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Flat Stable Tour 2021: Richard Fahey
Don't miss Richard Fahey's guide to some of his leading hopes for the new Flat season including QIPCO 1000 Guineas hopeful Fev Rover.
ABDUCTION
Quite a big, backward horse last year and probably ran a nice race when fifth in the consolation sales race at Naas before winning at Wolverhampton. He’s done very well over the winter and is rated 84. He’s a horse I think could progress.
BRIAN THE SNAIL
He’s had a fantastic winter campaign and the handicapper has left his turf mark on 91 with his all-weather one now up to 102. The problem is handicappers are generally right but 91 gives him a chance, he’s been running to 100 solidly on the all-weather and if he can transfer that consistency and improvement to the turf then we’ll be alright.
CROWNTHORPE
An old horse rated 89 who should be running now but we haven’t had any rain and he loves soft ground. I just feel he’s slipped down to a decent mark if we get his conditions at some stage.
DOUBLE DEALING
He’s won three in a row and I thought it was a good performance at Wolverhampton last time when he won a competitive-enough handicap on Lincoln Trial day. From a mark of 83 he could progress through the ranks.
FAORA
She’s a very good filly. She’s had a little setback again but is a couple of weeks off coming back into training. Her work is exceptional and she won well on her only start at Yarmouth. I hope we can keep her right as she’s an exciting filly.
FEV ROVER
What you want when you’re trying to get a horse ready for a big race is a hiccup free preparation and touch wood we’ve not had any issues with her. I’ve been able to do everything I’ve wanted before the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, she’s missed nothing, eats everything, she helps you. I’m excited to see her run.
It was desperate ground for her final start in the Prix Marcel Boussac, she got bounced about a little bit, and she’s such a good moving filly I’ve been preaching about wanting to see her on fast ground but every time we found a race it rained.
I’m just slightly worried about the trip on Sunday. Having been running at a mile at two it’s a case of whether she’s going to be quite quick enough in the conditions but she’s training really well. She’s got the ability but I’m just a fraction concerned she might be a mile-and-a-quarter filly.
She’s very well balanced so I hope the track won’t be a problem, it’s just a question of her not being on her head going down the Dip, that’s when they can struggle. If she’s travelling and comes down the hill she’ll definitely come back up it.
I’ve always been sweet on her, some of her work was sensational last year and we had plenty of offers for her but I stuck to my guns and wanted to keep her. I’m excited about Fev Rover but it’s a big day on Sunday.
I didn’t see anything in the trials to frighten me but I wouldn’t mind seeing Santa Barbara work as they seem to think she’s home and hosed. Clearly you have to respect anything Ballydoyle run but I wouldn’t swap mine for anything.
FULL AUTHORITY
A horse Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah transferred to me from Sir Michael Stoute. He’s quite nice and has had another wind operation. Some of his work is good and he’s rated 92 and I’d love him to get to Royal Ascot. Hopefully he’ll progress into something like a Wokingham horse but he needs to win first.
FURZIG
Another that has had a good season on the all-weather. He’s up to a lofty rating of 104 and back on turf is 81. I can’t see a reason why he won’t be the same horse on the grass as he is artificial surfaces but we’ll see how we get on.
GABRIAL THE WIRE
Owned by Marwan Koukash and a horse who has always threatened to progress and pick up a decent handicap. Hopefully it will be this year as he’s matured well.
HARTSWOOD
A 95-rated handicapper who didn’t have a lot of racing last year when he was very backward. He seems to have matured this spring and doesn’t want the ground too fast. I’d like to see him run well in some of the better handicaps.
HONG KONG HARRY
He’s won three out of four and has only disappointed once in his life at Southwell when he just missed the beat and got all the sand kicked into his face and it didn’t happen for him. He quickened up nicely to win at Ayr the other day and I think he’ll improve for that.
IMPERIAL BUTTERFLY
She’s not the highest-rated on this list but she’s a nice filly owned by Sir Robert Ogden. She always worked an awful lot better than she ran on the track in 2020 despite winning a couple. She’s done very well over the winter and off 70 I’ll be disappointed if she doesn’t do something.
MR LUPTON
Not getting any younger but the handicapper is starting to give him a bit of a chance. He’s still 101 but doesn’t train like a back-number. I’ll get him ready for the big sprint handicaps.
PYTHAGOROS
We were pleased with him in the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom on his return. He was fourth there on ground that was plenty fast enough for him. He had a Listed penalty too and the plan wasn’t to make it but he was fresh and just got tired but Paul Hanagan was happy.
Initially I thought he didn’t stay but when I looked back at it he could get further. He’s a chance of doing so on pedigree and juice in the ground will definitely help. He’s going to be hard to place with the penalty but is in the Dante and Sir Robert is keen to go there so we’ll see what happens after that.
He’s working better this spring, he’s grown and matured and that generally means they’re progressing. It’s a fact-finding mission with him at the moment but he’s a nice horse.
REGIONAL
A 94-rated three-year-old who has done really well over the winter. He just needs to improve again but physically looks like he has and I’m looking forward to getting him going.
RHYTHM MASTER
Hand on heart I was a fraction disappointed with him in the Greenham at Newbury but we’re learning with him. John (Dance) was quite keen to keep him off the fast ground but I’m a great believer if you don’t try you don’t know, but John was proven right. He was besides the winner and picking up but PJ McDonald just felt the ground was too quick for him. He’s come out of the race well and we’ll keep him off the quicker stuff now.
He’s not working like a sprinter so seven furlongs or a mile are where we’ll be looking. He’s in the Irish Guineas and a couple of other early-closing races and we’ll monitor things with him. You’d love to think the Jersey Stakes could be a target too but we’ll keep all options open.
He’s a horse who gives himself a hard time at the races, he’s on edge, and you could tell he’d been away after Newbury but he’s bounced back quickly. Some of his form is very good and he’ll be going for the top races.
SHARK TWO ONE
Another one who had a good time of it last season. He starts the year from a rating of 95 and I’m not sure he’s going to be competitive off that but if he gets a bit of help off the handicapper he might bounce back at the back-end of the year on some decent ground. It’s hard for these horses who had a good two-year-old campaign as they tend to bump into progressive types and I think he might need to come down a bit.
SPACE TRAVELLER
A Royal Ascot winner - you don’t get many of them - and he won the Clipper Logistics Boomerang Stakes in Ireland, which was very special. He had a bit of a setback, only ran once last year and his comeback run at Doncaster this time was around was very ordinary. I wasn’t expecting him to win but thought he’d run a decent race but he’s been training better since.
The plan was to run in the Lockinge but that looks 50-50 at the moment and we just need to get his confidence back and get him back on track. The beauty this year is he doesn’t have any Group race penalties to carry which opens up plenty of options for him in the smaller races. Hopefully we’ll get him back rolling and the Clipper Logistics Boomerang Stakes would be high on his agenda again.
SPIRIT DANCER
He ran no race at all on his return at Newbury and had been working really well. I’m looking to blame the quick conditions down there as he’s a horse who should go on at four and he looks absolutely fantastic.
TADLEEL
He had a good all-weather campaign, winning twice, and has had a break since disappointing at Wolverhampton. He’ll be back for the nice seven furlong handicaps in the summer and is a proper Saturday horse.
TAMPA
He was a horse we liked a lot last year but he grew and needed time. I was pleased with his run at Ayr on Monday when fifth on debut, he’d just gone lazy and laidback on us and that outing should wake him up. Hopefully he’ll develop into a colt who might get to Goodwood for the owners.
TORO STRIKE
He won a conditions race at Thirsk the other week, a race that has been a lucky one for us over the years. We’ve just been struggling to get the horses onto grass this spring with the weather so dry and the tracks are where the best ground is as the moment as they’ve been so heavily watered.
We decided to stick him in as a last-minute entry and take him there rather than another gallop. It worked out well and he produced probably his best performance yet. He’s still relatively lightly-raced and has been quite immature but he’s strengthening up into a man now and he’s progressive.
He’s in the Lockinge which is shooting at the stars but the owners Al Shaqab sponsor it so we put him in. We’ll have a look at the race nearer the time and we might think about giving it a go. He’s definitely come on a tonne for the Thirsk run.
UMM KULTHUM
She’d been slowly away in most of her starts last year and Paul made sure she got out in the Fred Darling but she went on to run a little bit free and walked home in the last 100 yards. That run put a line through the Guineas and she’ll probably go back sprinting now.
She was bought at Doncaster last year from Tally-Ho Stud and kept surprising me all season. She’s not a filly who over-expresses herself at home. She’d always work well and sit with her companion but would never go clear and do something scintillating. Every time she ran though she was getting better and better, doing it the hard way by giving them a head start but still picking them up. Some of her sectionals were sensational so I’m hoping she has a good season, it won’t be easy but we’ll get back sprinting and see what happens.
VENTURA DIAMOND
She won a Listed race at Newmarket at the back-end of the season and returned in the Nell Gwyn there this spring. She’s probably ground dependent as well and is likely to go back sprinting. On softish ground I’m sure she’ll find her mark.
VENTURA REBEL
He had a mixed season last year but ran well at Royal Ascot when third in the Commonwealth Cup and signed off by winning a Group Three at the Curragh. He’s rated 108 now and needs to improve a little but we’re excited about him this year, he’s working really well.
It’s hard for three-year-old sprinters and he seems a different horse this time around. He’s more comfortable in himself, we’re able to train him harder and he’ll start in the Duke Of York at the Dante Meeting providing the ground isn’t too quick. We’re still holding the flag for him, he’s in at Royal Ascot again too and goes well there. He’s very exciting.
TWO-YEAR-OLDS
It’s been difficult with the two-year-olds this season, we’ve been struggling a little as we haven’t been able to get them on the grass. It’s another one of the trainer excuses we have in our manual but it’s a genuine one this year. We’ve had a very dry spell and are guessing a little at the moment.
BLENHEIM BOY (Churchill ex Abhasana)
He seems to shape well and the lads at home like him. He’s done all we’ve asked of him so far.
GRIFTER (Dandy Man ex Fleabiscuit)
This is a tough, hardy type of horse who has impressed everyon.
KHUNAN
He won at Ripon two starts ago before being touched off at Pontefract on Wednesday. He’s made a bright start.
KUWAIT WARRIOR (Ribchester ex Mousse Au Chocolat)
He’s a later developing sort, big and scopey and reminds me very much of his dad. We didn’t really do too much with him until the middle of the season and it could be the same with this fellow. He’s a great moving horse and the lads are mad about him.
SUPERIOR COUNSEL (Kodiac ex Odyssee)
A big scopey horse who canters up with a bit of purpose. He’s one to note.
VINTAGE CLARETS
I’m hoping he’s not just a whizzbang, early sort of two-year-old. He looks like he’s going to grow again and goes quick easily which is always a good sign. I thought it was a nice race he won at Ayr last time and he might take in the National Stakes next before hopefully going to Royal Ascot.