Carpe Momentum - where the result really didn't matter

18th out of 23 having shown very little on the way round is never usually much of a cause of relief, or celebration, even. However, the fact that CARPE MOMENTUM was even able to make a racecourse appearance has seemed very unlikely on at least two occasions in an already eventful past.

Previously known as Cast The Net and trained by Simon Magnier for one Richard Aylward, he appeared in the 2002 Derby entries as far as the second - £9,000 - entry stage, his owner adamant that his racecourse debut should be in the Epsom classic. That ambition was crushed when, three weeks before the race itself, the animal was gelded by mistake at Magnier's yard. Aylward was spared the compulsion of having to pay the second entry stage fee by the BHB, but became a disqualified person some time later for not having paid the initial entry fee of £9,000 either.

Cast The Net had come into the ownership of Seymour Reed by the spring of 2004, and, having been remaned Carpe Momentum and sent to Richard Guest, was entered in a Market Rasen bumper on May 9th. It was given that the horse would need a sound surface, and the projected good to firm seemed alright. However, the Lincolnshire track was lashed by heavy rain during the meeting, and another of Guest's inmates, the similarly fast ground-loving BOLTON BARRIE, was unable to cope with the increasingly skiddy conditions in the classified chase on the card, crashing through numerous fences on the way to a remote last place finish. Presumably pulled about physically by the experience, he has not raced for the yard since. Guest's response to the deteriorating conditions was to withdraw Carpe Momentum from the bumper and to save him for another day - a day which didn't come for another eighteen months.

Carpe Momentum appeared in no further declarations for the yard after the Rasen episode, and nothing more was heard until articles in both the News of the World and Racing Post in April of this year. Aylward had decided to sue Guest and Reed for unlawful re-sale and ownership of Carpe Momentum, despite his being banned effectively removing his right to the title (in all senses of the word) to the horse. Reed, it is claimed, had acquired the rights to the horse by repaying all outstanding training fee monies still owed to Simon Magnier by Aylward, and had sent the horse to Guest once everything - as far as these parties were concerned - had been cleared up money-wise.

The non-appearance of the horse even in declarations since May 2004 was, according to Guest, due to him not being ready to race after that, so Reed had taken him home to recuperate. Aylward had put in an allegation of neglect against Reed and Guest subsequently, Carpe Momentum having allegedly been found in a Northumberland field in an advanced state of neglect, but the RSPCA had quoshed that claim in their own invesitgations of February 2005.

The latest postings in the Racing Post, dated April 2nd 2005, stated that Aylward would have to answer a request for further information from Guest and Reed's lawyers by April 29th, with a court hearing to follow on July 18th - 19th. Whilst I have found no details of this to date, it looks as if, as expected, the court found in favour of Guest and Reed, as the horse is now back in training without Aylward's name anywhere near it. Reed's name is also absent, so I wonder if he had had enough of the whole affair whatever the ultimate outcome. Guest is, for the time being at least, both trainer and owner.

More prosaic runs from the Brancepeth string resulted in fourth places for the returning SCONCED over 2m 5f at Sedgefield on Tuesday, and for ASSUMETHEPOSITION back over hurdles in a conditionals' race at Wetherby today.

Smashing Shannon's

SHANNON'S PRIDE proved himself further to be an honest, if one-paced, galloper of some merit when clinching third place in the Grand Sefton Chase over the fearsome Grand National course at Aintree, thereby beating the best finish Richard Guest has managed over the "big 'uns" as a trainer - MR BOSSMAN got fourth place in the Topham in 2003. Shannon's was kept close to the leaders but fairly wide throughout, Larry McGrath making doubly sure the horse encountered as little trouble in running as possible, and was rewarded with a very clean round of jumping. Guest had been quick to point out the horse's jumping prowess in the Post earlier this morning, and there was indeed no semblance of an error the whole way round.

A return visit for the Topham must clearly rank as a major target now, although it'll need a soggy Aintree for him to take his chance.

The soft going at Aintree would have counted against TIPSY MOUSE in the same race, ditto the shortish trip of 2m 6f, but for all that the horse didn't seem to enjoy the challenge one iota, not taking a cut at any of his fences and sulking round in a tailed-off 13th position. His lack of obvious progress up the weights so far, plus his apparent dislike for the Aintree fences, to my mind have put paid to any aspirations of a Grand National run for him, and I don't think having run in over the more suitable 3m 3f of the Becher Chase would have made any difference in his present form. Back to the drawing board with this one now....

Amazing Admiral!

ADMIRAL is a serious racehorse. He has not had his prefered good ground in either of his hurdles races so far this season, yet he defied a 14lb rise in the weights to grind out a victory in the Free Hurdle at Chepstow, and today at Haydock shrugged off another 11lb hike in a hugely gutsy performance in the 4yo Nerak Hurdle. He'd done all the donkey work up to the last flight, was headed by Nicky Richards' equally promising Faasel on the long run-in, but would not be denied in a desperate finish to get the verdict by a short head.

Richard Guest's eulogising that the horse could become a legend is clearly premature, but the facts are that the horse is now the highest-rated hurdler he's ever trained - SPECTROMETER was also mid-140s, but Admiral's victory here will result in another hike to put some distance between him and that one - and his winnings over hurdles for Guest and Willie Mackay have swollen by another £17,000 to around £54,000, all attained in this calendar year. A swift reappearance in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle is now likely.

This also represented, of course, the first Brancepeth victory for over three weeks, but none of the other three runners at Haydock could add to that. St PIRRAN offered grounds for optimism in the opening Flat versus jump jockeys handicap hurdle, being sent to win his race by Flat's Dean McKeown turning for home but tiring into fifth on the unsuitably soft ground after the last. He finished well clear of the remainder, and should be getting close to the sort of fitness level from which he could start worrying rivals again in good-ground two mile chases.

Speaking of chases over the minimum trip, JERICHO III had his fourth run in quick order and for the second time this year didn't prove especially keen on the Lancashire track - odd, really, for a generally fearless jumper. He led until the seventh before deciding to give Patrick Merrigan some bother, cocking his jaw and proving the young rider with no help at all thereafter. He came home last of eight, and is starting to look a bit ungenuine again as well as high in the weights.

Finally, STORMY BAY made his racecourse debut in the concluding bumper for Bard Entertainments and Richard "Desert Orchid" Burridge, with JP Flavin sporting new Bard & Burridge colours of red and blue rather than the famous Dessie dark blue and grey. The horse looks a dour stayer, having got left behind in the early exchanges before staying on in the last half mile for a 12l ninth place. 2m 4f NH novices' hurdles are going to see him in a better light.

Re-run of last year

For the second year running, a fairly successful October for Richard Guest has been followed by weeks without a win stretching well into November. Doubtlessly some of this will be attributable to a lot of the real "winter" horses coming back in for their first or second runs of the season, and still needing it; but just three second places from 32 runs in the last 12 days does indicate some animals are not running up to their best at present, and at a time where some of those stables below Guest in the trainer's table are starting to take great lumps out of the deficit, this is not helpful.

Also of interest is that Henry Oliver has not ridden for Guest since falling off TIPSY MOUSE at Kelso a week last Saturday. I am not aware of him being injured of late, and whilst he did pick up a whip ban recently, that was just for one day (11/11). Ian Williams and Tracey Barfoot-Saunt both gave him rides last weekend, so I wonder if something has happened that hasn't been made public as yet. If this is the case, once again, this is not going to aid the yard's cause as the season cranks up another few notches.


SEDGEFIELD, Tuesday 8/11/05
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Three of the four runners sent out here offered at least some promise. TANMEYA consented to settle much better than on her debut at Towcester and was actually on the tails of the leaders approaching two out in the novices' hurdle before tiredness crept in. Her eventual fifth place offers enough encouragement that a small handicap could be within her compass.

NORTH LANDING was having his first run since winning at Bangor last August in the 2m 5.5f non-handicap selling hurdle. His hurdling technique was rather tardy early on, but he stayed on better over this new trip and softer than ideal trip than may have been expected (albeit at the one pace), and he should be spot on for his next assignment after this. There is no reason why he cannot continue to ply his trade at this sort of trip rather than 2m from hereon in.

TEME VALLEY was also experiencing a step up to 2m 5.5f in the Betfred Poker handicap hurdle series qualifier and was ridden to stay the trip. Paul O'Neill threw him into the race four out but the horse has to be hard ridden to keep up two flights later and simply plugged on at the one pace into a still respectable enough fourth place. Easier assignments await at this, his favourite track, in the near future.

TOPWELL was the one animal not to show much, his 55l seventh place of 11 in the closing bumper comfortably his worst performance to date. A switch to obstacles now would seem more prudent than hoping his fourth and final bumper run will reverse his fortunes.


LUDLOW, Thursday 10/11/05
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A disappointing non-runner here was DURBA, whose form in novices' / maiden hurdles in mid to late summer had been absolutely diabolical, but who had attracted a lot of paper support running off a commensurately meagre rating of 74 - and the application of lots of headgear - for his handicap debut.

READY TO RUMBLE and TIPSY MOUSE DID run, however, with Paul O'Neill in the plate for both. The former failed to respond to first-time blinkers and being kept in mid-division, and sulked into pulling up three out in the novices' handicap chase. Tipsy Mouse, yet again running over an inadequate trip on a shapr track (3 miles here), was predictably run out of things late on in finishing fourth in the handicap chase. Richard Guest said in the [i]Racing Post[/i] that morning that he had found the key to the horse now, but his hands were being forced by the absence of good ground on suitably testing tracks. There may be the usual poetic licence of a canny trainer in there somewhere, but given the deluges we've had in recent weeks - such that even Cheltenham is running soft, for heaven's sake - he's probably quite right. The removal of quick-draining Doncaster from the jumps calendar due to refurbishment has removed the most obvious likely source of fast winter ground for galloping types this winter, so he could be a bit hard to place if things stay soggy.


NEWCASTLE, Friday 11/11/05
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Panto time came early here as APADI - having his first run for the Fly By Night Syndicate after Anne Kenny let him go - tried to refuse to race in the closing handicap chase, gifted his rivals 25l, showed no interest in the job once he did get going, and pulled up after just three obstacles.

It capped a day on which three out of four Richard Guest runners showed little or nothing. SHEM DYLAN was once again walloped in the 2m 4f novices' hurdle, J P Flavin's 10lb allowance - reducing the horse's burden to 10-1 - aiding the cause not one iota as he trailed in 112l last of 12 finishers. He'll get some patience from Guest and Paul Beck, being another New Zealand horse likely not to have acclimatised fully yet, but he is light years away from winning anything on all UK form to date.

TIGER TALK was stepped back up out of selling company in the 2m 4f handicap hurdle but failed to justify the move, beating home only one rival home in 15th position. He also proved unusually difficult for "Bruce" Moorman to settle on this occasion - had he and Apadi been on the Es and Whizz the night before, one wonders?

RED PERK was the highpoint of an unsatisfactory day, running a sound race under Kenny Johnson to finish 1.25l second to a Ferdy Murphy horse already due to go 10lb up the handicap the following day. He remains in good heart and ought to find another small event before too long, as long as the ground does not tend to extremes.


WETHERBY, Saturday 12/11/05
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Two horses possibly being turned out again a bit too soon posted below-par performances here. The maiden hurdle TANMEYA contested had no strength in depth about it, but she still went off at 66/1 and trailed in tenth, although in fairness she did bring herself almost to a stop when getting four out all wrong, scuppering her forward charge entirely. ASSUMETHEPOSITION only faced four rivals in the 2m 4.5f novices' handicap chase on what looked like perfect ground for him, but he emptied five out and only got fourth place prizemoney when one rival tipped up late on. He's yet to replicate his best hurdles form over fences.


UTTOXETER, Saturday 12/11/05
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Two runners, two second places, and an autumn's best from JERICHO III, although he still gave the impression of being a few pounds too high judged on how easily Dangerousdanmagru - trained, ironically, by Norman Mason's ex-assistant (and therefore Guests's predecessor at Brancepeth) Alan Jones - picked him off in the home straight. Former Brancepeth favourite NEPHITE (seven times a winner for Mason / Guest and twice more for Venetia Williams in the summer) trailed in back in fourth.

SOBERS was one of only two fancied in the bumper, and he duly contested the finish with the other, a Richard Phillips mares' bumper winner. Paul O'Neill gave him first run on the leaders 3f out, but was unable to quicken when the mare came to challenge in the final furlong and was 1.5l adrift at the end. Having run here and at Aintree previously, a stiffer test may be necessary to pinch one of these.


LEICESTER, Monday 14/11/05
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The first jumps meeting of the season at the East Midlands track produced the usual differences in going, with the hurdles course - also the Flat course - riding soft and the chase course good to firm. On that basis it was questionable why MAGICO was allowed to contest the handicap chase; the course will have been stiff enough, but he was outrun by horses much happier on the fast ground than him in finishing fifth.

More disappointing was GHADAMES in the handicap hurdle. Not far off two stone better off over hurdles than fences, and with a proven record of going fresh, he was entitled to do much better than a 21l sixth place on his first run for six months. Chances are his next run over hurdles will tell us more about whether he is, purely and simply, destined to remain a better chaser than hurdler. Easier to assess ni the immediate term is ROAN RAIDER, who remains in rotten form both on the Flat and over hurdles. His eighth place finish in the seller represented a closer finish than at Kelso last time, but he still looks impossible to win with.


FAKENHAM, Tuesday 15/11/05
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Granted her favourite good ground and a lightning fast 2 miles, CERESFIELD would have picked up and carried the opposition in the Class F handicap chase in her pomp, but she trailed in a sad last of nine finishers this time round. The first-time visor which replaced the cheekpieces did not suit, not did the hold-up tactics which connections have persisted with for some time now. Why is this? Why are they not content to let her try to win from the front, which worked so very well on numerous occasions in the past?

Still on the subject of inappropriate tasks, MOSCOW LEADER - back from over a year off and now representing Gryffindor (www.racingtours.co.uk) - has been pencilled in as an Eider horse this season given his apparent staying capabilities and love of soft ground. That being the case, being sent around 2m 5f of Fakenham on good ground could only have ever counted as a pipe-opener (or just daft), and he was never closer than his eventual sixth here. Conversely DARGAVILLE, another having his first run after a lay-off, would have appreciated things a bit better than the gluepot he encountered at Cartmel last time out, but he has not impressed with his consistency since joining Richard Guest and he petered out tamely into sixth here as well. Sharp tracks and fast ground have brought about his best performances (Musselburgh here we come, then), but he has also disappointed on them and he does not look one to trust fully.


HEXHAM, Wednesday 16/11/05
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This was a well above-average card for the track, with the centrepiece, the inaugural Northumberland National, given a Class C rating and a top prize of over £13k. Richard Guest sent the in-form PASS ME BY into battle in this four mile slog, and, having run close to the pace for the greater part, found himself in the lead from 3 out to the last. Here, however, his stamina gave out, and he was demoted to fifth on the run-in.

This was certainly a punt worth taking, with the horse having finished a staying on third over the even more severe Carlisle track in heavy going over 3m 2f last time out, and connections still got £500 for their pains, but on this evidence he needs just a shade shorter than this trip - some of the 3m 6f chases at Newcastle would probably suit.

This was not the only encouraging run of another blank day, as debutant MR IRONMAN showed up well for a long way on his racecourse debut in the concluding bumper before weakening into fourth in the last couple of furlongs. He looks nothing special on breeding, being out of a poor 2m 4f novices' hurdler, and I think that, like TOPWELL, he will struggle to feature in better bumpers away from Hexham, but connections will doubtless find him low-grae hurdles in the fullness of time.

One of last year's lesser lights, PAPAWALDO, made his seasonal bow in the National Hunt novices' hurdle and once again showed nothing, trailing in last of ten finishers. He has now registered four duck-eggs from the same number of races, beating only penny numbers of horses in so doing, and whilst he now qualifies for a handicap mark, the early signs are that this campaign is going to be as unfulfilling for connections as last.

ISELLIDO, another of the NH-bred contingent, is being kept over hurdles for the time being, it would appear, although another comprehensive defeat here suggests she is not able to defy a current mark 9lb above her last winning one. In fairness she did seem to respond to the first-time eyeshield here, and was still leading until 3 out, but the chasing pack were able to overwhelm her pretty easily. I presume she is going to be aimed at mares' novices' chase series qualifiers at some stage soon, if the ground remains swampy enough, but she wouldn't be taking on that assignment in the greatest of heart on this evidence.


MARKET RASEN, Thursday 17/11/05
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ASTRONAUT looks like a horse who will not stand much racing, so opportunities have to be grasped whenever he does step onto the racetrack. The 2m 6f selling handicap hurdle did not appear to be one such opportunity, as for all that the contest was not a great one, the ground was also much stickier than ideal. It became even less of an opportunity at the fifth flight, when the horse gave Paul O'Neill no chance of staying in the plate.

Better luck for O'Neill later in the afternoon, as he got a clear round in aboard BERGERAC in a fair return from nearly six months off in the 2m 4f handicap chase. It was basically a clear round and an altogether more convincing display than on his chasing debut in a beginners' race at Cartmel, but his hurdling mark of 107 was awarded primarily for winning a poor maiden race at the same track only five days earlier, and it looks a tad high for him to be running off over fences at present.

Claire Metcalfe has been in blinding form in the saddle aboard ex-Guest inmate LONGSTONE LASS, now happily ensconced at Tracey Waggott's yard with Metcalfe herself the owner. The lady riders' handicap hurdle had previously been run as an amateurs' novices' event, and Metcalfe had come second in it two years ago when giving a UK racecourse debut to some minor creature called OUR ARMAGEDDON. She occupied the same berth here in the race's new guise, giving UPSWING a nice waiting ride to propel the horse into second place two from home, only for him not to pick up as necessary from that point on. Mind, the 2.5l beating from a horse and rider combination - Parisienne Gale and Caroline Hurley - successful together several times over hurdles and in point-to-points represented a sound effort, and it is only to be hoped that the handicapper does not take the result too literally, as there was 11lb between them on the book before the tapes went up.

0 / 4 over the weekend

Three animals went to Kelso on Saturday and one to Ayr on Sunday, with JERICHO III's fourth place at the latter venue the best result of any of them. As suggested last time, he still needed the race having suffered a slipped saddle early doors at Wetherby previously, and once again he didn't have a trouble-free ride round this time as Paul O'Neill lost his reigns during the middle section of the race. It wouldn't hurt him to get dropped a pound or two for this effort, as he's still 12lb above his last winning mark.

TIPSY MOUSE is being strangely campaigned by Guest at present, being raced at 3 miles around sharp tracks such as Kelso on Saturday (where his winning form is over 4 miles, remember) when a stiff 3m 4f+ looks the optimum nowadays. All academic this time round, however, as he lasted just eight fences before binning Henry Oliver. ROAN RAIDER's Flat form has been dire since joining Guest, and a beating of at least 80l when seventh in one of the worst novices' selling hurdles of the season so far hardly inspires confidence of better over jumps. As on his first run for the yard at Uttoxeter three weeks earlier, VALERUN skulked around near the back in the 2m 6.5f handicap hurdle and doesn't look in danger of winning the Racing Club any money in the immediate term, although in mitigation he is intended as a novices' handicap chaser primarily, so will be judged more on those exploits once connections turn their attentions to that sphere with him.

Puff, Pant

JIMMY BYRNE's stamina has looked suspect on one or two occasions at even the minimum jumps trip this autumn, hence a return to the Flat at Wolverhampton on Monday afternoon. He went off the outsider of the 13-strong field in the 9f Class 5 handicap and sadly ran exactly according to that analysis, finishing last of all. Up with the leaders until 3f, he once again emptied very quickly indeed and is proving hard to win with.

Lung-busting activity came in a very different form this afternoon, with four Richard Guest animals having taken the short trip to hilly old Hexham. No winners, but READY TO RUMBLE ran his second fair race inside of a week in coming third in the novices' handicap chase. As per his Carlisle run he responded positively to being at or near the head of affairs throughout, and although the leaders tried to give him the slip up the hill entering the straight, he was able to stay on again close home. This was only a Class F, and, if no superstar over jumps, he should be able to pick up one of these on this evidence.

Prior to that, ASSUMETHEPOSITION lasted only four fences in the opening conditional jockeys' handicap chase before giving J P Flavin no chance of staying on. This was Flavin's second ride in the country, following that on BEAVER at Haydock a short while ago, and his first as a conditional. Moreover, he claimed 10lb in the race which, given that "Bruce" Moorman did the same on TIGER TALK later on the same card, indicates that Ciaran Eddery's latest tenure as one of the Richard Guest's two conditionals has come to a very abrupt end.

For the record, Tiger Talk was brought to the tails of the leaders turning for home in the 2m 4.5f selling handicap hurdle by Moorman, but could only find one pace from that point and came in 7l adrift in sixth. He continues to be a good schoolmaster for inexperienced jockeys, which is probably why Guest kept him when Paul Beck decided to relinquish ownership of him following his Fakenham run; however, he is still 3lb higher than when scoring last, and further assistance is probably still required before resuming winning ways.

UPSWING finally got to make his debut for the Guest yard in the concluding handicap hurdle over the minimum trip, and with Kenny Johnson reinstated in the plate as always intended. Not surprisingly after 11 months off, he blew up turning for home and was not given too hard a time back in sixth. At the July Open Day Guest insisted Upswing could be the best improver in handicaps the whole of this season - off a meagre current rating of 79, there is certainly plenty of scope to race up the handicap if proving adept enough, and his next run will tell us much about how well-founded a boast this could be.