Skip to content

Our Catching Pigeons column brings us the news from the major training centres

Image: 'Studious' Harry Fry: Can the plan come off?

Our Catching Pigeons column brings us the news from the major training centres and the inside line ahead of Saturday's action.

Harry Fry’s somewhat studious manner accurately reflects a man who likes nothing more than putting a plan together and that plan can be realised with Activial in the The Ladbroke at Ascot.

Since starting out on under his own name, Fry has quickly established himself as a premier league trainer and he can underline the point here, having set his stall out to win this valuable handicap after deciding at a fairly early stage that a tilt at the last month's Greatwood Hurdle with his highly talented and very much unexposed four year old would come too soon.

His preparation for this more prestigious prize has included a more-than-satisfactory racecourse gallop at Wincanton recently and this, along with other high class pieces of work have helped fuel the belief that Activial has improved significantly from a very good juvenile campaign – just as Fry always thought and said he would.

Unfortunately, the jungle drums have been beating his name all week in the West Country and the tastiest prices available at the start of the week have been snaffled up, but there’s every chance the bookmakers might be out to fill their satchels again on Saturday – taking big-race Saturday favourites on seems to be a regular occurrence these days – in which case a decent price might yet be available.

Flintham can see off Alan King's The Tourard Man and make it two wins from three starts this season in the Foundation Developments Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, the opening event on the Ascot card.

A full-brother to high class performer Carruthers and a half-brother to the very exciting Coneygree, Flintham has some way to travel to emulate those illustrious siblings, but he won with more in hand than it looked at Chepstow last time, and looks open to further improvement.

Latest Racing Stories

Bigger than both of his illustrious siblings, he’s a bit of a powerhouse who ought to handle the testing ground well and find that the step up to three mile suits.

Puffin Billy had a significantly easier race on his latest start than Irish Saint and he could prove the value bet in the David Johnson Shawbrook Bank Graduation Chase.

Oliver Sherwood has had a few headaches over the past couple of seasons with the six year old but everything looked back on track after he landed an easy success at the last meeting here.

His jumping from the front was a joy to behold and given the fact he is bred to stay, he could take some catching over this extra two furlongs. He will handle the soft ground well and his trainer reports everything has gone very smoothly since his win.

The Young Master is the choice to land a much-deserved big-race win for owner Mike Burbidge in the Mappin & Webb Silver Cup Handicap Chase, a fascinating contest still fondly known to many as ‘the SGB’.

However unfortunate the circumstances, no-one can argue that the five year old had to lose the Badger Beer at Wincanton in November after it was revealed he had not been qualified to run, but to suffer a 14lb rise in his rating for a win which does not officially exist was tough to take. However, such was the ease of that phantom success, he could still be up to winning off this new mark – trainer Neil Mulholland certainly thinks so.

Dangers abound in this decent race, but mention should be made of Le Reve, who ran better than his ultimate fate in the Hennessy suggested, and could well reverse placings from that race with runner-up Houblon Des Obeaux.

With Harry Fry's preferred jockey Noel Fehily doing the steering on Activial at Ascot, Nick Scholfield takes over aboard the stable's exciting mare Bitofapuzzle and she should grab her first bit of black type over timber in the isted Swift SFM Mares' Novices Hurdle at Haydock.

Built more like a shot-putter than a sprinter, she will improve plenty for her debut win over hurdles at Wincanton last month, and should just have the edge over the more-experienced and very talented The Pirate’s Queen.

River Deep can see off the in-form Dunlough Bay in the Grech Family Handicap Hurdle. Philip Hobbs' charge attempted a hat-trick after wins on good and soft ground at Worcester and Newton Abbot in a tough handicap at Cheltenham last month, but faded up the final hill after holding every chance at the last. The form of the race looks solid and this return to a flat, easy course should be appreciated.

Le Reve’s trainer Lucy Wadham is always worth following at her local jumping track, Fakenham, and she can strike with Amidon in the Independent Racecourses Ltd Maiden Hurdle. A good third to the very highly-rated Lettheriverrundry in a bumper at Towcester on his latest start, he is expected to make a bold show on his hurdling bow in a run-of-the-mill event.

Speaking of Newmarket trainers, former Godolphin man Simon Crisford was noted on the gallops in the town this week, keeping a watchful eye over the work of one horse. It won’t be long until he saddles his first runner.

Also spotted was Jamie Spencer, riding work for William Haggas on the Al Bahathri all-weather gallop. Haggas then watched on as a team of his yearlings worked along the adjacent Railway Land strip. It’s early days but he looks to have plenty to look forward to among his two-year-olds next season.

A number of trainers in Newmarket appear to have kept a larger number of runners than normal on the go for the all-weather campaign with the likes of John Gosden and Ed Dunlop still sending decent-sized teams out on a regular basis.

Gosden could be represented by Made With Love at Kempton on Monday and it will be a surprise if she doesn’t win.

Around Sky