Edwardstone became the tenth Grade 1 winner for Kaya Tara with his 16-length romp in the Close Brothers King Edward VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown on Saturday.
Bred by his owners Robert Abrey and Ian Thurtle, the seven-year-old is one of the most exciting young chasers in training in Britain with five wins from his 16 starts, including his last two starts over fences. Out of the Luso mare Nothingtoloose, Edwardstone has been a highly consistent performer over the last three years, also being placed on another sixth occasions, and finishing a close-up fifth in the Grade 3 County Hurdle at last season’s Cheltenham Festival.
Following his first Grade 1 strike, Edwardstone’s trainer Alan King outlined his plans for his young star, with the Arkle Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham his major aim for the season.
He said: “I’m thrilled with him. We couldn’t win a bumper but he met some superstars along the way. He was progressive over hurdles and we tried him over fences last year. He was always hopefully going to make a chaser. He’s bred for a trip but doesn’t need any further yet. I hope and think he’s an Arkle horse so we’ll work backwards from there. The Kingmaker would be the ideal one but he’ll probably want a race in between.”
Kaya Tara, the 11-time champion National Hunt sire in Britain, was retired from covering duties in the summer of 2020 and continues to live in peaceful retirement at Overbury Stud as the age of 27.
