Couple in at Newcastle on Saturday

Eider Day at Newcastle is always a bit special in the racing calendar and although the yard hasn't had a runner in the race since Peter started favourite (beaten, unfortunately) a while back, we like to have a runner or two on the day.

We do have runners in each race that straddles the 4mile 1½f handicap chase though.

There's a 2m mare novices' hurdle at 2.45 and this'll be a nice introduction to hurdling for Bill and Carol Aitchison's sturdy mare Maid of Houxty. Unusually (or maybe not so given the time of the season) there's only a few of the runners who have prior experience of hurdle runs under rules.

Lady Tremaine posted a high form figure for a mare when winning her Irish Point for the Monbeg boys but that was in May 2019. Fair time off but she will start one of the favourites for the powerful McCain-Hughes combination.
Robin des Theatre ran well when 3rd in a bumper in November but didn't seem to come on from that following a wind operation in another bumper last month. Like Lady Tremaine, previously she had won an Irish Point for the Monbeg operation.
Sandaroc is another who has had a wind operation but seemed to benefit from that when second (well held) to the classy The Glancing Queen last month. She won an English Point when not trained by Monbeg in March last year.

Much like ourselves, most of the runners here are looking to gain more experience of hurdling and racing in general.
Maid of Houxty has had just the one outing in a bumper (she also has had a breathing operation prior to debut) and she shaped with some promise. Sure to be suited by further in time, we hope she can show her best on debut for her owner-breeders (good luck!) with Craig Nichol in the saddle.

Lady Tremaine may well put a long absence behind her to win here.

Maid of Houxty

The other side of the Eider is the Class 2 0-150 handicap hurdle over 2 miles. Stainsby Girl is our runner here with Craig Nichol again in the saddle.

Guest form analyst Ian Aitken provides the preview.

• Forest Bihan : Chaser , but looks to be going to concentrate on hurdles. He still holds entries in the Morebattle Hurdle & County hurdle at Cheltenham but takes his chance here meantime, Hurdle rating 10lb below Chase rating and ran well in a Jumpers Bumper recently. Interesting.
• Fransham : Wetherby specialist now 11lb higher than last winning rating at Wetherby but has run well since. Heads the market.
• Bon Retour : ex Willie Mullins , first run for Nicky Richards, dark horse in the race, but may need further.
• Hooligan : Hasn't run since 17th December, but is a lightly raced sort open to improvement. Could go very well.
• Ask Himself : Hasn't run since 8th November and appears after a wind op., which could see him recapture best form but still plenty to find at the weights.
• Northern Beau : Has been chasing but likes to make the pace in these types of hurdle contests.

So that leaves Stainsby Girl. She is a lightly framed filly so may be suited by carrying a low weight (10st 5lb) here. But this is a step up in grade against some hardened rivals. Fingers crossed though.
Best of luck to Helen and Al.

Stainsby Girl (Georgina)

Fine third by Baby Ticker the other day

In the end just a little bit tapped for toe, but nonetheless what a marvellous run by our home-bred mare Baby Ticker on Tuesday at Wetherby.
She finished 3rd in a Class 3 handicap hurdle off her highest ever mark (OR121) beaten just 3 lengths on a track that wouldn't play to her strengths, but with so much racing being off recently we felt we couldn't keep this 12 year old under wraps any longer.

Fine ride by Theo Gillard, many thanks young man.

Baby Ticker is destined for the paddocks this year but we've yet to decide if she'll have one more run - if she does it'll be Ayr or Hexham!