Chester Williams: race-planning guide and plans for our exciting juveniles

The yard is lucky to have a really exciting team of four-year-olds, and going into the spring we’ve had many discussions about plans. They are all different individuals and each with different profiles so far, and it’s about taking a short and a long-term view to make the right choice for them now. 

Kel Du Large has done brilliantly in two bumpers, winning at Exeter before winning a four-year-old Listed event at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day. Going back to an average bumper isn’t really an option as a small prize with a big penalty is very unattractive. He could of course go for the Champion Bumper, but looking back ,four-year-olds tend to struggle in that race and the few that have run well recently don’t tend to do well in the future. Cue Card bolted up in it aged four and was still going strong aged 12, but it’s safe to say he was just an unbelievable horse and an outlier from the norm. 

Kel Du Large, although not big, is a proper jumper long term - as he’s bred to be. He’s always been a natural jumper and schooled over hurdles very well before his first run. We only chose to go for a bumper because it seemed a kind introduction at our local track. Given this, the introduction of Junior Hurdles - which are for NH-bred horses who haven’t run on the Flat - look perfect. If you win one of these races you don’t lose your novice status for the following season, so going for one would allow him to run in a hurdle and gain experience and hopefully win before we can look at Graded novices next season. 

Captain Marvellous is a big horse with a high cruising speed and that’s his strength, but he isn’t particularly well balanced. It is thought that, while still inexperienced, he’d be more comfortable on a flat galloping track where he’s able to get into a good rhythm from the outset. Given this, his first two runs were both at Kempton, where he was second first time in a race that has worked out well before taking a blow and being let down by sloppy jumping late on. He then won a Junior Hurdle back at the same track a month later. 

We’ve found over the years that you must be careful with how many races you give juveniles so as to not compromise their future. As Captain Marvellous is a long-term prospect who wouldn’t want deep ground, he’s missed the worst of the winter ground and been given time to improve from his first two races and keep growing. 

His two runs have both been hugely promising and he’s earned a step up in grade, so given we think Kempton is his ideal track and there are limited Graded options, the Grade Two Adonis Hurdle back at Kempton on February 24 looks ideal. If he wins that then he’s not a novice next season, but he’s won the Adonis, so brilliant. If he doesn’t, he’s still a novice hurdler for next season as his win came in a Junior Hurdle. 

He won’t get a Triumph Hurdle entry this season as we don’t think Cheltenham would be ideal for him at this stage. If he does prove good enough, Aintree is much more his track. 

Excelero is very topical and has been a real conundrum. 

He was entered in the Junior Hurdle at Newbury on Tuesday this week but it was decided that it was worth going up in grade into the Grade Two Finesse Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday instead. He showed a huge amount on his only run at Warwick in early November, ending up a fast-finishing second, despite having to be held up last and racing a long way off the leader. That race has worked out very well, with Finale Hurdle scorer Salver winning. 

Excelero will again be held up next time as he has a tendency to be very strong at home and we want to teach him to settle and relax better in his races. He’s a long-term prospect.

The problem with the Newbury race this week was the bigger field where they likely would have gone slowly, and we feel he’d be happier in a better and stronger-run race with less runners. We also thought that, if we went to Newbury and won, where would we go next? But we can always step back in grade after Cheltenham. 

He’s got the talent to contest the Finesse Hurdle, and the Warwick race in which he was second has produced Cheltenham winners Galahad Quest and Interne De Sivola from the yard recently. Sometimes you’ve got to have a go and buy a ticket, or you won’t win the lottery!

Following a really good first run when narrowly touched off by future Listed winner Liari at Wincanton, Inside Man justified short odds when winning at Taunton. It was a horrible race for him that day and, with nobody else wanting to go on, he had to make the running despite being far from a natural front-runner. Despite some less than fluent jumps, he won easily and nipped around the tight bends with ease. 

Clearly a talented horse, we are now looking towards some exciting spring targets with Inside Man. He ran at Wincanton and Taunton which are both sharp as he is smaller and well balanced, but a more galloping track wouldn’t be a problem. There is another Junior Hurdle at Taunton in early March but, despite that looking a winnable race on paper, what would he learn there? 

Winning races is of course what it’s all about, but we must help educate him for the future so he can win years down the line as well. Come March, the Graded programme below the races at Cheltenham and Aintree is very limited so we have few options. 

Authoceltic is, I suppose, an example of how not to place a horse to their best advantage - being third at both Exeter and Chepstow when the ground was too soft and the tracks far from ideal. We knew that Chepstow was far too soft in the Finale Hurdle, but there was very good prize money and he picked up £8,896 for third and some valuable experience.

Given he’ll be much happier on decent spring ground, Authoceltic is now having a short break before coming back to run in March. He again will improve with time and isn’t the finished model at all, so this season is all about giving him experience with the hope he can make hay next season.

Castelfort is a tough and hardy horse and, like his pedigree would suggest, is happy on soft ground. 

He produced a good run first time when second at Chepstow before showing resolute stamina to get up late up Sandown’s punishing hill. That was another horrible race, as we didn’t want it to turn into a sprint against mainly Flat horses given stamina is Castelfort’s strength. Unfortuntely no one else wanted to make the running and neither did we, so they ended up going very slowly. It did turn into a sprint but thankfully he had enough quality to get up close home.

Stamina-sapping galloping tracks are what Castelfort needs, so a Junior Hurdle at Chepstow on January 30 looks perfect. Going up in grade at Huntingdon or Haydock was considered, but he actually got an 8lb penalty in those races as he won a Class 2. Carrying just a 7lb penalty in what should be a weaker race at Chepstow made our minds up. 

Knight Of Allen has always showed plenty at home and he justified our faith by finishing second in a Listed juvenile at Aintree in his first race proper, having been carried out early on first time out. 

He’s viewed as a three-mile chaser of the future and suggested stamina was a strong point at Aintree, hitting the line hard despite deep ground. As such - and given that he’s still physically immature and will certainly improve in time - Graded novices next season like the Persian War and the Challow are potential options if he progresses. 

Having been thrown in at the deep end, it would now be nice to target Knight Of Allen at a race he’d have a favourite's chance in. This would allow him to gain more experience and give him a chance of getting a win under his belt. Again, Junior Hurdles are perfect as we definitely don’t want him to lose his novice status for next season, and he should be ready in the next month or so.