This is rapidly looking like a breakthrough season for Wroughton handler Robbie Llewellyn, who saddled his first winner at a Grade I fixture on Saturday when Top Cloud won a novices handicap hurdle on the Long Walk card.
On the face of it, this head victory off a low weight in a race that wouldn't raise the blood pressure of Ascot's clerk, Chris Stickels, appears unremarkable. Yet for yards of the scale of Llewellyn's, this illustrates a capacity to compete at the top table rather than merely attaneding all the gaffs day after day.
Last season's 5 winners from 60 runners was no small achievement. With a total of 10 from just 50 runners this term so far, the Llewellyn team is running at a highly respectable 20% success rate that any top yard would accept gladly. There's no danger that the yard will trouble the Championship leaders in the near future, but any yard is as good as the quality of horses sent their way; if Top Cloud's exploits are repeated consistently, wealthier owners will beat their way to another Wiltshire trainer's door with the promise of higher quality merchandise.
We can't wait.
This is rapidly looking like a breakthrough season for Wroughton handler Robbie Llewellyn, who saddled his first winner at a Grade I fixture on Saturday when Top Cloud won a novices handicap hurdle on the Long Walk card.
On the face of it, this head victory off a low weight in a race that wouldn't raise the blood pressure of Ascot's clerk, Chris Stickels, appears unremarkable. Yet for yards of the scale of Llewellyn's, this illustrates a capacity to compete at the top table rather than merely attaneding all the gaffs day after day.
Last season's 5 winners from 60 runners was no small achievement. With a total of 10 from just 50 runners this term so far, the Llewellyn team is running at a highly respectable 20% success rate that any top yard would accept gladly. There's no danger that the yard will trouble the Championship leaders in the near future, but any yard is as good as the quality of horses sent their way; if Top Cloud's exploits are repeated consistently, wealthier owners will beat their way to another Wiltshire trainer's door with the promise of higher quality merchandise.
We can't wait.
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