Kayf Tara keeps notching up the winners as Cheltenham approaches.
It may only be three days into the month but Kayf Tara has already has six winners in March – two each day for good measure – in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Ballythomas and Swift Crusader set the ball rolling on Wednesday by winning at Musselburgh and Ffos Las respectively. The David Thompson-trained Ballythomas, bred by Fiona Williams-Jones, was scoring for the third time for Alan Moore and Tony Livingston when winning a handicap chase north of the border, while Swift Crusader scored a St David’s day triumph for William and Angela Rucker. The six-year-old was bred by Michael Lysaght and was following up on his point-to-point victory in Ireland on 11 December, having changed hands for £30,000 at Doncaster in January.
The following day another six-year-old, Monbeg Chit Chat, recorded his first win under rules in the maiden hurdle at Clonmel to add to a point-to-point victory this time last year. The same day saw a maiden win for Billy Hicks, bred by P M Hicks, in the novices’ hurdle at Ludlow.
On Friday, Copper Kay, a daughter of the talented racemare Presenting Copper, recorded her fifth victory for owner-breeders Aiden Murphy and Alan Peterson in the novices’ hurdle at Doncaster. The seven-year-old is already a Listed bumper winner and gained black type over hurdles in November.
Her victory was followed by that of another well-bred individual, Debece, a three-parts brother to the multiple Grade 1-winning chaser Don Poli, who recorded his third win in facile syle in the handicap hurdle at Newbury. The six-year-old was bred by Brian Griffiths and John Nicholson and has his trainer Tim Vaughan dreaming of a tilt at the G1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree next month.
Now 23, Kayf Tara has a full book for the 2017 covering season, and had his first mare scanned in foal for the year on Friday.
