Harry Fry exclusive interview and stable tour featuring If The Cap Fits and Bags Groove
Harry Fry looks ahead to the thick of the action this jumps season with an exclusive and revealing interview alongside Oli Bell.
We paid a visit to Harry Fry's yard in Seaborough to get the latest from the Grade One-winning trainer as the National Hunt season begins in earnest.
Click on the icon at the top of the article to play the exclusive interview with Oli Bell, while scroll down for the trainer's quick-fire thoughts including a dark horse to follow for the year.
The future's bright
We've got some flag-bearers which every yard needs and we've been lucky to have some top-quality horses over the years.
What's most exciting is that we've got our strongest crop of bumper horses going hurdling this season, some really nice horses that hopefully have bright futures ahead.
Everyone's after good horses and it's hard to find them but we've always enjoyed buying the stores, the unbroken three-year-olds, producing them ourselves, and it's a route that's proven successful for us.
You have to be patient but hopefully this year we'll start to see the rewards.
Young stars to follow
We have Misty Whisky who won the Listed mares' bumper at Sandown. She didn't quite run her race at Aintree in the Grade Two but it was probably one run too many. She's from a good family and jumps for fun.
She's one that hopefully looks right up to scratch for those mares' novice hurdles this year.
King Roland is another horse who was mighty impressive on his debut at Uttoxeter and then conceded weight on his second start. We decided not to go to Punchestown as he was just going the wrong way a bit and getting a bit headstrong.
He's a winning point-to-pointer, he jumps well and is another one who will be a chaser in time but should make into a lovely novice hurdler.
Obviously Get In The Queue who gave Noel Fehily a winning last ride at Newbury in a race that's been very good for us. Sadly, he picked up a small injury that day which is going to rule him out until the second half of the season.
I've had two other horses who managed to win three bumpers - one was Rock On Ruby and the other was Bitofapuzzle, both Grade One winners. So it takes a good horse to win three bumpers, we just have to be patient. When he's ready to come back into training we'll look forward to kicking on with him.
Billbank Flyer, a four-year-old brother to Chantry House, won a bumper particularly nicely at Warwick and he's a lovely looking horse.
And without wanting to curse a horse before he's even stepped on a racecourse, there's a nice four-year-old called Fehily - named after Noel. He's a lovely unraced four-year-old who does everything right at home and is exciting.
Samarquand will hopefully make into a nice novice chaser and he'll be starting out over fences soon. He's entered up at Uttoxeter (Friday) and Plumpton (Monday).
Old and the new in staying division
Unowhatimeanharry gave us a fantastic day at Punchestown in May, there was real emotion that day because we went there after a disappointing run at Aintree in hope rather than expectation and well aware it could have been his very last run.
So to come back out at 11 years of age and win a Grade One again - okay, it wasn't the strongest running of the race (Champion Stayers Hurdle) but it was still a Grade One - it was a really memorable occasion. He's given us some great days but that was so special to see him performing at a level we know he can.
He's 11 turning 12 now, we're not going out there saying he'll win the Stayers' Hurdle at 12 but hopefully we'll start off at Wetherby. There's Newbury where he's won twice but there's the small matter of Paisley Park so maybe we'll go there match fit and try and keep him honest. But we'll just pick our races with him, he owes us nothing.
If The Cap Fits is a seven-year-old with one run over three miles and he's a Grade One winner. That was a pulsating finish (at Aintree) and it was a great performance by all three horses that day. We're going to do down the staying division with him.
He needs to improve again, even on ratings he's below the likes of Paisley Park but he did a lot wrong at Aintree and still got up. Ascot in the Coral Hurdle might be a nice starting point, he won the race last year and it gives us a month then to go back for the Long Walk and potentially a clash with Paisley Park.
Getting into the Groove
Hell's Kitchen was highly tried last year in Grade Ones at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown and he probably wasn't quite up to that level. He's a very good horse on his day. He's not easy to predict but we might go up to Carlisle for a valuable graduation chase at the beginning of November.
We might be in no man's land between top handicaps and Grade races but there's a good prize in him this season for sure and Carlisle looks a good starting point.
Bags Groove had a good first season over fences, the only disappointments were when he ran in Grade Ones, at Kempton and then at Aintree. We went up to Aintree the night before but he didn't take the travelling too well and didn't eat too well.
I like the look of the Peterborough Chase for him this year, before Christmas anyway. I had in mind going to Ascot in November but there's the small matter of Altior and Cyrname due to clash there so we might go to Aintree for a hurdle race as a bit of a prep run.
Just A Sting will be going for some nice staying handicaps this autumn hopefully, possibly at Cheltenham's Open Meeting or the Sodexo at Ascot, while Jolly's Cracked It is still going strong and when he's on a going day Ascot is the place to catch him.
Playing the long game
The more you train the more you realise you have to be patient. But you hope to eventually reap the rewards as when you find a good one they keep coming back year on year - that's what it's all about in jumps racing.
We've had our ups and downs - we've been lucky to have some really great days and then losing a horse of Neon Wolf's calibre was absolutely devastating. But at the end of the day it puts a perspective on live and you try to enjoy it more. There are always peaks and troughs but that's horses and it's good to try and be as level-headed as you can.
It's a way of life, it's a livelihood, with horses they don't know that it's a Sunday, or Christmas Day, but it's all about good planning.
Riding plans
Sean Bowen has been riding the majority for us since Noel has retired and obviously that was his first Grade One win on If The Cap Fits at Aintree. They are his rides to turn down, he's a very good young jockey so hopefully he'll be happy more often than not to jump on board.
Johnny Burke has been in schooling and hopefully he'll come in for rides if Sean is elsewhere or unavailable and we obviously have some good amateurs in the yard including Mike Legg who continues to ride winners for us, and Keiron Edgar who has now ridden out his claim is in twice a week schooling.
So there's a nice team of jockeys who can hopefully continue to do the job well on racedays.
Quickfire questions
Which race would you most like to win and why?
I think the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot just before Christmas would hopefully set up the second half of the season. That's the plan for If The Cap Fits and he could be clashing for Paisley Park for the first time. He's still relatively unexposed and has to progress again but there's nothing like trying.
Which new recruit are you most excited about this year?
Get Back Get Back made a nice start over hurdles when second at Huntingdon and he's sure to improve on that experience. Before the ground gets too heavy he'll be one to follow on better ground over hurdles. He was a decent Flat horse and hopefully there might be a good handicap for him in the spring as well.
Who is this year's stable flag-bearer?
Unowhatimeanharry has really flown the flag for us over the past few years and he was a Grade One winner in the spring at Punchestown so while If The Cap Fits could take it, he I think still earns the bragging rights as the outright flag-bearer and we're looking forward to another campaign with him.
Who is your progressive dark horse for the year?
I think Whitehotchillifili could be one. She was a winner first time out in a bumper at Southwell on soft ground. She was a bit unfortunate as was then due to run when the equine flu disrupted her campaign but she'll be a nice mare to follow over hurdles this season. I think two and a half miles on soft ground will be perfect for her.
Which horse would you most like to train and why?
I think it's pretty hard to get away from Tiger Roll - multiple Cheltenham Festival winner, dual Grand National winner, he's just extraordinary and Gordon Elliott and his team have done a brilliant job. It really would raise the roof if he can win a third National next April.
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