Emma Lavelle has enjoyed an excllentr start to 2022, continuing the resurgence of a yard with history of big winners over many generations. The Ogbourne Maizey yard has fired in 4 winners in the last 11 days, with plenty of near misses along the way too. Emma and partner Barry make a formidable and unassuming team to bring the glory days back to a yard well used to hosting top flight winners. A cross card double today at Newbury and Plumpton only emphasizes their grasp of their profession.
A snapshot of OTV coverage of Lavelle would have you believe Paisley Park was the only leading occupant of this yard, yet despite the fact he remains among the leading earners for the yard this season, he has yet to figure among their 30 winners, and the 24 individual winners speak eloquently of strength in depth.
Highlight of the year to date has to be Eclair Surf's near pillar to post victory in Warwick's Classic Chase on Saturday, a race that has been nurtured and developed back into a proper contest in its own right, and one-time pointer to Aintree in April. Once upon a time, the 4m Brooke Bond Oxo National was a mudlark's delight, and a race on the wane, but the arrival of Channel 4 cameras, changes of distance, back to 3m5f, then 3m, before being extended again, plus a wedge of serious money, has made this a terrific contest. At £100,000, it's a proper race in its own right, deserving of its 15 runner field.
Not that Eclair Surf saw many of those during his pace-setting romp under stable jockey Tom Bellamy. Headed only briefly, he ate up Warwick's fences with just one error, and seven of his rivals failed to complete. Whilst the soort of January ground is unlikely to repeat on different soil and a different month at Aintree, it was as good a prep as one could ask.
Killer Clown began the winner fest at Wincanton a week earlier in a similar standard contest a mile shorter for more modest pickings of £20,000. He is entered up for Ascot at the weekend. That winner, like Eclair Surf, is owned by stable patron Tim Syder.
Meantime, today, Tom Bellamy headed to Plumpton for three rides, bringing home a winner in the opening Novices Hurdle on odds-on favourite Young Butler with a finishing flourish that stole the race after the last. At Newbury, 7lb claimer Joe Anderson rode his ninth winner overall in the Syder colours again on Voice of Calm in the feature mares handicap hurdle.
There are sadly no Lavelle entries in the weekend's laudable Winter Million at Lingfield, more a lack of the right races than avoiding the course. The injection of cash to Lingfield is most welcome, and Friday's card has attracted Irish leading rider Paul Townend, back from a long layoff, before he takes on Shishkin and First Flow with Energumene at Ascot the following day.
For our leading amateurs, it's also a striong weekend in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, with the Royal Artillery on Saturday at Larkhill, and Cocklebarrow the following day over the county border in Gloucestershire.
Emma Lavelle has enjoyed an excllentr start to 2022, continuing the resurgence of a yard with history of big winners over many generations. The Ogbourne Maizey yard has fired in 4 winners in the last 11 days, with plenty of near misses along the way too. Emma and partner Barry make a formidable and unassuming team to bring the glory days back to a yard well used to hosting top flight winners. A cross card double today at Newbury and Plumpton only emphasizes their grasp of their profession.
A snapshot of OTV coverage of Lavelle would have you believe Paisley Park was the only leading occupant of this yard, yet despite the fact he remains among the leading earners for the yard this season, he has yet to figure among their 30 winners, and the 24 individual winners speak eloquently of strength in depth.
Highlight of the year to date has to be Eclair Surf's near pillar to post victory in Warwick's Classic Chase on Saturday, a race that has been nurtured and developed back into a proper contest in its own right, and one-time pointer to Aintree in April. Once upon a time, the 4m Brooke Bond Oxo National was a mudlark's delight, and a race on the wane, but the arrival of Channel 4 cameras, changes of distance, back to 3m5f, then 3m, before being extended again, plus a wedge of serious money, has made this a terrific contest. At £100,000, it's a proper race in its own right, deserving of its 15 runner field.
Not that Eclair Surf saw many of those during his pace-setting romp under stable jockey Tom Bellamy. Headed only briefly, he ate up Warwick's fences with just one error, and seven of his rivals failed to complete. Whilst the soort of January ground is unlikely to repeat on different soil and a different month at Aintree, it was as good a prep as one could ask.
Killer Clown began the winner fest at Wincanton a week earlier in a similar standard contest a mile shorter for more modest pickings of £20,000. He is entered up for Ascot at the weekend. That winner, like Eclair Surf, is owned by stable patron Tim Syder.
Meantime, today, Tom Bellamy headed to Plumpton for three rides, bringing home a winner in the opening Novices Hurdle on odds-on favourite Young Butler with a finishing flourish that stole the race after the last. At Newbury, 7lb claimer Joe Anderson rode his ninth winner overall in the Syder colours again on Voice of Calm in the feature mares handicap hurdle.
There are sadly no Lavelle entries in the weekend's laudable Winter Million at Lingfield, more a lack of the right races than avoiding the course. The injection of cash to Lingfield is most welcome, and Friday's card has attracted Irish leading rider Paul Townend, back from a long layoff, before he takes on Shishkin and First Flow with Energumene at Ascot the following day.
For our leading amateurs, it's also a striong weekend in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, with the Royal Artillery on Saturday at Larkhill, and Cocklebarrow the following day over the county border in Gloucestershire.
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