THE Willie Mullins-trained Ramillies, who impressively justified favouritism when scoring by 10 lengths in the bumper at Leopardstown on Monday, is another successful graduate of the British point-to-point scene now racing in Ireland.
The 2015 Shantou gelding, who was bred in Co Waterford by the Morgan family of Greenville House Stud, is a half-brother to two winners out of the Roselier mare Mrs Wallensky who won a bumper and two hurdle races and was also Grade 3-placed over timber.
Ramillies was sold as a foal for €30,000 to Ormond Bloodstock at the 2015 Tattersalls National Hunt sale. Three years later, when consigned by Janet and Norman Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm to the Derby Sale, the grey was knocked down for €60,000 to the Pudlicote Partnership, owners with Tom and Sophie Lacey in Herefordshire.
Ramillies had his one and only start for the Laceys when, ridden by Co Galway native Tommie O’Brien, he carried 10st 10lb to victory in a four, five and six-year-old maiden at Bishops Court, Devon in March 2019. While the second that day, A Tipple Or Two, has failed to win in six other starts, she has filled the runner-up slot on three further occasions and has finished third once. The third home, Sylvies Dance, won on two of her three subsequent starts, falling between times.
Soon after winning at that East Devon Hunt fixture, Ramillies was consigned to the Festival Sale in Cheltenham where he was purchased for £215,000 by bloodstock agent Harold Kirk who was acting on behalf of Mullins.
Ramillies appeared in the colours of Marie Donnelly when finishing fourth of 12 in a bumper at Leopardstown on St Stephen’s Day 2019 and was having his first start since then on Monday.
LAST Sunday’s tweet on their @GandTRacing Twitter account from trainer Tom Ellis and his wife Gina Andrews revealed that the latter had undergone surgery earlier that day.
“For all of those following Gina since her fall at Cheltenham, she had her surgery today to put a plate under her eye and in her cheekbone. The surgery went well and she’s now on the road to recovery.” The reigning and multiple ladies’ champion suffered those facial injuries when Haafapiece, who had just hit the front at the time, fell at the final flight in a handicap hurdle at Prestbury Park on December 11th. Andrews hopes to be back racing in five to six weeks.
Fixture issues
THE British season was dealt further blows over the extended Christmas period when the scheduled fixture at Charing on Sunday, December 20th was cancelled because of evolving Covid-19 restrictions while Monday’s meeting at Chaddesley Corbett was abandoned due to waterlogging.
Also falling by the wayside is tomorrow’s scheduled meeting at Larkhill.
The committee issued a statement on social media on Thursday which reads: “Unfortunately, events are conspiring to make it impossible for LRC to run at Larkhill on Sunday 3rd January 2021. It has therefore been decided to postpone for one week to Sunday, 10th January, 2021 in the hope that the issues can be resolved. Entries will stand.”
Following the sad death of his Co Galway-born wife Rose, Sam Loxton is now training out of their Somerset yard from where four horses are due to run at Larkhill including the David Maxwell-owned Shantou Flyer in the Skinners ladies’ open.