CHELTENHAM dreams came true for well-known sport horse owner John Hales who was in tears when Politologue carried his colours to victory in Wednesday’s Queen Mother Champion Chase in the hands of Harry Skelton.
It was a very special win for John Hales, a great supporter of international show jumping, who goes back a long way with Nick Skelton and his family.
Nick Skelton partnered the legendary Arko III, owned by John and his daughter Lisa, to multiple international Grand Prix victories. In turn, Hales wanted to support Nick’s son Harry with the ride on the Paul Nicholls-trained grey and the duo lead from start to finish in a masterly display to give Hales his third win in the race and Skelton his biggest career success in the saddle.
Hales currently owns horses campaigned by Waterford rider Anthony Condon, including the multiple Grand Prix winner SFS Aristio.
Wexford young horse producer J.J. Bowe didn’t travel over to Cheltenham this year but, at home in Kiltealy, was delighted to see Ferny Hollow win Wednesday’s Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper having purchased the Westerner gelding for €38,000 as a three-year-old at the 2018 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.
“By the time I picked my fellow out, Colin (Bowe, his cousin) said he’d had enough horses and wasn’t keen to take a share but I could send him home on the lorry with his,” related J.J. who showed Gareth Carlisle’s home-bred MT Star Lux to win the three-year-old young event horse championship at the Dublin Horse Show last August.
“The next morning, Colin, who is my neighbour as well as cousin, had a good look at the horse and decided to buy a half. He saddled Ferny Hollow to win a four-year-old maiden under Jimmy O’Rourke at Knockanard the following February and the horse was then sent to the Tatts sale at Cheltenham where he was bought (for £300,000) by Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins.” Ferny Hollow was bred by Ken Parkhill out of a Good Thyne mare who has produced four other winners.
On Thursday, J.J. was thrilled to see fellow Wexford man Rob James record his first success at the Cheltenham Festival when landing the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Amateur Handicap Chase on the Gordon Elliott-trained Milan Native who ran in the colours of Gigginstown House Stud.
“Rob is a great fellow and a brilliant rider!” enthused Bowe. “During weekends and his school holidays he used to work with me and was great with the young horses. He absolutely loved hunting and, as often as he could, he’d ride something for me with the Brees and Wexfords. Unfortunately, when he left school it was racing he wanted to do so that was my loss!”
Lyons to train racehorses
Co Kilkenny-based show horse rider/producer Louise Lyons, who represented Ireland in eventing at the 2008 Olympic Games, hopes to start training racehorses soon at Bluegate Stud. She has already done some of the licence modules and next takes on the pre-racehorse trainers development course which starts on March 23rd, at RACE.