Irish trainers are responsible for a record 61 entries of the total 94 received for this year’s Randox Grand National – with the Aintree spectacular also having a new start time of 4pm this year.
The race has been brought forward by 75 minutes, having previously got under orders at 5.15pm, while a reduced field of 34 will also be introduced as officials continue to look at making the race as safe as possible.
Last year’s hero Corach Rambler heads the ante-post betting for Scottish trainer Lucinda Russell, with another previous winner, the Emmet Mullins-trained Noble Yeats, likely to be popular, too.
Those with previous good form over the fences booked in for a return to Merseyside include the likes of Vanillier, who was second last year, and Becher Chase runner-up Coko Beach.
He is one of a 26-strong entry for Gordon Elliott that also includes Conflated and Samcro, while Willie Mullins is responsible for 13, with Cotswold Chase winner Capodanno and Irish National hero I Am Maximus part of his team, although Gaillard Du Mesnil is not.
Others prominent in the ante-post lists include John McConnell’s Mahler Mission, the Martin Brassil-trained Panda Boy and King George winner Hewick, from the yard of Shark Hanlon.
Monbeg Genius, Nassalam, Kitty’s Light and Galia Des Liteaux are among the leading prospects entered from English-based yards. The weights will be revealed in a fortnight’s time in Liverpool.
Last year’s race was delayed due to Grand National protesters making their way onto the track, with the contest eventually going off nearly 15 minutes later than scheduled.
Following the annual review of the race, a number of changes were announced last October, including a reduction in field size, the introduction of a standing start and moving the first fence closer to the race.
It had been agreed an earlier start could help to ensure the safest ground conditions, but subsequent discussions were required before a new time was agreed.
Sulekha Varma, the Jockey Club’s north west head of racing and clerk of the course at Aintree, said: “We leave no stone unturned in providing world-class standards of welfare for our participants and undertake a review after every Grand National.
“These reviews look at a wide range of factors and the learnings from the process drives a number of changes, large and small, annually. In October we announced that one of the changes being made from 2024 would involve bringing forward the start time of the race, which has been 5.15pm since 2016.
“This was a decision we took after a number of participants and other racing stakeholders raised concerns about the long build-up to the race throughout the day and heightened tension as a result. These were not issues which had been identified as a problem when the race was previously staged at 3.45pm and 4.15pm.
“Bringing forward the start time of the Grand National by 75 minutes to 4pm will also help us to maintain optimal jumping ground, as warm or breezy conditions can dry out the racing surface.”
Impaire Et Passe looks set to head straight to the Aintree Hurdle in April after being scratched from both the Champion Hurdle and the Stayers’ Hurdle at next month’s Cheltenham Festival.
The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old was considered one of the most exciting horses in training following an unbeaten novice campaign that saw him land the Ballymore at Cheltenham and a Grade One at Punchestown, but he has suffered defeat in each of his three outings so far this term.
He was touched off by leading Stayers’ Hurdle contender Teahupoo on his reappearance in the two-and-a-half-mile Hatton’s Grace and has since proved no match for his Champion Hurdle-bound stablemate State Man in either the Matheson Hurdle or the Irish Champion Hurdle over two miles at Leopardstown.
With connections of the opinion he requires a step back up in distance but that a first foray over three miles in the Stayers’ Hurdle would be a step too far, Impaire Et Passe will not be in action at the showpiece meeting in the Cotswolds in five weeks’ time.
Anthony Bromley, racing manager for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, said: “The feeling after Daryl (Jacob) rode him the other day was that we need to keep him to two and a half miles and there isn’t a two-and-a-half-mile race at Cheltenham. We’ll wait for Aintree and see if we can get him sparkling again.
“We don’t feel he’s reached the form that he was showing last year, so the idea is to wait for Aintree and if he’s not sparkling going into Aintree we’ll just wait for novice chasing next season.
“We can’t see either race at Cheltenham being what needs at this moment. Two miles looks too short and we don’t want to go three miles at this stage.
“Daryl was adamant to go two and a half at Aintree and freshen him up for that.”
Impaire Et Passe is one of four horses scratched from the Champion Hurdle along with his stable companion Vauban, James Owen’s high-class juvenile Burdett Road and the Henry de Bromhead-trained Bob Olinger, who also appears bound for Aintree after splitting State Man and Impaire Et Passe when second in the Irish Champion Hurdle on Sunday.
Seven have been taken out of the Stayers’ Hurdle, with Ahoy Senor and Ashdale Bob among those joining Impaire Et Passe as absentees.
Dual winner Allaho tops six horses scratched from the Ryanair Chase along with Dysart Dynamo, Idas Boy, Jonbon, Sir Gerhard and Greaneteen.
Dysart Dynamo and Greaneteen are also out of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, as are Dinoblue, Fil Dor and Nube Negra, while the Cheltenham Gold Cup field has also reduced by four, with Envoi Allen, Royale Pagaille, Stay Away Fay and the fatally injured Datsalrightgino all withdrawn.
Embattled former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, of Trinidad and Tobago, believes his “nightmare is over,” after the United States Supreme Court and a lower court threw out the convictions of two defendants linked to football corruption in September last year.
According to a January 27, 2024 New York Times article, these rulings “cast doubt on the legal basis for a host of prosecutions” surrounding those involved in scandals coming out of the December 2015 raids on FIFA officials in Zurich, Switzerland.
In June 2011, Warner, who was then provisionally suspended by the world football governing body for alleged corruption, resigned from all his international football posts. Warner was one of 14 top FIFA officials and corporate executives to be accused of corruption, fraud and money laundering while he was FIFA vice-president.
Warner was later indicted in 29 charges of corruption in the US in 2015. Extradition proceedings against him remain on hold.
In an interview with i95.5FM last Thursday, Warner said the court’s ruling to toss the convictions of an ex-21st Century Fox executive and sports marketing company on corruption charges in a case involving FIFA has him feeling relieved.
That September case, according to the New York Times, is one in which “the two defendants benefited from two recent Supreme Court rulings that had rejected federal prosecutors’ application of the law at play in the soccer cases and offered rare guidance on what is known as honest services fraud.
“The defendants in the soccer trial had been found to have engaged in bribery that deprived organizations outside the US of their employees’ honest services, which constituted fraud at the time. But the judge ruled that the court’s new guidance meant that those actions were no longer prohibited under American law.”
On this decision, Warner declared his agreement.
“I am in firm agreement with the US Supreme Court statement on the matter. I always knew the US were wrong to attack and destroy FIFA and destroy people’s lives just because they didn’t get a World Cup venue,” Warner said, referring to the US' failed 2022 World Cup bid.
That World Cup bid was won by Qatar, but several FIFA officials, including Warner, were accused of accepting bribes.
“It is utterly ridiculous for people to be imprisoned and to be charged for being a member of a private organisation as FIFA, and to be charged by the US government on what they did or did not do during their stay in FIFA,” Warner argued.
“I am feeling relieved. My life has been destroyed, my family’s life has been destroyed and I have spent tonnes of money on this matter. All I did was to tell FIFA that it is time to change the paradigm of giving the World Cup to Europe and South America. I said to them, ‘just go to the Middle East’.
“It is this that has caused me to be where I am today. The irony is that people in the Middle East, thanks to my efforts and others, Qatar (which hosted the World Cup in 2022) has produced one of the best World Cups this world has ever seen. So, I feel vindicated in a sense for what I have done, but the price that I have paid for that is overbearing,” he added.
Sixmilebridge could be added to trainer Ben Pauling’s small but select team for next month’s Cheltenham Festival following an impressive debut at Sandown last weekend.
The Naunton Downs handler is fast approaching the 50-winner mark for the current campaign and has unearthed several exciting prospects who are under consideration for the showpiece meeting in the Cotswolds in five weeks’ time.
Pauling is particularly strong in the novice hurdle division, with Fiercely Proud and The Jukebox Man both placed in graded company and the unbeaten Handstands and dual winner Tellherthename both facing crucial tests this week in the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon and Betfair Hurdle at Newbury respectively.
Point-to-point recruit Sixmilebridge was unraced under rules prior to running in Sandown’s bumper finale on Saturday, but was backed as if plenty was expected and duly justified favouritism with an impressive victory, teeing himself up for a potential tilt at the Champion Bumper.
“In everything he’s done at home he’s been impressive,” said Pauling.
“He’s not a keen horse, he’s just a good work horse, and we’ve struggled with him throughout the whole season in getting his lung health spot-on.
“He still wasn’t spot-on on Saturday, but it had got to the point in the season where we either rolled the dice to see how we got on or we shut up shop for the season. We decided to roll the dice and we were delighted to see what we got because there’s probably a fair bit of improvement to come when he’s 100 per cent healthy.
“If I can get his trach wash clean, he would be the sort that I would roll at the Cheltenham bumper because he seems to have that mental attitude you need and travels well without being too keen – he looks like he knows his job.
“We might let him roll in the Cheltenham bumper, which would be unusual for me, but I do think he’s potentially a bit special.”
Sixmilebridge’s victory was the second leg of a Sandown double for Pauling and his owners the Megson family, with the tricky but talented Harper’s Brook striking gold in a valuable handicap chase.
The eight-year-old had thrown away victory on his previous outing at Ascot when pulling himself up on the run-in, but having got the job done on Saturday, he too is Festival-bound.
Pauling added: “He is a horse with enormous ability, an unbelievable stride and the scope he has is just mad, but he is a bit of a character to say the least, so any day you get his head in front is a good day.
“I was thrilled with the way he travelled through the race off a strong pace. He was nearly taken out at the third-last by the loose horse and it was unfortunate at the last for the other horse to fall, but we can now look forward to going to Cheltenham with an exciting horse for the Grand Annual.
“He’s been given a mark of 140 which is spot-on as it’ll get you in, but you’ll be near the bottom of the weights. I couldn’t be happier with him.”
Harry Redknapp-owned The Jukebox Man has not been seen in competitive action since finishing third in the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Newbury in late December, but he is also on Pauling’s Prestbury Park teamsheet.
“Jukebox will go straight to Cheltenham and I’d say he’s more of an Albert Bartlett horse than a Baring Bingham horse,” the trainer said.
“If the Baring Bingham came up on proper heavy ground then I’d probably stick at two-and-a-half, but I think he’s probably more of a three-miler.
“He ran a blinder in the Challow. It was pretty tough going that day and they went a proper, honest gallop considering the conditions.
“I just thought that even though that he seems great at home, he could do with a proper opportunity to freshen up. He’s in really good form and I think he’s only going to improve.”
Tivoli Gardens, for the second time this season, downed neighbours Arnett Gardens 3-1, but the manner in which they did it on this occasion would certainly have sent a message to their other rivals in the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (WNJPL).
Not only did Tivoli Gardens have to come from behind in the marquee Monday night encounter at the Stadium East Field, but they did so at a numerical disadvantage in tough underfoot conditions caused by evening showers.
The West Kingston team was spurred by a brace from former Arnett Gardens winger Steve Clarke (76th and 80th), and a long overdue strike from the league's joint leading scorer Justin Dunn (73rd), after they lost substitute Howard Morris to a straight red card in the 61st. Fabian Reid had earlier put Arnett Gardens in front in the 57th minute.
With the win, which extended their unbeaten run across four matches, Tivoli's Gardens inched up to fourth on 34 points, while Arnett Gardens, who had their three-match unbeaten run snapped, slipped to fourth on 33 points.
Winning coach Jerome Waite welcomed Clarke's impact on his return to the league.
"Despite the fact that we weren't prepared where the proper footing is concerned, the result ended in our favour. I spoke about the players who came in through the transfer market and today you saw what those players basically have to offer," Waite said, adding that losing Morris didn't affect their game plan much.
"The only change was that we had a three-pronged attack, and we asked one of those players to sit in the midfield. These players, the worked that they put in leading up to this game, showed here and it can only can better as the season progresses," he noted.
Arnett Gardens dominated proceedings for most of the first half and had a few openings from which they should have opened the scoring but failed to make them count. After Warner Brown skied a left-footed effort from deep inside the 18-yard box, Keheim Dixon, had a clear 12th-minute opportunity in a one-on-one situation with Tivoli Gardens goalkeeper Diego Haughton, but fired his effort into the crossbar.
With very little going Tivoli Gardens way, Dunn tried his luck from a distance, but Asher Hutchinson in goal for Arnett Gardens, got down well to his right to parry.
Reid also had a grand opportunity to break the deadlock in the 27th minute when he went on a break and dismissed Haughton, who strayed off his line, but the Arnett Gardens captain was undone by the conditions, as the score remained goalless at the break.
However, Reid made amends for his earlier slip up and sent the ‘Junglists’ in front 12 minutes into the resumption, as he got on the end of a Jamone Shepherd pass and fired past Haughton, who again strayed off his line and was caught in no man's land.
Along with the lead, Arnett Gardens also had a numerical advantage when Morris was sent for an early shower by referee Oshane Nation, but seemingly got complacent, and were punished for it. This, as Tivoli Gardens went rampant in the final 20 minutes of the contest and were assisted by some shoddy defending by their opponents.
The West Kingston team’s fortunes turned when a well-struck 71st-minute freekick by substitute Vishinul Harris, was kept out parried by Hutchinson and Shepherd senselessly felled Alton Lewis inside the danger area.
Dunn, who endured a lengthy goal drought after his blistering start to the season, stepped up and converted from the 12-yard spot to pull Tivoli Gardens level with his 10th goal of the season.
From there, it was the Steve Clarke show, as the former Arnett Gardens man doubled the lead three minutes later when he got on the end of Harris’s delightful through-pass and fired past Hutchinson on a second attempt.
Clarke then completed his brace and the victory for Tivoli Gardens when he finished a right-footer with aplomb, after Arnett Gardens failed to clear their lines from Shaquille Jones’s cross.
Arnett Gardens' Head coach Xavier Gilbert believed they were undone by a lack of proper game management.
"I think we made some poor decisions around the back, but credit to Tivoli Gardens for the way they came at us because I think we managed the game poorly and we have to be smarter than that. We were a goal up and a man up and I just don't think we made good decisions, so it's just unfortunate and we just have move on...bounce back quickly and a move on," Gilbert said.
Matchweek 17 Results
Lime Hall Academy 1, Treasure Beach FC 0
Montego Bay United 2, Vere United 0
Portmore United 1, Dunbeholden 1
Mount Pleasant FA 1, Molynes United 1
Waterhouse 0, Cavalier FC 1
Humble Lion 2, Harbour View 4
Tivoli Gardens 3, Arnett Gardens 1
Title-chasing rider Sean Bowen has been cleared to make his comeback from injury at Huntingdon on Thursday.
Bowen, out of action since a fall at Aintree on Boxing Day, has seen his long-established lead at the top of the jump jockeys’ standings chipped away at in recent weeks by Harry Cobden.
Before racing on Tuesday Cobden had reduced the lead to just five, and that during a time when his main backer Paul Nicholls is habitually quiet. His runners have clicked back into gear recently, though, and he provided Cobden with a four-timer at Musselburgh on Sunday.
Bowen has one ride at Huntingdon, on Olly Murphy’s new recruit Roccovango in the Mulberry Developments Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
“It was great to jock Sean back up on a horse this morning,” said Murphy.
“He’s riding out tomorrow, his rehab has gone well and he told me he was on the Equicizer yesterday, did some exercises and all was good.
“We’re looking forward to having him back. He’s a huge part of our team and is someone all the young lads look up to as well.
“He’s a big part of the furniture at Warren Chase and we’ll be doing all we can to get back behind him, along with many other people, to make him champion jockey.
“He was flying up to Christmas, he’d been riding extremely well all year but unfortunately the life of a jump jockey means injuries are a part of it and he had a bad fall at Aintree on Boxing Day and missed six weeks.
“Harry Cobden has clawed back a lot of his lead, he is riding extremely well as well and he’s ultra-talented. We wish the two of them the best of luck, but obviously our loyalty is to Sean.
“It will be good for jump racing if the two of them stay injury-free until the end of the season and have a good tussle.”
Asked to sum up Roccovango’s chance, Murphy said: “He’s a new recruit who had some nice novice form. I’d like to think he’s got a nice each-way chance.
“Harry Derham’s horse (Nordic Tiger) will be hard to beat escaping a penalty for winning last week, but I’d like to think my lad could be competitive and it would be magic if we can give Sean a winner on his first ride back.”
Lionel Messi said it was a “shame” he could not play in Inter Miami’s pre-season friendly in Hong Kong on Sunday, with his absence leaving angry fans demanding a refund.
Messi, who has been suffering with a hamstring injury, was left on the bench as his side beat a Hong Kong XI 4-1, much to the anger of local fans who had turned up in numbers in expectation of seeing the eight-time Ballon D’Or winner.
Inter co-owner David Beckham was also greeted with boos at a post-match speech while the Hong Kong government later expressed its “deep disappointment” over Messi not playing and at organisers for “failing to provide a detailed explanation promptly”.
Beckham’s MLS side have since moved on to Japan where they will play Vissel Kobe on Wednesday and Argentina superstar Messi trained on Tuesday.
The World Cup winner said in a press conference shown on Sky Sports: “Unfortunately in football things can happen in any game, that we may have an injury. It happened to me.
“I couldn’t play in the Hong Kong match, and it was a shame because I always wanted to participate, I wanted to be there and even more so when it came to these matches.
“When we travelled so far and people were so excited to see our matches. I hope we can return and we play another game and I can play as I do whenever I can. But the truth is that it is a game that I was not able to participate.”
Harry Fry has his eyes fixed on two of Newbury’s biggest prizes of the season with Boothill and Altobelli on Saturday.
Two-mile chaser Boothill is set for a clash with Edwardstone, Editeur Du Gite and dual winner Funambule Sivola in the Betfair Exchange Game Spirit Chase.
Boothill won twice at Ascot early in the season, missed the Tingle Creek due to the heavy ground and was a faller last time out in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton.
“We are looking forward to running Boothill on Saturday in the Betfair Game Spirit Chase at Newbury,” said Fry.
“He was last seen at Kempton where he fell at Christmas, but thankfully he was none the worse for that fall and we are hoping he can put that firmly behind him on Saturday.”
Altobelli, a second-season hurdler, has been placed in two big-field handicaps at Ascot, first when second to Dan Skelton’s Knickerbocker Glory and then when third to Luccia in the Betfair Exchange Trophy and he is chasing more of the sponsor’s money this weekend.
“Altobelli is all set to run in the Betfair Hurdle having run well in two competitive handicap hurdles at Ascot so far this season,” said Fry.
“The experience of those races won’t be lost on him and, with hopefully slightly slower underfoot conditions, that can only play to his strengths and he can be competitive, all being well on Saturday.”
BermudAir is in the final stages of arranging a charter flight to Grenada for the 2024 Carifta Games.
The airline is working with the Bermuda National Athletic Association on the charter for athletes who have qualified to represent the island at the March 31 to April 1 event.
Adam Scott, the founder and chief executive of BermudAir, said: "BermudAir is delighted to help support the BNAA with ensuring Bermuda's athletes and families can travel efficiently to Grenada. We congratulate all our local competitors on qualifying for Carifta, and wish them the very best as they represent the island."
BermudAir has operated two similar charters for sports teams previously. They were for football clubs based in the Caribbean travelling from St Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados to compete in Bermuda.
A spokeswoman for BermudAir added: “The BermudAir team is finding that local and overseas sports teams are inquiring about charters since they provide a travel option that typically saves time, while also avoiding the expense of an overnight hotel stay in transit and additional ground transportation fees.
“Charter requests typically involve a group of at least 30 travelling to a destination not easily reached on commercial flights and often requiring an overnight stay.
“Charters also allow the group to travel together and bond as a team while using a flight dedicated solely to them.”
The 51st edition of the Carifta Games will be broadcast live on SportsMax and the SportsMax App.
West Indies cricketer Fabian Allen, currently representing the Paarl Royals franchise in the SA20 league, encountered a harrowing experience as he was robbed at gunpoint in Johannesburg.
The 28-year-old Jamaican all-rounder fell victim to the armed robbery outside the team hotel, near the renowned Sandton Sun Hotel, according to reports emerging from South Africa.
During the incident, the assailants brandished a firearm, confronting Allen and making off with his phone, personal belongings, and a bag. The shocking event raises concerns about the safety of players participating in the league, potentially impacting its image.
Sources affiliated with the Paarl Royals team, SA20, and Cricket West Indies (CWI) have confirmed the incident.
Reports said West Indies head coach Andre Coley has been in touch with Allen and has reported that the player was not harmed.
Cricket South Africa (CSA), Cricket West Indies (CWI), and the SA20 league have all confirmed the incident, which has raised additional concerns over player safety in South Africa.
Though physically unharmed, reports suggest that Allen is understandably shaken by the ordeal.
Having clinched two world titles, Danielle Williams is on a mission to secure her spot on the Jamaican Olympic team after falling short in previous attempts. Determined to overcome the injuries that have disrupted her preparation in recent seasons, Williams has taken extra measures this year, including the addition of a massage therapist to her team.
Williams, who surprised the world by claiming the 100m hurdles gold in Budapest last season, acknowledges the challenges of building on that success. "It's a brand new year, and we start from scratch," she states. Reflecting on the lessons learned from the previous season, she aims to improve consistency in crucial areas to ensure peak performance at every race.
Addressing the recurring issue of early-season injuries, Williams explains her strategy for navigating this obstacle. "I added a massage therapist, who is there at the track every single day now," she reveals. This proactive approach allows the therapist to monitor and address potential issues before they escalate into injuries, providing Williams with the necessary support to maintain her health throughout the season.
With the world record now at 12.12 and several sprint hurdlers capable of times of 12.2s, Williams believes she has it in her to approach those times but offers a caveat to that objective.
"The conditions have to be perfect, and I can't control the conditions," she admits. Despite the challenges, she expresses her desire to run a personal best every time she competes but emphasizes the difficulty of achieving such feats due to continuous training without breaks from meets.
“Every time I step on the track I want to run a personal best but it's just that's not going to be the case just based on how training is lined up and we don't we don't take breaks from meets, so we train right through. The only meets we take breaks for are the national championship and the world championship, so it's definitely going to be difficult.”
Notwithstanding those challenges, she feels she is capable of exceeding her 12.32 personal best set in 2019. "I definitely know that I have it within me; it's just to get out and execute it on the day," she asserts.
With her eyes set on the upcoming season and the Olympic trials, Williams is determined to overcome past setbacks, stay injury-free, and potentially surpass her personal best, aiming for even greater heights with the ultimate prize being an Olympic medal.
Lookaway will return to the scene of his brave Challow Hurdle second on Saturday after featuring in the confirmations for the Betfair Hurdle.
Neil King’s charge was a Grade Two bumper winner in the spring of 2022 and after a disappointing 2022-2023 campaign has flourished in his second season as a novice hurdler – winning three of his five starts, including a Grade Two at Cheltenham’s October meeting.
Second in the Greatwood Hurdle the following month, he was upped in trip for the Grade One Challow at Newbury over the Christmas period where he went down fighting to Captain Teague.
He now drops back in trip attempting to regain the winning thread and, although he holds an entry for a Listed event at Exeter on Sunday, his handler has confirmed Newbury is the plan.
King said: “We’re 100 per cent going for the Betfair. He came out the Challow really well and he worked on the grass on Saturday morning and worked great.
“Jack (Quinlan, jockey) is going to school him on Tuesday morning and it is very much all systems go for the Betfair Hurdle.
“The (forecast) rain doesn’t bother me at all and it is probably a blessing for us. It will help blunt some of the others speed and put the emphasis on stamina, I hope.
“He’s a second-season novice and that bit extra experience running in these competitive races should stand him in good stead. We hope he can take another step forwards.”
There were 26 still in the mix after Monday’s confirmation stage. Willie Mullins’ stable newcomer Ocastle Des Mottes is listed as joint-favourite with the sponsors alongside Nicky Henderson’s pair of Greatwood winner Iberico Lord and Ascot Christmas scorer Luccia.
Henderson also has recent Grade Two runner-up Under Control and Doddiethegreat in the mix, where the latter will be bidding to avenge his Cheltenham defeat at the hands of Olly Murphy’s Go Dante if reopposing at the weekend.
Other notable names include Ben Pauling’s highly-regarded Tellherthename and Gerry Feilden one-three Hansard (Gary Moore) and Brentford Hope (Harry Derham), who are both course and distance winners
Caldwell Potter became the most expensive National Hunt horse ever sold at public auction on Monday after fetching €740,000 at Andy and Gemma Brown’s Tattersalls Ireland dispersal at Fairyhouse.
The couple, who run their horses under the Caldwell Construction banner, shocked the racing world late last month when announcing they were to sell their entire string.
Caldwell Potter was the star attraction among 29 lots to go under the hammer, having already shown top-level form over obstacles for Gordon Elliott to go with his excellent pedigree.
The six-year-old son of Martaline is not only a full-brother to Mighty Potter, who won four Grade Ones for Elliott and the Browns before suffering a fatal injury last year, but his dam Matnie has also produced three other high-class performers in French Dynamite, Indiana Jones and Brighterdaysahead.
Caldwell Potter has so far lived up to his breeding, winning three times from seven starts in all and two of his first three outings over hurdles, including a Grade One success on his most recent appearance in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting.
Following a slow start the bidding eventually got under way at €100,000 before ultimately ending up in a tense straight shootout between two parties.
The packed sales ring fell silent after the auctioneer confirmed a €700,000 bid, and while a counter offer of €720,000 was made, the hammer eventually went down at €740,000, with Highflyer bloodstock agent Anthony Bromley immediately announced as the successful bidder.
Caldwell Potter’s fee eclipses the previous record for a jumps horse sold at auction in Interconnected, who was bought by Darren Yates at Doncaster in 2019 for £620,000.
Having conquered the Dublin Racing Festival, Sophie Leech is now focussed on landing a telling blow at the Cheltenham Festival with the improving Madara.
The five-year-old, who is owned by Brian Drew and Friends, was a taking winner over two miles at Prestbury Park in December but took another leap forward when sealing a rare victory for the British raiders in the Listed Ryanair Handicap Chase at Leopardstown.
It was yet another enterprising move from the Leech operation, with the trainer – alongside husband and assistant Christian – a regular visitor to France with their string, where they have managed to get their hands on Graded and Listed prizes.
However, Madara’s impressive triumph in Dublin was by far their biggest on UK or Irish soil and now has the Gloucestershire operation dreaming of success at the Cheltenham Festival, where they are leaning towards stepping the gelding up in trip for the Trustatrader Plate.
“He looks to be improving and is remarkable really – 100 per cent, I have never experienced anything like Saturday before, it was on another level,” said Leech.
“He has really settled into our way of doing things and has thrived. He’s so laid back and just takes everything in his stride. He’s old beyond his years and just a wonderful horse to be around really – he’s just a joy.
“It’s difficult to know (how high he could go) and I never imagined he would get to where he is now. But he looks to still have something in hand, so hopefully he can keep on improving.”
On Cheltenham, Leech added: “100 per cent, the dream is still alive. I think the more we think about it, we are probably erring more towards the Plate.
“However, if it was heavy ground, he could probably drop back to two miles, so he will have an entry in both (the Plate and Grand Annual) to give him all options.”
Madara was ridden at Leopardstown by former French champion jockey James Reveley, with Leech knowing the Yorkshireman well from her team’s ventures across the English Channel.
He showcased all his style and craft in the saddle when guiding Madara through the field to strike approaching the last in Ireland and the trainer is banking on calling on his services once again at Prestbury Park next month.
She added: “James is really keen to ride him again (at Cheltenham) and part of the idea behind getting James to ride him at Leopardstown was we wanted continuity ideally for the Festival.
“We are unlikely to get Harry Cobden (at Cheltenham) and he certainly wasn’t able to come over to Ireland, so James will keep the ride for sure.
“James is so experienced and we know him well, he has ridden lots for us in France.”
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