As always, the team at Overbury Stud is looking forward to a terrific week of action at our local track, Cheltenham.
Extra excitement this week comes in the fact that three Grade 1 runners at the Festival were born and raised here, two of which were bred by Overbury Stallions Ltd.
Kayf Tara’s former G1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper winner Ballyandy returns to the Festival for the Champion Hurdle and he will line up against Cornerstone Lad, by our late stallion Delegator. Ballyandy’s dam Megalex has been a long-term resident at Overbury for her owner Jeremy Hinds of Pleasure Palace Racing. Sadly, Cornerstone Lad’s dam Chapel Corner is no longer with us but we were very proud to breed her son, who won the G1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle earlier this season, in partnership with Jono Mills.
We will also be looking forward to the appearance of the Overbury-bred Thyme Hill in the G1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. The six-year-old son of Kayf Tara is unbeaten this season in three graded hurdle races, including the G1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle, having been third to Envoi Allen in last year’s Champion Bumper.
Among some other notable runners for Kayf Tara this week is the Alan King-trained Edwardstone, who lines up in Tuesday’s G1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. The six-year-old has finished in the first two in all six of his races to date.
Schiaparelli also has some interesting contenders at this year’s Festival. The Irish-trained Ronald Pump, who was bred in Britain by Whitley Stud and Tony Meehan, is on course for Thursday’s G1 Stayers’ Hurdle, while the connections of Whatmore will be hoping that he makes the cut for the Listed Northern Trust Company Novices’ Choice.
Meanwhile, the consistent mare Indefatigable, now the winner of four races including two Listed contests, looks set to line up on Friday for the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.
