Good Afternoon, Friend
A New Horse, He's Great, and just for you! (I'll get my coat)
Josh here from RTPS, I hope you had a superb weekend and your week has started well. Our Buzz Iceclear won at Ayr, the last race on Saturday's card in gutsy style. We were expecting a monster run, and I'd have been gutted had he not been bang there. He's only 5, and now 1/4 under rules, 1/1 in handicaps, bundles more to come with this return run under his belt. He will be a lovely staying chaser in time, his jumping and attitude a real asset. He was one we sourced ourselves, Mark rowing in behind after his own due diligence, and at a £14k purchase price, we couldn't be happier. We had x8 owners up at Ayr booting him home, and around 25 at Newmarket for our annual 'last meeting of the year' owners day, cheering the place down as he crossed the line. It was some day, and some evening! We really are blessed with our ownership group across the board and it's a privilege to go on this journey with you all. On Monday our Hold My Hand won in France, back-to-back winners for the first time with different horses and with any luck we can add to the recent haul tomorrow. I'm training up to Sedgefield to watch our Windsor Wife in the last, with x13 owners trackside. Jay is off to Chelmsford to cheer home Mart & Coolree in the last two races, with x17 owners trackside.
An Exciting New Addition...
The main purpose of this email is to introduce our new purchase GREAT, and to convince you to join in the fun! :)
Plan: We have bought a bit of quality here, this lad catching Sam & Jonny's eye, making their shortlist and passing my due diligence. They will be keeping 25%. He's an exciting horse, ticking many boxes including his profile, breeding, form to date - which has substance, and reasons for further improvement. The ambition is to target decent handicaps in time as he matures, on some big days, including York. We think he can take us there, but we're in no doubt he will be winning races and giving us plenty to get excited about. He will race predominantly in the north but that's not to say he won't venture down occasionally, especially to the midlands, and depending on how he progresses. An Ascot handicap?! He's a proven winner with a very likeable attitude, always responding generously to pressure.
SECURE YOUR SHARE HERE: https://forms.gle/PTg4mhMEpXAMiYpA6
WHY GREAT?
Firstly, while we'd like more jumpers in time, we do wish to keep growing the flat string, and as yet we have no such horses trained in the north - yes yes we need more in the south also. (and France!). x19 and counting. We were after a bit of unexposed quality and this lad made Sam & Jonny's shortlist, a superb team who really do have a cracking eye for a horse. I got to work with the information I look at (stats, form etc, I leave the confirmation to the pros), liked what I saw, and he soon became our number one target, so we were delighted when the hammer dropped at 25k guineas, and it took an age! We were desperate to get him and we are delighted.
This lad is 1/7, two places in his career - he's a proven winner, and Twighlight Son's proven winners, tend to keep winning. He knows how to win, has a great attitude under pressure, and always finds for his jockey, digs in, and does his best.
He is a colt, although as I type may well now be a gelding! This is one of the main areas of initial further improvement, it will calm him down even further (he has been enthusiastic in his races at times), and help him mature even more, putting all of his energy into competing on the track, rather than his hormones getting the better of him.
His FORM:
He should have won on debut at Goodwood in Oct 24, 6f, heavy, trapped against the rail, running on against the 8/11 Balding trained fav, now named Wolf Coming (sold to HK), who arrived into this off the back of an easy win with an official rating of OR84. The front two were clear. The 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th have all hit ratings 75+
This season, after his return run, he won a maiden at Windsor, 6f, on Good to Firm, 12 runners, outpaced, stayed on really well and did it a shade cosily come the line. x6 wins and counting in behind. Ascot in a small field didn't go to plan, but he bounced back at Windsor again on 26th July - a quite remarkable run, badly outpaced, lengths behind the field, but he rattled home in a C4, finishing much the best, beaten a fast closing 2 3/4l lengths. I really like this run, The winner arrived on a hat-trick rated 80, the 2nd just beat NTO off 75, 3rd won off 73, the 4th has since won three, the last off 89, the 6th has since won easily off 76, now rated 84, even the 10th won his next start off 70. He was finishing much the best and with a better start, or maybe 7f, he'd have waltzed past the lot of them to my eyes.
He's then run twice on the AW, and has run with credit, staying on well both times over 6f and 7f, the latter a slowly run race, and a chance he's just a better turf horse, who picks up better on such a surface. However, still decent runs, and he clearly handles the surface, as well as heavy, and as such looks versatile, giving us options galore in his career moving forward. The first of those runs has worked out well, the 2nd just beat off 87 since, the 3rd comfortably winning off 75 two starts later, the 5th just beat off 84 next start. His final run has just received a form-boost on Monday, our lad 3rd, the 2nd winning comfortably enough off 75.
His form is littered with substance, which is crucial for me, and it was this dive in which helped catapult him to the top of my list, using Sam/Jonny's shortlist. He is a decent handicapper in the making.
The other thing I noted, is he's been a 'fast finisher' twice - any of you who use ATR sectional times will see 'the flame', both at Windsor on grass, where he was the fastest finisher against the overall race finishing time - this is a decent indicator that he has a change of gear and a turn of foot, which is always a big positive, and much required especially if hoping to progress up the ratings and into better handicaps - it also means that depending on the pace of the race, he has a potent weapon. Of course he won one of those, but had the other played out differently, he'd have gone close to winning that also - and that is a 'hot form' race, like a few of his now.
His BREEDING/the future:
Now, when buying 'Horses in Training' horses, who've a proven profile already, the breeding arguably becomes less important - there is enough to go on already. However, this is exciting also for me. Firstly, his winning half brother is Magnificent - this horse was also trained by Hannon, and owned by Julie Woods, like our lad. He was a decent 3YO, without winning, 3rd in the Brittania at Royal Ascot, off a mark of 91. He sold to Hong Kong after that, where as a 4 and 5YO he was 3/25, but was 2nd a further six times - a 36% Top 2 strike rate - not bad! He had a high over there of 87. And the racing over there is fiendishly competitive, race after race, unlike anything over here really for its consistent quality. No easy handicaps in Hong Kong, not least because they buy a lot of our 85+ rated 3YOs! He changed yards after that, and maybe has regressed a bit after a lot of racing, but in his career raced 49 times, showing toughness and durability.
The other positive, his sire, TWILIGHT SON... he himself was a top 6f sprinter, and his progeny have a 46% winners to runners SR which is very good. However, there are some big positives to take from his offspring, who are male, and then gelded. They appear to improve, get tougher, and keep winning. In fact, his gelded handicappers, in the UK/IRE, who've won at least once (shown they can win), are 48/320 since the start of 2024, a 15% win SR, which is very good. Those stats keep getting better as his progeny get older. There are multiple winners galore, who just keep winning aged 4, 5, 6, and now 7 (no older runners as yet, but there will be next year). This sire makes them tough! And they appear to do better for the cruelest cut of all.
His flag bearer this year has been GET IT, who, aged 7, won The Wokingham this year, at Royal Ascot, off 100, putting in a career best. He's now 9/31,13p in his career. We wouldn't mind one like that! We can but dream.
GREAT is a horse we can really get excited about, and with the prospect of at least four exciting seasons ahead. He's very well made, strong, forward, and loves his job.
Ideal Conditions...
The team will learn about him and time will tell. His stride data does suggest he's a 6-7 furlong horse, for all outpaced over 6f a couple of times- however, these types can get stronger and quicker as they mature, so he could be a fast run, big field, 6f speedball. It does look as though 7f could be his trip also, and he is closely related to a miler - in time, maybe he will stay a mile, but I suspect to start with, 6-7f will be his thing. At this stage he appears versatile as to the going - a superb maiden run on heavy (which you don't just get away with as an unraced 2YO), a turf win on Good to Firm, solid runs on the AW. We don't put him in a box yet, he will tell us, and half the fun will be finding out.
The TRAINERS...
Sam and Jonny do everything together and are a proper team, and a yard we will happily keep supporting. I wouldn't mind being the biggest syndicate there in time. They transform horses, because of the individual attention they get and their daily turnout - every horse spending the rest of their day in fields post work - this will be something new for Great, the type of horse who just slots into Hannon's routine with 150+ other horses, rarely getting special attention or tailored training. Our lad will now get this, and access to a pool, deep sand gallop, Sue Smith's fine hill gallop just up the road.
They have had a cracking time of it on the flat. Since the start of 2024, on AW/Flat, 36 winners from 258 runners, a superb 14% win SR, which with the horses they've trained, is some going. They are getting better also, a near 15% win SR in 2025, and their approach (inc turn-out) keeps them sweet, and they have many multiple winners who keep doing it, from the start of their season to the end, many still winning after 10+ runs in a season.
Notable horses... Trilby (also by Twilight Son)... picked up for small money,a maiden after five starts for George Boughey, now 5/28 runs, taking from OR68 to a high of 86, with some fine winning and placed runs at York and Haydock in Class 3s and 4s. Winning £73k in the process.
They bought Jez Bomb as a yearling, now 8/30, last seen hacking up off 70. Winning £53k and counting. It's A Love Thing is now 5/28 for them having looked exposed for previous connections, taking from OR59 to a high of OR75.
Made All - he was 0/16 for his previous trainer, now 3/14,9p for Sam, taking from OR50 to a high of OR70, 20lb of improvement - we will take that off 74 from our lad! :)
The list goes on, Saligo Bay, 7/28 for previous two trainers over a few seasons, now 6/19,10p for Sam, 6/12 in 2025, winning on the flat off 74 around Chester, last seen winning a handicap hurdle off 108.
You get the idea! We do not pick our trainers by accident. And in Team England, we really have a superb northern team over both codes, who are only heading in one direction, knowledgeable, hungry, progressive - much like our new horse.
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TIME TO DECIDE...
If I cannot convince you after that, I probably never will! I do like detail, but that's the work that went into the 'pre purchase', and of course would have made it more upsetting had we not got him! But that's what you have to do, I don't just swan around Tatts holding up the bar! (there is some of that, obviously)
I know he won't be for everyone, especially if further south, but if you're in the midlands, north, Scotland, he deserves a long hard think and a raid of the sofa! :) Much fun to be had in the summer sun next season and beyond, and even if you're more of a 'jumping' fan, the perfect horse to help tick away the summer weeks waiting for the national hunt! Racing at York in the sunshine, cannot be beaten. But there are so many nice races, decent prize money, series finales and the like to attack, and with cheaper northern fees, a chance to pay for himself and hopefully make a return over time. He has a bit of quality and is just the sort to do that. If Sam can win £70k+ and counting with Trilby, she can do it with this lad. He's made of steel, and we cannot wait...
The short term plan is to geld him and give him a holiday to 1st January, at which point Sam will get stuck in and ready him for the start of the turf season.
Costs -
1% = One-off £350 (to 1st Jan), then £28 per month (£336 per year)
2.5% = One-off £875 (to 1st Jan), then £69.99 per month (£839.88 per year)
5% = One-off £1750 (to 1st Jan), then £139.98 per month (£1679 per year)
7.5% = One-off £2625 (to 1st Jan), then £189.97 per month (inc ongoing discount, £2, 279 per year)
10% = One-off £3500 (to 1st Jan), then £239.96 per month (inc ongoing discount, £2, 879 per year)
We believe there's a realistic chance of winning decent prize money with this lad in time, and as always, if/when it comes to balloting for O&T badges (which may well need to happen on big days), those with 5%+ get priority, including for +1, and the larger the share, the bigger the priority)
Shares will be secured on a first come first serve basis, our existing owners always with first priority and then this email list. You can secure your share using the form below, and we'll then be in touch asap...
SECURE YOUR SHARE IN GREAT HERE: https://forms.gle/PTg4mhMEpXAMiYpA6
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As always, thanks for your time, consideration and support, and even if not for you, I hope it is an informative read if nothing else! Do add him to your trackers :)
If you have any questions, do get in touch,
All the best,
Josh (07756545987)
