The 2022-23 season won't go down in Neil King's as a vintage; at least, I'm jumping to conclusions 5 weeks before the clock re-sets and a new season starts. To date, 118 runners have resulted in a paltry 7 winners, made one better by Cluain Aodha's 3 3/4l win in a mares' handicap hurdle at Warwick this afternoon. This is a far cry from the heady days of 4 seasons ago, when the master of Burderop tallied an impressive 40 winners and £471,000 in prize money.
The same Wiltshire turf that has seen Alan King produce his bellwether £800k in earnings hasn't blessed the other side of the same hill at Burderop. Yet sometimes this is just the way the cookie crumbles. If the 17 second placings had improved just a tiny bit, this season might look very different for namesake Neil. Instead seven lowly winners have yet to amass £100k in earnings. Today's winner might be an indication of a return to form, but it's too little too late for the most part.
The good news is that barring two wins from Andrew Cohen's Give Me A Cuddle, there have been five individual winners. But that's about the extent of the good news. A largely indifferent group of horses hasn't cut the mustard, and a clear out looks in order.
This is a yard that deserves better. The facilities are first class, the trainer a proven performer. April 29 cannot come soon enough for a re-set.
The 2022-23 season won't go down in Neil King's as a vintage; at least, I'm jumping to conclusions 5 weeks before the clock re-sets and a new season starts. To date, 118 runners have resulted in a paltry 7 winners, made one better by Cluain Aodha's 3 3/4l win in a mares' handicap hurdle at Warwick this afternoon. This is a far cry from the heady days of 4 seasons ago, when the master of Burderop tallied an impressive 40 winners and £471,000 in prize money.
The same Wiltshire turf that has seen Alan King produce his bellwether £800k in earnings hasn't blessed the other side of the same hill at Burderop. Yet sometimes this is just the way the cookie crumbles. If the 17 second placings had improved just a tiny bit, this season might look very different for namesake Neil. Instead seven lowly winners have yet to amass £100k in earnings. Today's winner might be an indication of a return to form, but it's too little too late for the most part.
The good news is that barring two wins from Andrew Cohen's Give Me A Cuddle, there have been five individual winners. But that's about the extent of the good news. A largely indifferent group of horses hasn't cut the mustard, and a clear out looks in order.
This is a yard that deserves better. The facilities are first class, the trainer a proven performer. April 29 cannot come soon enough for a re-set.
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