John Ingles highlights the trainers who had the best strike-rates over jumps in Britain and Ireland during January.
Willie Mullins clocked up the 4,000th winner of his training career at the end of January when Bronn won the beginners chase at Fairyhouse last Saturday. That came at the end of another hugely successful month for the Closutton team which matched its December total by sending out 32 winners again. Coming between Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting and the Dublin Racing Festival, January might be more of a low-key month for Irish trainers, but only Gordon Elliott sent out more runners than Mullins among jumps trainers in Britain and Ireland during the month.
Mullins, of course, maintains a high strike rate all season long – it stands at a shade under 29% since the beginning of October – but for January alone that rose to 39% from his 82 runners which shows that even by his standards it was an exceptionally productive month.
To pick out a few of the highlights, there was a treble for the yard at Naas early in the month which included wins for Champ Kiely in the Grade 1 Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle and for Appreciate It who made it two out of two over fences in facile fashion in the two-mile novice chase, both of those in the colours of Margaret Masterson.
Among other exciting prospects with potential Cheltenham dates to be successful during January were James du Berlais who came back from a lengthy absence to make a winning debut over fences at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day, Impaire Et Passe who was impressive in keeping his unbeaten record in the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown, Gaelic Warrior who again hardly broke sweat to make it two out of two over hurdles this season in a minor event at Clonmel, It’s For Me who rocketed to favouritism for the Champion Bumper when hacking up on his debut at Navan and Sir Gerhard whose eagerly-awaited chasing debut resulted in a wide-margin win at Gowran.
There was also the small matter of Carefully Selected winning the Thyestes Handicap Chase at Gowran on just his second start back from a near three-year absence to cap a particularly good month for the Mastersons.
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January tends to be a relatively quiet month for Paul Nicholls who took the opportunity to take a break himself halfway through the month but he left things ticking along nicely as the Ditcheat team had a strike rate in excess of 30% with 16 winners from its 51 runners in January.
A four-timer at Taunton early in the month took Nicholls past the hundred mark for the season and he ended January in fine style too with a treble on Cheltenham’s Trials Day thanks to Stage Star who followed up a win at Plumpton earlier in the month with an impressive success under top weight in the Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase, Il Ridoto who came good in first-time cheekpieces in the card’s valuable handicap chase and the reliable Hacker des Places who was a game winner of the handicap hurdle.
The stable’s two biggest wins of the month came from Tahmuras who kept his unbeaten record over hurdles in the Tolworth Novices’ at Sandown and Pic d’Orhy who completed a hat-trick in emphatic fashion in the Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton.
Among the smaller yards Jane Williams had a particularly good January, sending out seven winners from 25 runners at a strike-rate of 28%. French-bred youngsters have long been the mainstay of the stable and the pick of those last month was the useful five-year-old Saint Segal who made it two out of two over fences with a ready win in a novice at Hereford.
He remains of interest despite his defeat at Doncaster in a strong-looking handicap at Doncaster on Friday as he should have won that race too but for conceding first run to winner Malystic.
Galice Macalo was predictably outclassed by Epatante on the same card but in a more realistic grade was an easy winner of a mares’ handicap back over hurdles at Chepstow earlier in the month. Two other winners to note were the four-year-olds Jaminska and Romancero Le Dun who can progress further from their respective wins at Hereford and Ludlow, the latter looking potentially useful having now won both his completed starts.
Back in Ireland, Gavin Cromwell hit a strike-rate in January of more than 26% with 12 winners from 46 starters over jumps. That was at least some compensation for a yard that’s been dealt a blow by a setback to stable star Flooring Porter now rated only ’50-50’ to bid for a hat-trick of Stayers’ Hurdles at Cheltenham. While Cromwell had a double at Tramore on New Year’s Day, the majority of the stable’s winners came in the second half of the month which is all the more encouraging going into February.
The stable’s best winner wasn’t on home soil but at Huntingdon where the very smart Jeremys Flame made it three wins from her last four starts in a competitive listed mares’ chase. Others who could be crossing the Irish Sea for Cheltenham next month are Albert Bartlett entry Letsbeclearaboutit who got off the mark over hurdles in facile fashion in a maiden at Punchestown and Navan novice hurdle winner Path d’Ouroux who reportedly has a tilt at the County Hurdle under consideration.
Dan Skelton suffered a couple of reverses on Trials Day at Cheltenham when Betfair Chase winner Protektorat could finish only fourth in the Cotswold Chase after being too fresh for his own good after that break, while Pembroke was another short-priced favourite beaten in the Grade 2 novice hurdle for all that he ran his best race in finishing second to Rock My Way.
But overall it was a good month for the yard which operated at a strike-rate a shade under 25% thanks to 16 winners from 66 runners.
Local track Warwick yielded a Grade 2 double (on a day when they had four winners all told), with the progressive Grey Dawning completing a hat-trick in the Leamington Novices’ Hurdle and fellow Festival entry Galia des Liteaux confirming debut promise over fences when proving too good for her rivals under an attacking ride in the Hampton Novices’ Chase.
The month had begun well with the smart Midnight River winning the premier handicap chase at Cheltenham’s New Year’s Day meeting, while exciting prospect Kateira has the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon in her sights later this month after making it two out of two over hurdles with a win at the same track.
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