from his mark of 77.

Holy Kingdom

He’s rated 86, he won at the back end for us after being quite frustrating last year. He was second four times, being beaten by some pretty decent horses. Winning was fantastic and he’s really strengthened well from three to four, he’s really filled his frame. I think he’ll stay well and get two miles no problem. I hope he’s a really exciting prospect.

Monsieur Lambrays

He wants to go left-handed. He won two of his last three at the end of last season and has done well physically over the winter. You’d be delighted with how he’s done and he’s shaping up really well at home.

Ritchie Valens

He was bought from the Horses in Training Sales, he has a mark of 81 and just looks like he could be quite a fun handicapper this year. He looks like he’s solid which was attractive at the sales and hopefully he wins a race or two for us this year.

Three-year-olds

Broughtons Gold

He won on his second start of a layoff last year having shaped well in fourth in a strong novice event at Newmarket last May. He subsequently had a little setback but he’s done well and I can see him being quite a good handicapper with a bit of cut in the ground. Being given the time he needed, he looks much better for it.

Rusper’s Lad

He ran a blinder on debut in May behind a nice horse and he then had a setback which was really frustrating. I got him back and he was training great and I ran him on the all-weather and I just don’t think he liked it at all. He ran twice on the all-weather and never really saw out his race. He’s out of a mare who stayed well but he’s quick and I think dropping back to six on the turf will suit. Now he’s gelded and stepping into handicap company you’d be disappointed if there wasn’t a race or two in him as he’s a good-looking horse.

Wise Eagle

He won his second start for us and won it nicely over a mile. Although he’s out of a quick mare I think he’ll stay 10 furlongs being by Free Eagle and he’s a good-looking horse who I can see going well in those nice three-year-old handicaps through the year. Hopefully we’ll get a mark for him now and he’ll be a fun horse for a great syndicate in York Thoroughbred Racing.

Two-year-olds

The first one I’d flag up is a filly by Gregorian called Fairy Dust. She’s Book 3 Tattersalls and cost just three grand but she goes well and please god we have a smooth run with the filly as she’s in some of the sales races where she’ll have low weights the plan is to have a bit of fun pot-hunting with her. Another is a Showcasing colt bought from Book 2 called Rajmeister. He can be a bit hot but I gather with Showcasings that can be a good thing – the spikier they are the better they normally are. And he goes really well, he has natural ability and a big action. Another juvenile is called Appreciate, by Australia who is a sire I really like. He’s going to be a back-end type and will hopefully shape up into a lovely horse for the future. He really finds his work extremely easy for quite a big horse. And the other one I’d like to put forward is a horse called Sugauli by The Gurkha. He’s the only horse we bought by a first-season sire this year, and this one I really like. He’s from a late-maturing family but he’s shaping up really well as well.

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