St Comgall’s Day Update

The horses had been a bit quiet lately, hence the lack of anything of significance to update, but they started to emerge from the doldrums last week. BE FAIR ran a really good race on the flat at Chelmsford, only to be hampered at a critical part of the race. One of those “drat!” moments, but it gave reason to envisage him going close next time. We then took three outsiders to Fontwell and had a good evening. SHAW’S CROSS got himself bang in the mix over fences only for younger legs to get the better of him over the last couple of obstacles, leaving him in third. Then DEN THE DIVA ran an absolute stormer from the front, only being headed at the last and also finishing in the bronze medal slot. Her recent run of pulled ups had been due to one horrible jumping error, then ground far too soft, then a race that proved to be too short. After some quite intensive further schooling, it all came right over 2m 3f on good ground, and gives us something to work with this summer. VINTAGE ICON might have made it a treble of results in the money but with him still travelling well three out, he was almost forced off of the course by a rival jumping sharply across him and had to pull up to avoid crashing through the rails.

Those efforts were built upon when FLEMEN’S TIPPLE got his first win, over three miles at Huntingdon in the sun. The course was drying quickly, but he handled that and jumped well, outstaying his one remaining threat in the home straight. He looked definitely determined before the race (as below he even practiced reaching for the line, in case it was close) and Harry Cobden kept him in the front rank throughout, which prevented any lapse in morale.

The following triptych (tiptych?) shows Flemen’s Tipple as we would like to imagine him, then after his win, then how he perceives himself. Just do not micturate on his rug…