The family
This gelding is the 3rd foal out of the unraced High-Rise mare
Ball Park. Her first progeny to appear was Moe's Tavern, trained by
Shark Hanlon who was 2nd on his sole run in an Irish Point in March 2019.
Ball Park has since had more full siblings to Cowboy Cooper:
The second dam was quite an accomplished race mare. Rated at a
peak of 134+ by Timeform and one of the best staying novices of
2000-01, the tough Catch Ball added a couple of flat wins to her 4
hurdle victories.
She gained black type when runner up a Grade 2 Fairyhouse hurdle.
As a broodmare she had bred 3 winners under rules, the best of whom
has been Tb Broke Her, winner of 2 hurdles and 2 chases.
About the sire
The racing career of Frammassone (bay horse born 2005) is nothing
short of astonishing! He raced in Italy for his entire career,
starting out on the flat as a 2 year old winning a couple of minor
races over a mile. His 3 starts as a 3 year old yielded a sole
second place in a mile handicap at Rome.
Reasons for the (masterstroke) switch to jumps are unknown but
Frammassone raced 18 times over hurdles, winning 14 and placed 3
times. These victories not only included numerous Listed events but
also 3 Grade 1 Hurdles.
Retired to Park House Stud in Ireland in 2013, Frammassone was
marketed mainly as a Sports Horse Stallion but did also cover a
handful of broodmares with a National Hunt background.
And from this small selection, his early results are remarkable,
with as at the start of the 23-24 season he has a 50% winner to
runner ratio with
Irish Grade B Chase winner Gabby's Cross his best so far. From 2023
he stands at Batsford Stud in Gloucestershire for a fee of £2,000.
Season 2023-24 outlook
Cowboy Cooper is a strong gelding, coming in at 16.1hh.
After 3 runs in novice hurdles to qualify for a handicap mark, in
2023-24 Cowboy Copper reached a place in a handicap hurdle at Hexham
in late March. This was at a fairly modest level but gave the yard a
little bit of promise to hang onto with him, and he was probably over-the-top
when 6th at Perth at the end of April next time.
His best form (bumpers & hurdling) has come in less testing
conditions - indeed, his younger full brother has won on good to
firm - so we'll be looking at small handicap hurdles this season
with the going in his favour.
And later in the season we may well go chasing with this gelding who
now races in Bill Aitchison's colours.
Profile....
By way of Tattersalls Ireland, via the English Midlands, this son of
Frammassone landed at Dodlands Steading in the early months on 2020.
It was
during the 3rd day of the 2019 Tatts Ireland NH August Store Sales
that Bart Ryan-Beswick and his bloodstock agent Marcus Collie
contacted Callum to have a look at a prospective purchase. It was
this Frammassone gelding, and
Callum caught the auctioneer's attention and, via the mobile, the
gelding was knocked down to Beswick Brothers/Mr Collie.
Transferred into stable ownership, Cowboy Cooper had a couple of runs in bumpers for experience in season 2021-22 before embarking on a full season of hurdling in 22-23.
Season | win | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | other | |
2021-22 | NH Flat | 2 | ||||
2022-23 | Hurdles | 1 | 4 | |||
2023-24 | Hurdles | 2 | ||||
2023-24 | Chases | 2 | 2 |