ACTIVIST won for the first time over hurdles at Plumpton on Monday last and followed up with his second win at Taunton last Thursday. He won nicely at the Sussex track and we didn’t have strong intentions of running him again quickly but declared him to run and thought we would see how he was, writes DAVID PIPE.
My wife, Leanne rides him every day and after a day off on Tuesday she gave him a little canter on Wednesday and said he was ‘bouncing’. The Taunton race had divided and we checked with the handicapper what he was doing with him for the win and he said he was putting him up six.
We were running with a seven pound penalty so technically were one pound ‘wrong’ but sometimes you just have to listen to the horses and what they tell you. He didn’t leave a nut and scrap of hay after Plumpton and so after discussing things with owner Lynne Maclennan we decided to let him run and good job we did.
The race looked winnable, he seemed so happy and the fact that Taunton is less than 30 minutes down the road were all contributing factors towards our decision. The race at Taunton was slightly further than at Plumpton and because of this they went half a stride slower, he looked to be enjoying it and had the race in safe keeping a long way from home for a smooth and easy success.
We have made further entries for him at Ayr and Exeter on Friday and we will again see how he is this week before deciding about running plans. He will have to carry a double penalty this time around but with the handicapper going to put him up 18 pounds to a mark of 105, he will still be four pounds ‘well in’.
Activist won the first division of the novices handicap hurdle at Taunton and we followed up in division two with Johannes who was winning for the first time over hurdles. Our four year old was the winner of a French flat race but had been a little disappointing in three hurdle races so far. This was his first try in a handicap over a slightly longer trip and he bounced right back to form.
In between Plumpton and Taunton we also had a nice winner at Wincanton thanks to Pachacuti winning for the first time over fences. He was previously a good second at Ffos Las and that form has been working out well so it was brilliant for him to get his first win over the larger obstacles. He is a horse that has always promised so much at home but he has taken a little while to grow into his nice big frame. He jumps well and is still improving as a staying chaser. We may well look at something like the West Wales National at Ffos Las at the end of the month for him.
This Week we have entries at all three meeting on Friday at Ayr, Exeter and Leicester, while at the weekend we also have entries at Ayr, Hereford and Warwick so keeping checking the Daily News for the latest information on the stable runners at davidpipe.com
It has been sad times of late in the racing world and also with more local connections to Pond House. The funeral of young jockey and Paul Nicholls employee Keagan Kirkby took place on Tuesday, March 5 with the funeral procession headed by his favourite horse, Highland Hunter. While no longer trained at Ditcheat, the horse won at Newbury on Saturday and it was a poignant success for everyone involved.
I also have sad news regarding a neighbour of Pond House, a young girl named Harper who passed away last week following a long battle with illness. For those of you that visited the yard for either our Owners Day, Racing Club Day or indeed the National Racehorse Week open morning last September, you may remember that we raised money through raffles to support Harper’s fight against a brain tumour. Our thoughts are with Harper’s family at this sad time.