Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds’ Racing Manager Sam Hoskins discusses some of KVT’s key runners, including three set to run on Guineas Weekend at Newmarket.
Equality has done really well over the winter and is a bigger and stronger horse this time around. There were very few options for him in April so the Palace House at Newmarket was the obvious starting point and hopefully he can prove himself at Group level this season.
The big aim for the rest of this season is the King George at Glorious Goodwood with a trip to Chantilly for the Prix Du Gros-Chene also a possibility in between. He is a very exciting horse from a sireline that Charlie Hills has excelled with. I know Charlie thinks he is very similar to his paternal half-brother, Equilateral, and he hasn’t turned out too bad!
Dual Identity was highly progressive in the second half of last season, and we are really looking forward to seeing him this spring. He was arguably unlucky in the Cambridgeshire where he was just on the wrong side and the Suffolk Handicap is obviously over the same course and distance and should therefore suit him perfectly.
Trip wise, nine or 10 furlongs seem to be his distance, but you wouldn’t rule out a fast-run straight mile, especially on slower ground. There is a valuable 10-furlong handicap on Oaks day that could suit him after this.
Chartwell House is a quirky chap, who ran a stormer on his seasonal reappearance at the Craven meeting, despite over-racing early on.
If he can race more economically then he ought to have a big chance on Saturday with the conditions of the race suiting him perfectly. There are no real long-term targets with him, but he should get a mile, so I suppose the Britannia wouldn’t be impossible if he was to win at Newmarket.
Unfortunately, poor old Sir Busker got a bad eye infection after the Dubai Turf at Meydan. He has only just returned home from the vet clinic out there so there are no immediate plans with him at this stage. Hopefully we can aim him at the York Stakes at York in July, which he won last year.
Season expectations
We were lucky enough to have 16 winners from our stable of 13 horses in 2022 and a strike rate anywhere near to that would be fantastic!
Hopefully we can take our brilliant syndicate members to all the big meetings and compete hard in Group races and valuable Heritage handicaps. We always try to go the extra mile for our members and while racecourse success is crucial, we also take the social element and having fun very seriously!
Horse to follow
In terms of a horse to follow, Equality could join Sir Busker in Group ranks this season but, in terms of a dark horse, I would recommend keeping an eye on Bunker Bay (runs at Yarmouth on Tuesday). He could be well-handicapped and we’re hoping for a big run.
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