Middleham Park warming up for another St Moritz adventure

The ownership group had great success in the Swiss Alps in February of this year, taking dual-purpose performer Mordred out to contest three races for trainer Milton Harris.

The gelding was twice a winner in the snow and his stay in the resort ended with a second-placed run in the Grosser Preis von St Moritz – a local Group Two event that brought his Swiss earnings to nearly £30,000 across a fortnight.

His performances, and the unique setting of the White Turf, was relished by Middleham Park members and has inspired the syndicate to return to St Moritz again.

Mordred, who has been campaigned on the all-weather, over hurdles and over fences since his last visit, will head back to the snow in February and will this time be joined by Stepney Causeway – a six-year-old purchased by Harris with the White Turf in mind.

Previously owned by the Gredley family and trained by Dan Skelton, the bay is likely to follow a path established by Mordred last season when the two horses take a break from jumping careers to turn their attentions to the frozen lake in St Moritz.

“We’re intending on sending a bit of a team, Stepney Causeway and Modred again,” said Tim Palin of Middleham Park Racing.

“Milton bought Stepney Causeway privately from the Skeltons and the Gredleys and offered him to us because of the success that we’ve had.

“He thinks the horse is a very strong candidate, or the perfect candidate, for the races that Mordred was competing in last year.

“He thinks that with the way the races are run over there, a horse that just about gets a mile and a quarter but gets a mile with a back catalogue of 85 Flat form in him could be cherry-ripe for racing on the White Turf at St Moritz.

“He’s a little bit like Mordred, he won a hurdle and a chase for us over the summer and we’ll do the same with Stepney Causeway as well, we’ll run him over hurdles and fences. He’ll probably have a Flat campaign as well.

“We ran Mordred on the all-weather in the summer. We’re just trying to duplicate what we did there with him.

“Milton’s got a third horse as well, called Definite. He’d like to take even more over and we’d like to get some horses together for the sprint but they’re not easy to come by at the horses in training sales for sensible money.”

All three St Moritz-bound horses could have a final spin on the all-weather to leave them perfectly prepared for the White Turf, where working horses is made more complicated by the altitude in the Alps.

“They’ll probably all travel over in the final week of January, Milton is talking about giving them a prep race on the all-weather before they go,” Palin explained.

“With it being at altitude you struggle to train them properly, you just have to keep them ticking over there so he gets them super fit before they go.

“He’ll try and do that at home but if needs be, all three of them might have a run on the all-weather just to top their fitness up before they go.”

Plenty of owners involved with Mordred flew out to see his runs on the snow last time around, and Palin is hopeful there will be a expanded contingent there this February to fly the flag for the syndicate.

“We’re very excited, we’ve already got some quotes from a travel company for people to go across,” he said.

“I think 20 people went on the final day when Mordred was second in the local Group Two, we’ve been fielding plenty of calls from people wanting to go across – both Mordred owners and Stepney Causeway owners.

“It’s already becoming quite exciting and it’s already captured the imagination of the owners. There are still some shares available in Stepney Causeway so hopefully people will see that over Christmas and want to come and join the party.

“It’s just brilliant the way that they look after you, the hospitality is fantastic. The lake is already frozen over so they can start their preparations, there’s plenty to look forward to.”