Saturday 8th of February 2025
Rachael Green

Full steam ahead as the jump season moves up a gear

With the winter jumps season about to get going and plans made for the horses at Anthony Honeyball Racing, it is full steam ahead for a busy season, writes Anthony’s wife and assistant trainer Rachael.

Fountain’s Windfall at Aintree – in the yellow colours.

The horses are all coming along and working really well. They had their first session over jumps in the school last week to refresh their memories and the majority have now schooled outside on the grass.

I schooled alongside Chloe Emsley, James Nixon and Aidan Coleman who stopped in on his way to Newton Abbot on Friday which was celebrating its season’s finale. All jumped well and it was especially good to see the novice chasers jump the fences for the first time. 

With the winter jumps season about to get going plans have been made for the horses with some targets identified. Fountains Windfall will go for the Grade 2 3m West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby which is staged during the Charlie Hall meeting on November 4. If we miss that for any reason, we’re looking towards the end of November for the Betfair Exchange Betfair Handicap Hurdle, a £100k fixed brush handicap hurdle at Haydock on November 25.

Regal Encore’s target is the Grade 3 Sodexo Gold Cup at Ascot on Saturday, November 4 – the racecourse’s first meeting of the 2017/18 jumps season. It’s a £100k race and with Regal Encore having previously won around the course and distance it seems like a sensible place to start.

He’ll also be entered for the Grade 2 bet365 Charlie Hall at Wetherby on the same day as I think off a mark of 150 he’d have a chance. He could also end up with an entry in Wincanton’s Badger Ales Trophy at on Saturday November 11.

After those initial targets he we’ll consider Ladbrokes (formerly the Hennessy) Trophy at Newbury on December 2 with the end of season target another tilt at the Grand National.

Urca De Lima and Duhallow Gesture are both being aimed at the mares’ listed bumper at Cheltenham on November 18. It’s a nice target for them.

Our two very highly thought of mares Tacenda and Ms Parfois are both due to go mares’ novice chasing. Tacenda will start on November 10 at Fontwell and Ms Parfois November 18 at Uttoxeter.

Then we hope they will both start at Newbury on its December 20 St James Place Christmas Raceday  in a £25,000 listed mares’ novices.

Unbeaten bumper horse Sam Brown is likely to run over two and a half miles in novice hurdle races with a 2m4f maiden hurdle at Aintree on October 29 a possibility to start him off.

Black Prince notched up the first win of his career at Chelmsford City earlier this month where he won the two mile Bet totetrifecta At betfred.com Handicap.

John Egan has ridden him in the past and they’ve just hit the cross bar a few times while running well in defeat. You need to race handily at Chelmsford and John rode a lovely race with Black Prince holding on gamely for a half length success.

He’s been schooling very well at home and loves his jumping. I don’t think it will be too long before he goes hurdling, with a view to continuing on the Flat too.

He’ll possibly go for a juvenile hurdle race first of all, which won’t necessarily suit him as he needs a bit further, but it will give him valuable experience.

He’s a big horse, about 17hh, and he’s a quite a cheeky chap with lots of character but he’s so enthusiast about his work. We all love him!

Anthony is dusting off his racing boots and coming out of retirement to ride in Wincanton’s charity race at its Key4Life Charity raceday on October 29.

Key4Life is a charity that aims to reduce youth offending through its rehabilitation programmes. The race coincides with the racecourse’s 150th anniversary celebrations when it will be taking a step back in time with all things Victorian. 

If anyone would like to sponsor Anthony please visit https://mydonate.bt.com/ fundraisers/anthonyhoneyball1 

We were thrilled for Jabeena Maslim who is such an integral part of the team here at Potwell Farm with the jump training of our horses.  Her homebred Cherokee Bay won the Grade C Championship at last week’s Horse of The Year Show with Kathryn Ellison in the saddle. It’s a huge achievement and we’re delighted for her.

www.ajhoneyballracing.co.uk

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