Trackside Live: Horses to Follow

Division (William Haggas)

October 18, Ascot - Qipco British Champions Day Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes

The introduction of a six-furlong two-year-old conditions event onto the Champions Day card may become a divisive subject in the coming days, given it’s a slow racing week and we’re all (apart from David) holding onto the last remnants of the Flat season.

The two-year-old contest provides a useful stepping stone for the late season juveniles and Division fits the race’s intended target audience, having made his debut in late August and been brought along carefully by William Haggas, recording a third straight victory in the Listed Rockingham Stakes at York whilst we were all distracted by the Dewhurst at Newmarket.

In the paddock, the colt caught the eye – compact, powerful and well put together – and he ran respectably to finish fifth after taking keen hold. He’s a full-brother to the useful Celandine, who enjoyed her own fruitful juvenile campaign to win the Group 2 Lowther Stakes and trained on to place in multiple Stakes races in 2025.

Division should be the finished product entering the start of the 2026 season and he looks ideal for a three-year-old sprinting campaign – a pathway that could lead him back to Ascot for the Pavilion Stakes and the Commonwealth Cup.

Plaid (James Fanshawe)

October 15, Nottingham - PRICEDUP EBF Restricted Maiden Fillies Stakes

It’s alright for her Ladyship saying I’m already in jumps mode (see above) but they haven’t had jumps racing at Nottingham since 1996 (I had to look that up, it seems like longer than that) so if I want (very) local, it’s Flat or nowt.

Anyway, there wasn’t a lot to take out of Wednesday’s meeting but I was very taken with James Fanshawe’s Plaid in the Fillies Maiden on the card. She really caught the eye beforehand, quite lengthy and well built, and she’ll grown into her big frame well over the winter. Given a very considerate introduction here, she picked up very nicely when asked to from two furlongs out and although beaten seven lengths, i’d not be taking that as anything like representative as how eyecatching she was. For all her pedigree says she’ll want shorter, she shapes (and looks) much more a middle distance filly for next year.

Vinnie O’Neil (Sam Allwood)

17 October, Uttoxeter - EBF National Hunt Novices Hurdle

From Champions Day, via Nottingham, to a novice hurdle at Uttoxeter. On my way to Reading on Friday I called into Uttoxeter’s meeting to see if there was anything of interest I could take forward and I probably didn’t expect to be putting a 400/1 shot that had pulled up in two previous starts. Yet, here we are.

The comment Vinnie O'Neil got from me on Trackside was “nice chasing type, plenty of size, needs a bit of time but a good model.” He was well put together and looked like a racehorse to my eyes. So much so I thought the price was a bit of an insult and threw a few quid each-way at him. Fourth, of course.

Let’s not get carried away here, this was his first completion and it probably wasn’t a great contest but a 20-length fourth, sticking at it, gives some hope there’s an engine there. Wait for him to get a mark and possibly go up a bit in trip, then he’ll be of more interest.

Tribal Chief (David Menuisier)

18 October, Ascot - Balmoral Handicap

And so, the circle is completed, as we go back to Ascot and the closing Balmoral Handicap.

There were three that really caught the eye beforehand, for us - Holloway Boy, who looked spot-on for this and only just failed, going down by a neck, Oliver Show, who maybe wants a drop back to seven furlongs, but best was Tribal Chief, a strong-bodied individual who looked match-fit and was still holding onto his coat very well.

The race was somewhat dominated by the draw - very high and very low seemed to be key, and a slow pace set by winner Crown Of Oaks, and I’d be happy to give Tribal Chief another try before the season is out; he was second on heavy ground at Newmarket last November and isn’t ground dependant.

Keep an eye out for him in the next few weeks, I suspect he could bounce back.

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