Donn McClean gets the full lowdown from Gavin Cromwell including the latest on Darver Star, Debuchet and Jeremys Flame in this Stable Tour.
Alfa Mix
He did well over hurdles for us last season, and he’s probably going to start out at Navan on Sunday over fences. He came from the point-to-point field, and he’s a fine big chaser in the making.
Bajan Excell
He’s a grand consistent sort, but the handicapper has a bit of a hold him. We’ll mix it with him and see if we can pick up a race somewhere. We’ll have him out in the next couple of weeks.
Bentham
He has been busy, he has been running through the summer. He’s on a break at the moment, but we’ll have him back in the spring.
Brex Drago
He’s struggling. The handicapper has a proper hold of him over hurdles, and he’s still a maiden after 12 runs over fences. He’s entered in a two-mile handicap chase at Cork on Sunday, and he might take his chance in that.
Darver Star
He didn’t give his running in the Grade 2 chase at Punchestown on Saturday. He looked slow there, but he didn’t get slow overnight. It was only a few months ago that he finished third in the Champion Hurdle. It may have been down to the heavy ground. He has the option to step up to two and a half miles if we need to, but we’re going to give him another go at two miles, see how he goes. That will probably be in the Grade 1 chase at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Debuchet
We only have him about a month. Mags Mullins did a great job with him, he finished second in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and he won his beginners’ chase last year and finished second to Greaneteen in a novices’ handicap chase at Ascot. We’ll be going well to improve him form Mags achieved with him, but he’s a lovely horse to get. He came to us in great nick. We’ll probably go chasing with him but we’ll see. He’s working well and we’re just trying to figure him out.
Flooring Porter
He ran well to finish second in a three-mile handicap hurdle at Gowran last time. He stays well, so hopefully he can continue to be competitive in these staying handicap hurdles.
Gabynako
He goes in the maiden hurdle at Naas on Saturday. It looks like a good maiden hurdle, but we’ll see how he goes. He’s a lovely horse and he has really settled down. He got beaten at Fairyhouse the last day, but he was only just beaten by a good horse, and they pulled a long way clear. We’ll see how he goes on Saturday and take it from there.
Jeremys Flame
She’s good, she has lots of ability, it’s just that she is proving to be very frustrating. She’s the most relaxed horse at home, but when she gets in among them, she gets anxious. We’re doing a few different things with her now so hopefully we can get her in the right frame of mind. She’s entered in a mares’ beginners’ chase at Cork on Sunday, but we might hold off on that and go to a Grade 3 mares’ chase back at Cork on 6th December.
Jukebox Jive
He won the November Handicap on his first run for us, but he hasn’t won since. He had a nice break before he ran in the Cesarewitch, and he’ll go back over hurdles now. He is jumping well at home, so hopefully we’ll get a tune out of him this winter now. He’s entered in a handicap hurdle at Cork on Sunday, and he could take his chance in that.
Jurby
He hasn’t run since he won a handicap chase at Down Royal in January, but he’s coming along nicely. He’s entered in the Porterstown Chase at Fairyhouse next Sunday, and the plan is to go there.
Letsbeclearaboutit
He as very impressive in winning at Punchestown on Saturday. You’d just have to love everything about him. He’s a big laid back horse, 16.3hh, by Flemensfirth out of Clarification, who’s the first foal out of Refinement, a Grade 1 winner over hurdles. He’s a very straightforward horse, laid back, and he gets through heavy ground, but he’s not slow. I think we’ll stick to bumpers with him, certainly for the moment. We’re probably looking at Navan for the listed bumper on 19th December. I’d be conscious of not over-racing him, but he hasn’t come off the bridle yet, so we’ll take it as it comes with him. I don’t think Cheltenham would be on the cards this year, I’m conscious to mind him, but he’s a very nice horse.
Lever Du Soleil
He is still a maiden over fences, but he’s probably going to struggle to win a beginners’ chase at this time of year. He’s a consistent horse, but he’s probably more a horse for the spring than he is for the winter.
Oscar Thyne
He won his maiden hurdle at Kilbeggan in September, and he finished fifth last time behind Western Run at Killarney. We’re going to get him going over fences now, he’ll start off in a beginners’ chase soon.
Peaches And Cream
He did well last season, he won a good novices’ handicap hurdle at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival, and he won his beginners’ chase at Wexford in August. He wouldn’t be very effective on bottomless ground, so we might hold fire with him for now and see if we get a bit of nicer ground at Leopardstown at Christmas.
Railway Hurricane
He’s a nice novice hurdler, he’s going to stick to rated novice hurdles. He was always good at home, and I couldn’t get my head around why he didn’t win a bumper. I think we have the key to him now, and I think he can keep going forward. He’ll jump a fence in time as well.
Spades Are Trumps
He was disappointing at Punchestown on Saturday. Maybe he didn’t go in the very heavy ground, but he was still disappointing. He won his maiden hurdle at Punchestown on his second run, and he hasn’t won since. Hopefully he can put his disappointing run last time behind him soon.
Tokyo Getaway
She was very disappointing the Cork National last time. She just didn’t jump out of the ground. She handles soft ground, and she won at Clonmel in February when it was really holding ground, but it was very deep at Cork. She’s in the two-mile-six-furlong handicap hurdle at Navan on Sunday, and she could take her chance in that.
Ujumpthelastuwin
He’s a big chaser, he’s well able to gallop and he goes though the soft ground. Hopefully he’ll make up into a nice handicap chaser at his own level.
Vintage Prosseco
He was impressive in winning the bumper at Limerick on Tuesday. He’s owned by Ger Fox, they’d love to get him sold, and I’d love if he stayed in the yard. He’s not a bad horse, he can fair gallop through soft ground. He’s open to those auction maiden hurdles as well as he was cheaply bought.
Wadiyatink Now
She won nicely last time at Fairyhouse, for which the handicapper gave her 12lb. She goes in the Brown Lad Handicap Hurdle at Naas on Saturday, so I hope that she can be competitive in that.
Walk Me Home
She was unlucky to depart at the last in a handicap hurdle at Navan last week. I don’t know if she would have won or not, but she was unlucky to depart. She’s a nice mare, and we’ll try to find another similar contest for her now.
Western Run
I’d love to keep him in rated novice races, I’d like to keep him in novice company or in smaller fields for now, but there’s not a whole pile coming up for him, so we might have to pitch him into a handicap. He’s a nice horse going forward.
Whirling Dervish
He ran well in the Cesarewitch last time, and he’ll go back over hurdles now. Things just happened a little too quickly for him over two miles at Listowel in September, so I want to step him up in trip now, give his jumping a chance. He’s not slow but he’s just not the most natural jumper. There’s a two-and-a-half-mile 125-rated novice hurdle at Punchestown on 8th December, and that could be a good race for him.
Wolf Prince
I was disappointed with him at Down Royal the last day. He did race a little bit keenly, but he completely emptied. We couldn’t find any reason for it afterwards. It wasn’t like him. I was happy enough with his run back on the flat at Gowran, but he didn’t build on that at Down Royal. He worked on Tuesday though, and he worked well, so we’ll probably let him take his chance in the Fishery Lane Hurdle at Naas on Saturday.
Yafordadoe
He has had a busy enough time of it in the last couple of months, running on the flat and over hurdles. He has done really well, winning twice over hurdles and finishing second three times on the flat. We’ll freshen him up now, and we might aim him at something over Christmas, then maybe come back for the Lincoln in the spring.
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