Warren Greatrex hailed a magnificent team performance after claiming Grade One honours with La Bague Au Roi on Boxing Day - get all the latest from the leading trainer.
Looking back...
La Bague Au Roi - 1st, Kempton, December 26
It was a fabulous day for everyone. We've brought La Bague Au Roi through the ranks, she came as an unbroken horse and I like to think we've minded her and brought her along. She's done nothing but improve every year and the only thing we hadn't ticked off was a Grade One. People were starting to think I was a bit mad as I kept saying she was good enough to win one and we've been proved right in an extremely strong race.
And to do it the way she did made me extremely proud, as I am of everyone in the yard - Ashley Price who rides her out every day; Jack Goodchild, the groom who looks after her. She is the apple of their eye as well.
The plan was that Richard was going to take his time a bit as we thought they'd go very fast but her jumping is so quick which meant they got there quite early and when she got a bit close to the third-last it looked like she was going to be second, but one thing she does do it tough it out. When you get a really good mare, they are just so hard to beat.
They thought Harry Cobden (on Topofthegame) maybe got there too early but I don't think it would have made much of a difference. She's got a bit of speed and either way around there I don't think anything was going to beat her on the day.
Three miles is clearly fine for her, especially on a flat track, but she's definitely not a slogger and I'm not convinced Cheltenham suits her to be honest. She's been there a couple of time and been beaten so I wouldn't necessarily be working back from anything at the Cheltenham Festival.
I think Aintree would be more her thing and before then I'm seriously considering running her at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown. There's a Grade One over 2m5f there and I think that would be perfect for her around Leopardstown. I took a runner to the Festival last year and I do like to support it. It's good for English racing to go to Ireland.
I don't need to think of much else with her now other than plot a Grade One route and if she doesn't do anything else in her career she's already been a huge part of mine. She's done it all and I will probably never get another mare as good as her so we've got to enjoy it - we certainly enjoyed the evening anyway!
An absolutely fantastic finish to the @32Red Kauto Star Novices’ Chase as La Bague Au Roi fights back past Topofthegame #WinterFestival pic.twitter.com/DmrWFhbT3k
— Kempton Park (@kemptonparkrace) December 26, 2018
Western Ryder - 3rd, Ascot, December 22
For me, he's another one that I'm keen to prove how good he is. To run two great races within a week was a massive effort, it's not easy to turn around and run again in another good race so he clearly ran with a lot of credit.
He'll obviously have a break but I will probably look now to find a Grade Two somewhere. I'd love to get a win into him and my main aim further on would be the Grade One at Aintree over two and a half miles. If we work back from there that would suit.
What I love is that last year he was still a little bit timid with his hurdling but he's grown up now and the penny has dropped. Richard (Johnson) says he's like a seasoned pro at his jumping now and he could be an even better chaser come next season. I'm looking forward to schooling him properly at the back end of the current campaign.
Jammin Masters - 2nd, Ascot December 22
He clearly bumped into one in Valtor who has subsequently been put up 16lb in the handicap so was obviously thrown in on his UK debut.
The winner annihilated everything and I suppose it was typical that we'd saved our youngster for a big pot and another one comes from France and wins so well at the age of nine.
But Jammin Masters delighted us all - Ascot is such a hard place for a novice to run in a big handicap and early doors he was run of his feet. He finished very strongly and has a huge engine.
He's hopefully got a bright future in staying chases. We could now try and find him an easy novice chase to get his confidence up but we'll be thinking about the four-miler at Cheltenham or the Kim Muir which we won last year.
To go and do what he did after just the one run over fences for us at Carlisle impressed me a lot and he'll have learnt so much. He went into it a boy and hopefully came out a man.
Encore Champs - 7th, Ascot, December 21
It was clearly a good race but it's one we're willing to put a line through. They had to take hurdles out in the straight and it changed the complexion of the race.
His jumping is fantastic and probably his main asset.
We possibly got the tactics a little bit wrong as we didn't want to make the same mistake we made at Wetherby when going too hard up front. We probably dropped him in too far back and he never got a blow in but there's no harm done.
He didn't have a hard race and he's fresh as paint so we'll go somewhere and hopefully build back up.
The winner was impressive, to be fair, to do that on his first run over hurdles was quite something.
Another Emotion - 4th, Chepstow, December 27
He ran great. I do, though, admit that I probably ran him back too quickly after Sandown where he had quite a hard race in bad ground. He had a slog.
Hopefully he'll come on again and we'll freshen him up with a month off. Again, he's one who is going to be a very nice chaser next season but I'm confident he'll win a nice handicap hurdle before the end of the campaign.
Bob Mahler – 2nd, Chepstow, December 27
He annoys me in many ways as the only race he's ever put it all together was at Ayr last season as the whole race went smoothly.
He's one of these horse that, mentally, can almost run three types of race in one. At Chepstow he travelled and jumped well early on, which he hadn't at Ascot.
If he'd winged the last the other day then he might just have won as he was flying. When he steps up in trip I think that's when we'll really see the best of him.
I think he's made for some sort of National at some stage, maybe a Welsh National or a Midlands National. He's that type of horse hopefully as he's still quite babyish but has more to offer.
Emitom - NR, Newbury, December 19
He's fine, he worked this morning (Friday) and schooled well and he'll have an entry in the Tolworth Hurdle next Saturday.
He seems well and to be over what was the problem. We'll scope him early next week and make a decision then.
The week ahead...
The Wolf – 12.40 Newbury, Saturday
We're going to run The Wolf in the Betway Introductory Hurdle at Newbury and he's a horse I like.
He's been to Henrietta Knight's as he didn't jump well enough first time out over hurdles at the same course late last month.
I think it could be later down the line that he really thrives and we'll be taking things quite slowly. I'd be quite surprised if Saturday was his day, in truth.
Printing Dollars – 12.55 Warwick, Monday
Printing Dollars bumped into a very good Nicholls horse (Danse Idol) at Wincanton in a maiden hurdle and has come on for that. She looks great.
She would be up to winning a mares' race anywhere we choose to go by the looks of things. She's also in at Hereford on Wednesday.
Sandhurst Lad – 1.40 Uttoxeter, Monday
Sandhurst Lad is a possible runner early next week. He ran well when fourth at Chepstow last time and stepping up to three miles will suit him.
He's hopefully going to be winning very soon.
Madam Malina – 3.45 Uttoxeter, Monday
She made quite a nice debut at Ludlow and has come out of it very well. I'd be very surprised if she didn't improved markedly on the form next time.
Little Jack – 1.50 Exeter, Tuesday
The form of his second bumper is working out really well and he obviously won his first bumper.
We've schooled him which has been good and we're keen to get him out. He'll have more options so it will be picking and choosing an opportunity.
Article Fifty – 1.50 Exeter, Tuesday
He ran some nice races last year. He's taken a bit of time as he hurt himself out in the field and we've given him a wind op since then too.
It'll be his first time back and he'll improve but he's a horse we really like.
