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Category Archives: Latest News

Monday 24th October

The determined victory of Shearer at Cheltenham on Saturday took me to the landmark total of 3,500 winners since I began training at Ditcheat late in October 1991.

That figure includes all my successes over jumps and on the flat at home and abroad.
I began with eight horses and my first runner on November 2 at Chepstow was pulled up at half way.
Approaching Christmas I’d racked up half a dozen seconds and was beginning to wonder if my luck would ever turn. So you can imagine my relief when Olveston, owned in part by my parents, broke the duck for me over fences at Hereford in December 20 ridden by Hywel Davies. The show was on the road.
So much has changed since then but the fundamentals of Team Ditcheat remain the same. It is still a case of working the horses hard to get them fit and working them hard to keep them fit.
We have an exciting team for this winter and the next target is 4,000 winners.
Shearer has improved a fair bit since we sorted out his issues with sore shins. He was a bit of a baby last season, did well over the summer and it was good to see him find plenty up the hill on Saturday to see off Twig in a Class 2 Novice Hurdle.
We were thinking of going chasing with Shearer after Cheltenham but will now keep him to hurdles for the time being.
On Sunday Hitman came oh so close to becoming my 3,501st winner with a brilliant run under top weight in the Grade 2 Old Roan Chase at Aintree. He travelled beautifully throughout, winged the last just behind Riders On The Storm and kept on strongly on the flat but was just held by a whisker on the line.
Considering he was giving 20lbs to the winner it was a great effort by Hitman on his first run since a wind op.
Jumping the second last he landed tight on the backside of Beakstown. That cost him a vital two lengths but he again showed he was a good horse by making up the ground and pushing the winner to the limit. The key is that he can breathe now after a breathing operation in the summer. It was a fabulous run off a mark of 159 and as I warned beforehand, he is bound to come on no end for the run just as he did late last year when second in the Tingle Creek Chase after a fine seasonal debut in the Haldon Gold Cup.
Clan Des Obeaux won his first King George V1 Chase off a rating of 160 and I’d say Hitman is sure to go up at least to that mark and am sure is going to relish 3miles .
He is still only six with so much more to come from him and he will now head to Haydock on November 19 for the £50,000 Intermediate Chase over two miles, five furlongs, won last year by Bravemansgame. Then it will be straight to the King George at Kempton.
Now that the rain has come we hope to be very busy in the coming days with runners at Chepstow on Tuesday and Wednesday before we take a team to Wetherby and plenty to Ascot at the weekend.
Provided the ground is suitable Bravemansgame should run in the Charlie Hall Chase on Saturday, and Secret Investor will have an entry too and Gelino Bello could run over fences on Friday while Threeundertheufive might run in the bet365 Hurdle over three miles enroute to Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup.
If the ground is on the slow side of good we will run plenty. If it is fast we will have none.
For all the latest news on my runners on Saturday please be sure to turn to my Betfair column which goes live early on Friday afternoon.

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Monday 17th October

The Judges’ Award presented to Clifford Baker at the McCoys dinner at Cheltenham on Wednesday evening was fitting recognition for a man who has been at the heart of all our success for more than 25 years.

He is the first into the yard each morning, the last to leave in the evening and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his vital role as head lad. Running a busy racing yard is not like running a factory when you can turn off the machines at 5pm on Friday, lock up for the weekend and come back on Monday. You can’t do that with horses to feed and exercise. Animals are labour intensive and always have been. It has never been a nine to five job. No-one understands that better than Clifford whose alarm goes off at 4.45 each morning.
We have changed things this season so that our staff work one weekend on and two off. That isn’t always easy to arrange because Saturday is often our most important day and of course we have Sunday racing too.
In a marvellous acceptance speech Clifford spoke of his pride at receiving his award from a great sport which he has loved all his life.
He joined Team Ditcheat in 1996, has been my right hand man ever since, is as enthusiastic as ever, and is keen to find one more Gold Cup winner to add to the five he has been so closely involved with.
The previous weekend at the annual Point-to-Point awards dinner my daughter Olive received her trophy for being the champion female novice rider. To ride ride eleven winners in her first season at the age of 16 was quite an achievement and I’m proud of her progress.
Back on the racecourse I thought Pic D’Orhy was superb in winning the Intermediate Chase at Newton Abbot on Saturday. He had a lot to do carrying 11st 12lbs, was brilliant at his fences and kept galloping. He is good in small fields of runners and will probably run next in an Intermediate Chase at Sandown over three miles or the Grade 2 Chase at Ascot over two miles, five furlongs at Ascot.
Hermes Allen has not shown much at home since joining us after winning a Point-to-Point in Ireland. But he looked good as he won with any amount in hand on his debut for us at Stratford.
A lot of the good horses are like that. Denman and Silviniaco Conti were ones who reserved who reserved all their best work for the racecourse. Neptune Collonges, our Grand National winner, was another. Hermes Allen certainly looked to have a bright future at Stratford. We will find another similar race for him with a penalty then step him up in grade.
I was hopeful for a big run from Silent Revolution at Newton Abbot but he slipped going into an early fence and pulled up sore having pulled some muscles. He will be fine and we will put a line through that run
I was delighted with Sabrina in the handicap hurdle and she now goes straight to the Richard Barber Memorial Hurdle at Wincanton in three weeks time, a race for fillies .
What we need more than anything is plenty of rain this week and there is some promise of that in the latest forecasts. As it is currently good to firm at Cheltenham I may not have any runners there on Friday and maybe only a couple on Saturday while you couldn’t be sure at this stage if Wincanton will go ahead on Sunday.
For all the up to date news on my weekend runners please be sure to check out my Betfair column which goes live on Friday and Saturday afternoon.

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Monday 10th October

I was delighted to have three winners at Chepstow’s first jumps meeting of the season at the weekend, a fixture I always like to target.

Our horses look well and are running well. All we need now is plenty of rain to ease ground conditions at tracks around the country. Then we will really be in business.
Sonigino set the ball rolling on Friday with a fluent success in a Class 3 handicap hurdle on his first start since a breathing operation. He travelled keenly the whole way, cruised to the front at the second last flight and won in style.
He was a bit of a baby last season, struggled with his breathing and found life difficult having to carry two penalties in some of his races but has obviously improved. My original plan was to switch Sonigino to fences but that is on hold and I’ll give him an entry in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham along with Knappers Hill and Hacker Des Places.
On Friday Outlaw Peter ran a cracking race in finishing second to Accidental Rebel in the Grade 2 Persian War Hurdle. He’d been working very well at home, looked like winning going the last flight and will come on for the run.
On Saturday I was thrilled with the way Knappers Hill landed the valuable Wasdell Group Silver Trophy. He took a while to get the hang of jumping last season but is now very slick over his hurdles and came clear of a competitive field of handicappers in the closing stages at his first attempt at two and a half miles.
I was keen to keep him to hurdles this season and could well give him an entry in the Elite Hurdle as he has plenty of pace dropping back to two miles. A fast run race at Wincanton would play to his strengths but I am in no rush with him .
Jumping was also a bit of an issue for Flic Ou Voyou last winter but he was foot perfect on Saturday on his way to a clear cut success in the £40,000 John Ayres Memorial Handicap Chase.
I’ll be making plenty of entries at Newton Abbot, Kempton and Stratford for the coming weekend although running plans will depend on how much rain arrives over the coming days.
I’d like to run Pic D’Orhy at Newton Abbot in the race won by Bravemansgame a year ago if the ground is suitable.
If it is on the easy side we could take five or six horses to Newton Abbot.
For all the latest news on my weekend runners please be sure to check out my Betfair column which goes live late afternoon on Friday.

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