Beaumont looks to new season (From Gazette & Herald)

Beaumont looks to new season

The National Hunt campaign is fast gathering pace, which signals the green light for Peter Beaumont, Ryedale's jumping stalwart, to spring back into action from his Brandsby base.

Beaumont, who recently held his annual owners' open morning, where four lots of six horses were exercised, and others were paraded in front of eager eyes, is optimstic of enjoying a good campaign.

"We'd be looking at the likes of Flight Command, Italiano and Moor Spirit, and hoping they can do well," said Beaumont, picking out a trio of horses with solid prospects.

Flight Command won two races over fences last season and is considered at his best over two-and-a-half miles, while Italiano progressed nicely over hurdles last winter.

"He's going novice chasing this time," reveals his trainer.

Moor Spirit underlined his versatility last term by winning at two miles and also at three. The eight-year-old should continue to pay his way in the months ahead.

Beaumont has one or two interesting potential recruits to fences this season, among them Fencote, who showed promise over hurdles, Profowens, who is returning after an injury, and Lord Rodney, a Wetherby hurdles winner last season.

High hopes are also held out for Seymar Lad, who carries the well-known colours of Trevor Hemmings, and who won a bumper at Wetherby last season.

"He will be going hurdling," said Peter, who will also be looking to some of his juniors to keep the Foulrice Farm flying high, "We've got some very nice youngsters coming through."

While Hunters Tweed, who did the yard proud in recent seasons, has gone to race in Ireland, Hussard Collonges will be out and about again this season, though not until the ground eases.

"He's been in work at his owner Mr Bannister's, where he's also been having some intensive physio," said Beaumont, who does not anticipate getting the 10-year-old back on the track until December.

Hussard Collonges, a Cheltenham Festival winner as a novice chaser, had a serious accident a couple of seasons ago at Wetherby and never really fired last season after returning to action.

"The fast ground didn't help him," said Peter. "Hopefully, he'll have conditions more to his liking this winter."

Honourably retired, but still knocking about the Brandsby establishment, and on the receiving end of a popular reception during the owners' open morning, are Niki Dee, now 15-years-old, and Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Jodami, who will officially celebrate his 21st birthday on January 1.

"Both old horses are in great form," said Peter, with fingers crossed that the same level of form transfers itself to his current racers as the jumps season gets into top gear.

It's a sure sign that winter is around the corner when racing at York comes to an end for another year, and the celebrated Knavesmire played host to its final action of 2005 last weekend with a two-day meeting which again proved rewarding for the locals.

Richard Fahey gained his fifth York win of the season - just two behind Mark Tompkins, who carried off the top trainer prize at the course - when completing a 1-2 in Friday's opening handicap with Realism and Instructor.

The Tony Hamilton-ridden winner has enjoyed a fine year, with this victory supplementing a Knavesmire triumph at the big Ebor Festival, and Fahey is now tempted to look much further afield in an effort to eke out more winning opportunities for the gelding.

"I am looking at the possibility of sending him to Dubai to race from the end of January through to March," reveals Fahey, who adds: "I've had a look at the programme book for Dubai this winter and there's also a chance I might send Claret And Amber over there as well. Horses have, ideally, got to be rated at least 90 to warrant sending them to Dubai, and while I'd love to send a couple more. I think these two are the only ones I've got who fit the bill at the moment."

Tim Easterby, who has also had another good year on his local course, saddled Tcherina to win the apprentices' handicap at York on Friday, a victory that was hardly coming out of turn for the Great Habton filly.

Seen to excellent effect aboard Tcherina was Duran Fentiman, who joined Easterby's stable from John Weymes at Middleham in mid-season. The young rider got a great tune out of his mount in the closing stages and also had the presence of mind to put down his whip in the final 100 yards and drive home his mount with hands-and-heels to gain a thrilling victory over Stretton.

Aboard the runner-up, incidentally, was William Carson, grandson of a certain Willie Carson, the five-times champion jockey. Apprenticed to Clive Brittain at Newmarket, Carson Jnr looks like a young rider to keep a watchful eye on, but then so too is Duran Fentiman, who could well be in a position to be bidding for championship honours in the apprentices' table next year.

Kevin Darley was among the York honours on both days of the meeting. The Sheriff Hutton jockey gained a pillar-to-post win on Friday aboard the Brian Meehan-trained Menston, and followed suit 24 hours later aboard Austrian, trained by Mark Johnston and running in the familiar colours of Sheikh Mohammed.

We know the significance of certain horses running on certain courses. But what of trainers and horses?

Certainly, anyone who took notice that John Quinn had sent a single runner last Sunday to Bath, where he had had two winners from just three runners in the last five years, will have been handsomely rewarded.

Graze On, the sole traveller from Quinn's Ryedale yard, made his 480-mile round trip worthwhile with a 6-1 success in the hands of Eddie Ahern.

Quinn and his former riding buddy Roger Marley, incidentally, have an interesting horse on their hands in One More Step, who made a spectacular winning debut at Hexham on Saturday.

The four-year-old, a well-related son of Parthian Springs, ran out a wide-margin winner in the hands of local amateur rider Richard Tierney and looks like a horse which is well worth following.

Ryedale owner-breeder Noel Bulmer was in winning form at Ayr on Monday when Harrys House - yet another winner for John Quinn - gained his first success of the season.

Wearing a first-time visor and revelling on the soft ground, the gelding won the five-furlongs handicap under a good ride from Tony Hamilton.

The victory could not have been better timed for Bulmer, who has a half-brother to Harrys House going to the forthcoming yearling sales at Doncaster.

"He's a real nice horse and I'm hoping to get a good price for him," said Noel.

In the meantime, Katies House, a juvenile half-sister to Harrys House, is set to make her debut at Pontefract next week.

Newmarket on Saturday will see Tim FitzGerald bidding for a major prize with a strong family connection.

FitzGerald is running Inchnadamph in the Cesarewitch Handicap, a race won twice by his late father Jimmy with Trainglot and Kayudee.

Victory for Inchnadamph, a much-improved horse this season, and already a winner at Newmarket, would be something to celebrate at Norton Grange.

Updated: 14:59 Wednesday, October 12, 2005