TWO colts, unbeaten in a total of 10 races, stand in his way, but Garswood heads to Newmarket this weekend from Malton in a bid to lower the distinguished colours of both Dawn Approach and Toronado.

He will be aiming to become only the third Yorkshire-trained horse in more than a century to win the Qipco 2,000 Guineas.

A tilt at Classic glory may have been no more than a dream during the long winter months, but an easy success in his comeback race on the same course a couple of weeks ago brought a semblance of reality to an exciting challenge. Furthermore, the pride of Musley Bank will be a first Classic ride for Tony Hamilton Garswood not only won the European Free Handicap under Hamilton, he did so with a degree of authority which can hardly have failed to impress even the most cynical of observers. And then, for good measure, he pricked his ears coming up to the line, easing down, knowing his job was done.

It is doubtful that he will have the luxury of pricking his ears on Saturday as he steps into Group 1 company for the first time in his short life, but he’s not heading south simply for the good of his health.

“He deserves to be there,” says trainer Richard Fahey as he puts the finishing touches to the three-year-old in advance of a thrilling assault with a horse he believes could be as good, if not better, than any he has previously trained.

In Dawn Approach, trained by the peerless Jim Bolger in Ireland, and last year’s top juvenile after a flawless six straight wins, and Toronado, handled by Richard Hannon, and boasting a four-from-four record, which includes an impressive win in the Craven Stakes on his reappearance, Garswood faces two rivals out of the top drawer. Indeed, the ante-post market suggests that it’s a two-horse race and that the remainder are merely running for places; Dawn Approach is the 11-10 favourite, Toronado is 11-4 and Garswood is a 16-1 chance, though he was as big as more than 200-1 on the betting exchanges only a month ago.

Last year Garswood was confined to sprint distances, winning the Harry Rosebery Stakes at Ayr, a Listed race over five furlongs, and being beaten a whisker in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at Ascot, also over the minimum trip.

“He was a big baby. We needed to teach him how to race properly, which is one of the reasons we ran him over five furlongs. He’s got plenty of speed, but we always felt he’d be better over further,” explains Fahey.

Seven furlongs was the distance of the European Free Handicap. Not only did he relish the extra trip, he gave the distinct impression that a step up to a mile for the Guineas would pose no problems.

“He wasn’t stopping at the end,” points out his trainer, who handles Garswood for David Armstrong and Cheveley Park Stud, who bought back into the colt they had originally bred at the beginning of the turf season. Last year, Cheveley Park stepped-in to purchase a share of stablemate Mayson, also owned by Armstrong, after his resounding Group 1 triumph in the Darley July Cup. Mayson, narrowly beaten in the Prix de l’Abbeye at Longchamp on his final start, has since got more than 70 mares safely in-foal at Cheveley Park.

A stud career will, one day, be Garswood’s reward. For the moment, he needs to enhance his performance record. Fahey has been more than satisfied with him since his opening win of the season. “I couldn’t be happier with him,” he says. “He came out of his first race well and he’s done everything we’ve wanted since.”

Tony Hamilton, who rode Garswood with the utmost confidence to win the Free Handicap, will be in the saddle again on Saturday. Having partnered the colt, as he does most days, in his final piece of work on Monday morning, he said, “He’s grand. I’m very happy with him and I’m looking forward to Saturday.”

In the meantime, photographers and television camera crews have made appointments to visit Garswood before his all-important assignment. Come 3.50pm on Saturday, Ryedale’s best three-year-old will put his reputation on the line.

 

• David O’Meara struck a real bargain when buying Two For Two out of France last autumn for only 11,000 euros. The five-year-old, runner-up at Redcar on his first outing for the Nawton trainer, went one better in some style at Ripon last Saturday when bagging a £9,337 first prize with a decisive success.

“I think he’s a 100-horse,” said O’Meara. “He won twice in France including a 17-runner maiden first time out and he’s out of a half-sister to Rock Of Gibraltar.”

 

• IT was nail-biting stuff, but Kristin Stubbs was delighted to see Bogsnog come out the right side of a photo-finish in the last race at Newcastle last Friday evening to mark her first winner as a trainer.

Stubbs, a former apprentice jockey, took over the training licence from her mother Linda in January and had come close to having a winner with her very first runner when Midnight Dream was beaten a nose at Wolverhampton.

Happily, it was a more celebratory outcome at Newcastle as former Grand National-winning jockey Graham Lee, now a leading rider on the Flat, weaved a tremendous late run from Bogsnog to get in front of the dying strides of a five furlong handicap and score at 7-1 by a neck.

“That was brilliant,” said Stubbs. “I thought a furlong out that he was only going to be third or fourth, but he’s so game and Graham gave him a great ride. I had had a couple of seconds, so I am so pleased to finally get my first winner.”

Stubbs feels there is more to come from Bogsnog, who was a consistent juvenile last year when he also scored for her mother Linda at Bath last September.

“He doesn’t know how to run a bad race. He wintered really well and had been ready to run for a while – he’d been leading our two-year-olds – only there were no races for him. Hopefully, he can win again.”

 

• THREE winners in three days, the reduction of his claim to 5lb and the signing-up with his first sponsor has put an extra spring in the step of a Ryedale apprentice.

George Chaloner’s purple patch took him from Wolverhampton to Yarmouth and then on to Catterick last week as he rattled-up winners on Downtown Boy for Ray Craggs, Spirit Of The Law, trained by his boss Richard Fahey, and the Tracy Waggott-trained Thrust Control.

“What a run I’m having,” said Chaloner, who had had two previous winners since the turf season started on the Fahey-trained Ingleby Spirit at Doncaster and Right Touch at Ripon.

“Spirit Of The Law was my 20th winner, which reduced my claim to 5lb, which is great,” said Chaloner. “The main thing now is to keep the momentum going if I can.”

The 20-year-old, who started out with Malcolm Jefferson, is equally delighted to have attracted the attention of South Yorkshire businessman and racehorse owner Steve Clayton, who offered Chaloner a sponsorship deal through his Moorebrooke company.

“It’s good news that Steve has generously put together a package of support for me in a sponsorship, which will include all my riding-out and race-riding gear. It all helps and I am very grateful to him.”

Clayton, whose firm is based near Doncaster, has enjoyed plenty of success as an owner with Richard Fahey, most notably with the now-retired Quest For Success, Yorkshire Cup runner-up Glen’s Diamond and recent Yarmouth winner Khelman.

 

• DAVID Bergin has much in common with George Chaloner. He has a sponsorship with Malton’s White Rose Saddlery and he also lost his 7lb claim last week. The young Irishman, attached to David O’Meara’s Nawton yard, gained his 20th career success on Awake My Soul at Beverley last week and followed-up aboard Creek Falcon at Doncaster. Now eligible for only a 5lb allowance, Bergin partnered 16 winners last season after joining O’Meara, having previously posted just a single success in his native Ireland.

 

• Andrew Tinkler could hardly have wished to have a better ending to the jumps season, which drew to a close last Saturday (only to start again the following day) than by winning the flagship concluding contest.

The bet365 Gold Cup Chase, still fondly remembered by some as the Whitbread Gold Cup, is one of the most prestigious staying races of the campaign, and Malton-born Tinkler took the honours on the ultra-game Quentin Collonges at odds of 14-1.

Trained by Henry Daly, Quentin Collonges had carried Tinkler to a notable success in the Grimthorpe Cup at Doncaster in February, but this was a league above that and victory provided his rider with his biggest-ever success.

“He’s as tough as old boots and has a great attitude,” said Tinkler of his mount, after a hard-earned two lengths win which carried a first prize of more than £85,000.

 

• Doncaster staged the first lady amateur riders’ race of the new turf season in Yorkshire last Saturday and victory went to Alyson Deniel aboard the David Nicholls-trained Karaka Jack.

The Ryedale pilot, who steered home the gelding to a decisive 4-1 success, is one of the most experienced riders on the lady’s circuit and gained her biggest victory aboard the Mark Johnston-trained Step This Way in the 2008 Queen Mother’s Cup at York.