Middleham Trainers' Association

In the previous four weeks there have been twenty Middleham-trained winners. Of those no fewer than eight obliged on Saturdays, the best and busiest day of the week to win. So it was with this week's winners; they all raised the cheers on Saturday.

At Aintree Ferdy Murphy won both the steeplechases run on the tight Mildmay course, with Ichi Beau and Streamstown, while at Catterick the Middleham-trained winners were Dun Distinctly and Deep Water, trained respectively by Patrick Haslam and Micky Hammond.

Ferdy Murphy now leads the table of Middleham trainers of National Hunt winners this season both by number of winners and by money won. Close behind is Micky Hammond, with Micky's sometime employer, George Moore, in third place.

Perhaps the most interesting of the week's winners is Ichi Beau. This gelding had run in 'bumpers' (National Hunt Flat races) and hurdle races without winning before joining Ferdy Murphy. Indeed Ichi Beau's last start before coming to Middleham was in a selling hurdle race, in which he finished a well-beaten fourth. Ferdy promptly began to campaign Ichi Beau in Flat races on all-weather tracks, and under floodlights, all new experiences for the horse. From five races on the all-weather Ichi Beau won two and was then put away for a long rest in the spring and summer.

Ichi Beau returned to action as a steeplechaser. That was at Carlisle on 21 October. The gelding made all the running and won unchallenged. The official handicapper took due notice and increased the horse's rating by 13lbs.

This latest start was a step-up in class for Ichi Beau. Before the race Ferdy Murphy said that his horse did not have to make the running, but he did so again. With stable jockey Adrian Maguire in the saddle Ichi Beau started the odds-on favourite and won like an odds-on favourite should. Again jumping very well for a novice the Middleham horse made all the running and won his second steeplechase more easily than his first. This was another impressive win.

Ichi Beau was sired by Convinced, himself foaled in 1982 and got by Busted. Convinced won the Bessborough Handicap at Royal Ascot and hurdle races at most of the important courses in Britain. He stands at stud at the appealingly-named Ballywooden House Stud in County Down, north-east Ireland.

Streamstown was Ferdy Murphy's second winner at Aintree this Saturday. Streamstown is also Irish-bred but in contrast to Ichi Beau was quite experienced and successful when transferred to Middleham. Streamstown's first start for Ferdy Murphy was on 22 October in the showcase handicap over Saturday's course and distance at Aintree but unfortunately the gelding fell when looking likely to win.

Streamstown was a close second at Carlisle on his next outing, twelve days prior to this race, so to-day's victory was his first for Ferdy Murphy. This race was over two and a half miles, a handicap steeplechase for the John Parrett Memorial Trophy. Early in the race Streamstown was kept in touch with the leaders by Adrian Maguire. Jumping well, the gelding moved closer at halfway, led three fences from the finish, was clear before the last fence and ran on for a comfortable victory, winning by an even wider margin that Ichi Beau.

Streamstown is also Irish-bred. He was got by Rashar (USA) , foaled in 1986, and himself sired by Alleged. Rashar did not race due to injury but is beginning to make a name for himself as a sire of National Hunt horses. He stands at the Blackhall Stud in County Wexford, which is the area Ferdy Murphy is from. But if taking a mare to the Blackhall Stud be careful. There is another stud of the same name in the immediate locality and it is a 'sports horse' stallion that stands there!

At Catterick, the nearest course to Middleham, Patrick Haslam sent out Dun Distinctly and Colombe D'Or to run in the same race for their second starts over hurdles. Both were ridden by conditional jockeys employed just down the road from Patrick's stables by George Moore. Dun Distinctly looked to have much the better chance, having been placed third at Newcastle eight days previously. Apart from being Dun Distinctly's first race over hurdles that was his first race since May

This was a claiming race for juvenile (three years old) hurdlers and the value put on Dun Distinctly minus his rider's 3lbs allowance meant he carried joint-top weight. It was a close and exciting race. Dun Distinctly was ridden by Niall Hannity and after the third-last hurdle drew away, with his main opponent, from the other seventeen runners. The two went head to head into the straight and fought all the way to the winning post. The verdict was a short head in favour of the Middleham horse.

Dun Distinctly deserved to win as he was conceding 9lbs to the second horse. This was Patrick Haslam's 43rd winner of the year, Flat racing and National Hunt racing combined, and so equalled his previous best score. Roll on winner number 44 for a new record.

Later at Catterick Deep Water (photograph below) won the Stockton Novices' Chase for Micky Hammond, having started 4/6 favourite. Deep Water, now six years old, was a good hurdler and won a Grade II race as a juvenile and a Class 'B' race at Haydock Park last February. He began the steeplechasing phase of his career at Carlisle twelve days ago, on 6 November, and finished a good second, though he made mistakes at the last two fences. That pattern was to be repeated at Catterick.

Micky Hammond's stable jockey, Brian Harding, rode Deep Water patiently early on but sent the gelding clear as they swung into the finishing straight. There were still three fences to jump, the middle one an open ditch. Deep Water made mistakes at all of them but he was able to hold on and won by a head.

Deep Water - the horse's trainer, Micky Hammond,
is talking to the jockey

While horses trained by Ferdy Murphy won both 'chases on the Mildmay course at the one-day Aintree meeting, his runner in the Becher Chase over the Grand National fences, Paddy's Return, finished third. That was a good run and had Ferdy looking forward to the Grand National itself next spring. Paddy's Return will be trained for the great race and the old stable favourite Addington Boy will also run, having been placed fifth and fourth in the race the last two years.

Incidentally the ride that Adrian Maguire gave Addington Boy in this year's Grand National was masterful but was ignored by the media because the horse finished fifth. All the way around the jockey kept to the inside, saving ground. That route is known as the brave man's route and Maguire is certainly brave, but he is a great horseman too.

So much for Middleham-trained winners this week. On Monday (13 November) the five-day November Sales commenced at Doncaster with five horses being offered from Spigot Lodge, from which Chris Thornton is soon to move, and three from Kingsley House, Mark Johnston's headquarters. But it was Tupgill Tango, consigned from Steve Kettlewell's stables that made the best price of the Middleham horses. Tupgill Tango made 15,000 guineas to the bid of Kuwaiti owner who bought the horse over the telephone, being stuck on a train delayed on its journey to Doncaster.

At the second day of the Doncaster Sales a draft from George Moore's stables included two of his best horses, Course Doctor and Major Sponsor. Course Doctor made 40,000 guineas, top price of the day, and did not return to Middleham but Major Sponsor did, because George bought him for 10,000 guineas.

Ferdy Murphy bought the third-highest priced lot of Tuesday, for 27,000 guineas. This is Westfield John, a five-year-old chestnut gelding. Ferdy was taking a small chance on the horse because he did not have an order for him so he is looking for an owner to take Westfield John off his hands. Interested?

Also active at this sale were Sally Hall and the newest of the Middleham trainers, Jedd O'Keeffe. Jedd's father was a trainer and Jedd was for some years assistant trainer to Micky Hammond before striking out on his own this year. Jedd has yet to train his first winner, but it cannot be long delayed because his horses, including Tweed and Route Sixty Six, have been running quite well.

Other Middleham-trained horses to earn money this week were:-

Monday - Southwell AWT - 4th -Morgan Le Fay, trained by Don Enrico Incisa
Wednesday - Wolverhampton AWT - 2nd - Champfis, trained by Mark Johnston
Wednesday - Wolverhampton AWT - 3rd - Hout Bay, trained by Steve Kettlewell
Thursday - Sedgefield - 4th - Fornaught Alliance, trained by Ferdy Murphy
Saturday - Ascot - 4th in Grade II Chase - Native Wit, trained by Ferdy Murphy
Saturday - Aintree - 2nd - Chief Minister, trained by Micky Hammond
Saturday - Aintree - 3rd - Kamloops, trained by Ferdy Murphy
Saturday - Aintree - 3rd - Paddy's Return, trained by Ferdy Murphy
Saturday - Aintree - 3rd - Prince Highlight, trained by Ferdy Murphy
Saturday - Huntingdon - 3rd - Virginian, trained by Micky Hammond
Saturday - Huntingdon - 3rd - Welcome To Unos, trained by George Moore
Saturday - Catterick - 3rd - Time Temptress, trained by Micky Hammond
Saturday - Catterick - 3rd - J J Baboo, trained by Micky Hammond.

*AWT denotes Flat racing on an All-Weather Track.
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