A REGULAR presence in the shake-up for the champion handler honours, the current 2015/16 season for Fermanagh-based David Christie is one that epitomises the striking ups and downs that National Hunt racing can so cruelly inflict on connections.
A dream start to the campaign witnessed Christie-trained horses win five of the first eight open lightweights run throughout the autumn, a sequence which has been maintained right through the season, as of the 21 races in the open division that his horses have contested, they have a sizeable nine of them.
That success has propelled him into second position in the leading handler table with 12 winners from just the nine horses that he has run thus far, which pales in comparison to the size of the strings belonging to those trainers whose names surround him on the leader board.
However, those notable high points were countered by the cruel loss of his stable star You Must Know Me on Irish Gold Cup Day at Leopardstown.
Within the space of seconds, Christie had enjoyed the high of witnessing the 10-year-old produce a spectacular round of jumping to win one of the big hunter chases on the Irish calendar, the Raymond Smith Memorial, having previously taken all before him with three wide-margin successes between the flags throughout the autumn. Then the Alistair Corrigan-owned gelding suffered a fatal injury to his fetlock on passing the post. His loss is a big one for a yard the size of Christie’s, but one which he can fight back from.
A name synonymous with some of the leading open performers between the flags for well over a decade, including the prolific Top Twig, who won 18 of his 21 open lightweight starts for Christie, in addition to the St. Stephen’s Day Down Royal hunter chase, Arctic Copper another 18-time open victor, Finoel who notched up 15 successes in opens, and Royal Ranger, a 14-time open winner, and he could well have another star of the open ranks on his hands in the form of Valmy Baie.
However, the past 18 months have seen the Derrylin trainer switch some of his focus to the flat, with La Fleur De Force placing three times in competitive two-year-old maidens last season, whilst he also has high hopes for an unnamed Lilbourne Lad two-year-old who he bought at the Yearling Sales last September in Fairyhouse.
IMPORTANT MOMENT (IRE)
7yo b g (21-)
Milan - Cuilogue Lady (Beneficial)
Jonathan Creswell
Important Moment got a slight hold-up but he is on his way back. He finished second at Dowth Hall on his debut in a race which has since produced five winners, and he then won by a distance at Kirkistown on his next start before Christmas. He is a talented as he won on ground which he would not have loved. He wants nice ground so with the way that the ground has been for much of the season, we haven’t missed much with him. On his work he could go very well in a bumper, so hopefully we will have him back out soon and then he could go to the track if he is not sold.
MAPLE MONS (IRE)
10yo ch m (P11-4F)
Great Exhibition - Radeda (Great Commotion)
David Charles & Arron Charles
She is our little Annie Power. I gave her a break after her win in a mares’ open at Lisronagh in December and she ran a hell of a race at Downpatrick on her re-appearance three weeks ago. It was a cracking run to finish a close fourth against some very good geldings’ over a trip that was too short and she came out of the race bouncing. Loughanmore didn’t go to plan as slipped on landing but she is in at both Maralin and Bellurgan Park this weekend and I will wait to see what the ground is like before deciding. The plan is to keep ticking away in points with her for the rest of the season before we might try and nick a race on the track. We have discussed breeding from her at some point as I have not trained a tougher horse. She was very eccentric at home but she has got better.
NOT BEFORE EIGHT (IRE)
12yo br g (340-3)
Flemensfirth - Supreme Evening (Supreme Leader)
D.M. Christie
He is still on the go. He last ran at Tinahely in February in a three-runner open and I wasn’t sure about the form of the race, but the second horse, Anseanachai Cliste, has since won twice. Our horse was only 80% fit for that run so he will come on for that. I’m waiting for good ground with him and we will try and find some weaker opens before he is retired. I kept him as he was one of the last horses that I had for the late Rodney Watson.
THE BRANDY MAN (IRE)
7yo b g (33-P9)
Exit To Knowhere - Brandy Import (Import)
S.J. Hegarty
He is back from a break and is entered at Maralin today but whether he runs all depends on the ground. We ran him the once in points during the autumn at Toomebridge and then in a bumper at Down Royal. I had worked him with You Must Know Me and he went really well but we were still trying to work out how good You Must Know Me was at the time and I think that took the edge of him. He doesn’t like sticky ground so the plan is to try and win a point with him before the end of the season and then go to the track for the summer. He is a half-brother to Jenny Make A Penny who is in foal to Yeats and is due in about a month’s time. She won twice of me at Limavady and Tinahely and it’s important to try and get a win with him for the pedigree.
THE HARD HAT (IRE)
12yo b g (115122331P)
Beneficial - Three Hats (Glacial Storm)
Sporting Pointers Syndicate
He has been a superstar for me and his owners are a great bunch of people who just love their racing. He is very consistent but he does prefer good ground and really excels from this point of the season when he comes in off the grass with a bit of sun on his back. He does not seem to like it wet so it is a huge plus that we have already won four races at this stage of the season. I was thrilled with his last win at Kirkistown because he hated the ground. He can handle heavy ground but when it is tacky like at Castletown on Sunday he just got tired. There are a lot of tired horses around so I will be careful with what ground I run him on for the rest of the season. He is owned by the Sporting Pointers Syndicate which is a group of five locals who are legends, they have been great supporters of mine and have had some brilliant fun through the years with the likes of this lad and Top Twig before that.
VALMY BAIE (FR)
7yo b g (08/113)
Crillon - Abondance (Achille)
Ray Nicholas
Valmy Baie is very classy but he is tricky at home. He goes out at 5.30am before the others and I would say that he was very difficult to train in a big yard as he likes to be on his own. He seems to be very suited by my set-up. I am a much smaller outfit and the two gallops we have appear to be ideal for him. We went to Kirkistown in February and I had just lunged him for four weeks before that run so he was only 85% ready. I had struggled to get him fit after he picked-up a stone bruise so I thought that after two and a half miles that he might fold, but he was very impressive. He took some real steps forward after that so we knew we had a good one. He ballooned over the first at Loughanmore at Easter and gave himself a real fright and then jumped right afterwards with the choke out. He earned more credit from me after that run then his previous two, as I didn’t think he would last it out in front for as long as he did with the way he ran. He has taken a long time to come back from it, but the plan would be to go to Largy.
I will put a year’s experience in points behind him and then we will look at next year’s Aintree Foxhunters. He was only ever a hurdler before I got him but he is quite clever over his fences and he has real natural speed. I have not seen a faster horse go up my hill, so that could be a great combination for Aintree. But after You Must Know Me, I only ever take it one day at a time, so we’ll not look too far ahead.
THE DEALER (IRE)
5yo ch g (-7)
Gamut - Along Came Polly (Old Vic)
D.M. Christie
He is quite a nice horse but he would not be overly big. I bought him at the August sales at Tattersalls as a store and he is from the family of Shes Our Mare who won the Cambridgeshire and Newmarket and two graded hurdles for Tony Martin and the Cork National winner Our Monty. I gave him a run in a bumper at Down Royal back in October and he is now probably two-three weeks away from running in a point. He would be an ideal summer hurdler for over in England.
UNNAMED (IRE)
5yo b m
Tikkanen - Pertinent Point (Barathea)
D.M. Christie
She is working well at the minute and is showing enough to suggest that she is up to running on the track but I will go for a point with her this season for the experience. She is a homebred out of Pertinent Point who won a mares’ maiden for me at Necarne in 2008. She has also a two-year-old Westerner gelding that was bought by John Halley as a foal.
UNNAMED (IRE)
4yo b g
Fruits Of Love - Budget Deficit (Exit To Knowhere)
Samantha and Denise Kelly
Denise and Samantha Kelly who own him bought him from the Tattersalls Ireland August Sale as a store. His grandam is Kinnegad Girl who won two bumpers and a maiden hurdle for Lee Bowles. When I first got him he was quite small and I thought that he might need some time but he has turned out to be nice horse.
UNNAMED (IRE)
4yo ch g
Getaway - Derrygowna Lord (Mister Lord)
Michael Winters
I do the odd horse for Mick Winters and this Getaway is showing all the signs of being top class. I have done a lot with him and he has done it all very well. I have worked him with some decent open horses and it was all very easy for him. I think it is far better to take our time and leave him to have a summer’s grass as he will win a four-year-old maiden in the autumn. He is of a very high quality so I am in no rush with him. His dam won a maiden at Liscarroll for Mick, and she is out of a half-sister to a listed hurdle winner for Paul Nicholls.