Reaction to Helium’s fine third and other news from West Buckland.

helium sandown 3rd padd

Helium has been a wonderful horse for the yard this season; he runs for the West Buckland Racing Club and he took his chance at Sandown on Friday (pictured here in the paddock pre race). Rhys Flint took the ride and Helium ran an absolutely superb race to finish third under top weight in a very competitive race. The strong pace in the race was certainly a help to Helium and the ground was better here than it was on his last couple of starts.  Helium started this season rated 108 and has now won three chases on the bounce and finished in the first four places in his other five starts and was third today off a handicap mark of 130. He has been a remarkable horse this season and he has given the members of The West Buckland Racing club some wonderful days out and to finish placed at a Grade 1 track was superb.

            Trapper Peak made his stable debut at Huntingdon last Thursday and was a creditable fourth. He travelled well and I was particularly pleased with his jumping as we had done a lot of work with that since he joined the yard. He gained some Prize Money for his owner David Gilbert and hopefully he will be able to progress from this. Trapper Peak holds entries at Taunton and Ludlow this week and it is possible he will run in one of those races. A decision will be made on that over the weekend.

            Black Narcissus went to Fontwell earlier this week in a bid to win her fourth race in succession and on paper it looked an ideal race for her with just the three runners declared. Unfortunately she was a faller at the twelfth fence when just behind the leaders but thankfully she got up straight away and both her and jockey Rhys Flint emerged unscathed which was a relief. She will be given some time to get over her fall but as soon as she shows me the right signs at home I’ll try and find her another winnable opportunity. She, like Helium has been a credit to the syndicate that own her. Team Dunn have had a superb time with Black Narcissus who has won three races this season and given the syndicate some wonderful days at the races.

            On the same card at Fontwell Chasing Fairies made her debut in the concluding National Hunt flat race under Will Gordon. It was very testing and sticky ground but Chasing Fairies didn’t disgrace herself and finished fourth. Will gave the mare a lovely introduction to racing and the run, and experience of a race will bring her on a lot. All connections were thrilled with her and she came out of the race well the following morning.

            Entry To Evrywhere took his chance at Leicester under Conor O’Farrell and he was 6lb’s well in under his penalty as the handicapper had raised him 13lb’s for his Fakenham victory. Entry To Evrywhere was very keen during the race and he was unable to follow up his win. However, there were positives to take from the race and but for a mistake at the final fence he would have finished a lot closer to the leading pair. He also lost a shoe which couldn’t have helped. Nonetheless he still earned some valuable Prize Money and hopefully he will continue to do that in his next couple of starts.

Both Entry To Evrywhere and Zero Visibility hold entries at Lingfield next week in a 2m Handicap Chase. Zero Visibility has yet to win a race over fences although he would have won at Fontwell earlier in the season but for falling at the final fence. He is ready to run again and he jumped well enough at Plumpton last time and hopefully he can improve on that run.

            Zero Visibility did hold an entry at Ffos Las on Sunday but Slidecheck takes his chance in that race instead. Slidecheck has been in good form finishing placed over hurdles and fences recently and this longer trip should suit him well enough and hopefully he can run another creditable race for The West Buckland Racing Club. Rhys Flint will be taking the ride.

            Blu Cavalier, who won a bumper impressively at Taunton earlier in the season and he could make his hurdling debut at Ludlow on Wednesday. He has had nearly three months off the track and the reason for that being that I did not want him to make his hurdling debut in the very testing winter ground we have had. It was good ground when he won his bumper and the ground at Ludlow is forecast to be better than most tracks at the moment. For example he held an entry at Wincanton on Saturday but that will be very testing ground. Blu Cavalier has done plenty of schooling and hopefully he can make an encouraging hurdling debut provided he doesn’t get balloted out. He could be joined at Ludlow by Teachmetobouggie who ran an encouraging race on his hurdling debut at Taunton where he still held every chance turning for home and I think he has improved since his initial hurdling experience. Teachmetobouggie also holds an entry at Lingfield too.

            Honorable Exit was a faller at Plumpton last time out and I was conscious to give him enough time to recover from that and he has been showing me that he has done so in the past few days so I have given him entries at Taunton and Huntingdon. It was a long way from home when he fell at Plumpton last time so who knows what might have happened had he stayed on his feet. Hopefully we will find out the answer if he takes his chance at Taunton or Huntingdon this week.

 

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