Second Win For Taws

Taws gained compensation for being badly hampered at Sandown, which could have cost her the race when staying on strongly to land the Class 4 three-year-old 1m6f handicap in mid-August. She looked an unlikely winner half a mile from home but she stayed on strongly inside the final furlong to end up a cosy winner. Although she certainly does not do anything quickly - she can maintain that one speed quite nicely and as a half-sister to Deauville Flyer (rated 94 at best and a five-time winner for Tim Easterby) she should progress quite nicely next season.

The ground was too quick for Master Carpenter at Salisbury so he did not take his chance and will wait for some softer ground and with autumn on the way, there should be plenty of opportunities for our stable star.

Galatian Noses Ahead At Kempton

Back on the polytrack saw a return to form for Galatain, as under a strong ride from George Baker, he just held on to win by a nose in the finale at Kempton last night. The horse has had a lot of problems with his feet which have stopped him from fulfilling his full potential and these issues seem to affect him more on turf, with the level nature of an artificial surface seeming to give him more confidence. He should not go up too much in the handicap and having won off a five pound higher mark back two years ago, he should remain competitive, even if he does not return to his best. With the tapeta at Wolverhampton looking to ride well when it opened on Monday, it does give him a few more options.

Stable star Master Carpenter has been declared for the Group 3 Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury but the drying ground is a concern, as he is certainly more effective on a softer surface, especially over a mile. Options are a tad limited with his three pound penalty for winning in France and it is frustrating Salisbury missed most of the remnants of Hurricane Bertha so Rod will walk the track to see if it is suitable. It is a very competitive race, as befits the excellent prize money on offer and Yuften certainly looks like he will be hard to beat but Master Carpenter keeps on improving and he certainly has each-way chances once again.

Taws would also benefit from soft ground but her last two efforts on a sound surface have been solid and she was badly hampered by Sebastian Beach at Sandown and stopped her from finishing a clear second. She is one pound better off and the very long straight at Salisbury will suit so she has every chance off a light weight under Andrea Atzeni.

Creditable Third For Carpenter

Unfortunately thunderstorms in Paris turned the ground heavy at Maisons-Laffitte and it meant that Master Carpenter did not stay the ten furlong trip when finishing third in the Prix Eugene Adam behind Western Hymn. Nicely positioned under Christophe Lemaire, he looked to have every chance approaching the final furlong but could do no more as he stayed on the one pace while the superior stamina of the Gosden horse kicked in.

It was still a creditable effort stepped back into Group 2 company and he picked up another £11,000 in prize money, taking his career earnings past the £100,000 barrier. He has been very busy since that opening third in the Greenham so after two French trips he is having a well deserved break and will be back in the autumn, with the Group 1 QEII on Champions Day his long term target.

Maisons-Laffitte Group 2 For Master Carpenter

We break new ground with Master Carpenter heading to Maisons-Laffitte for the Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam and hopefully he can emulate his Chantilly success three weeks previously. The son of Mastercraftsmen keeps on improving this season and is back at his racing weight and training well so we are hopeful of a good run. There are only six runners, with one a pacemaker, so with prize money down to fifth he should cover his expenses whatever happens! Sadly Christophe Soumillion has to ride the favourite but Christophe Lemaire is an ideal deputy.

Obviously it is a step up in grade and he re-opposes the John Gosden trained Western Hymn, who beat him nearly four lengths in the Sandown Classic Trial and has subsequently finished sixth in the Derby behind Australia. However, Master Carpenter didn't handle the extremely heavy ground and has since improved and most importantly his confidence is sky-high after two facile successes while the Derby can leave its mark on horses so there should not be much between them.

The hot Evens favourite (Western Hymn is 9/4, Master Carpenter 11/2 third favourite) is the Aga Khan owned Shamkiyr, a son of Sea The Stars that was second in the French Derby behind The Grey Gatsby and is still unexposed having had just four starts and is probably the one to beat. French Godolphin's Army Bulletin was only fourth behind Master Carpenter last time out, Norse Prize could be exposed and Askkannd is a pacemaker for the favourite so there is every chance of Master Carpenter picking up some more black-type and valuable prize money. 

Victoire Française For Master Carpenter

Our first runner at Chantilly was a winner as Master Carpenter put up a career best performance to land the Group 3 Prix Daphnis. It was the yard's second French winner, having won the Group 1 Prix Du Cadran back in 2006 with Sergeant Cecil and our first Group success since Cecil landed the 2007 Yorkshire Cup and it is a massive boost for the yard. Given a brilliant ride by Christophe Soumillion, he tracked the leaders in fourth place and was best placed to challenge off a steady early pace. Only asked a question inside the final three hundred metres, he eased to the front and ended up winning a shade cosily, with ears pricked as he crossed the line half a length in front and looked to have plenty more in the tank.

With Master Carpenter clearly most effective on a soft surface, we decided to miss Royal Ascot and our decision was certainly vindicated by success at Chantilly. It also showed that he can travel abroad which certainly opens up more options, especially as there is often ease in the ground in France. He could well head back across the English Channel for a Group 2 at Maisons-Laffitte in three weeks time. Long time aim could be the QEII at Ascot's Champions meeting, with soft ground likely and Top Notch Tonto showed last year that place prize money is achievable for horse that might not be true Group 1 class but are most effective in soft ground.

Chantilly Group 3 For Master Carpenter

We have our first runner in France for nearly five years as stable star Master Carpenter goes for a Group 3 in Chantilly on Monday (14.50GMT). There are eight runners and Christophe Soumillion takes the ride in a nine furlong contest. He is the only English raider and it is hard to equate what Master Carpenter's form is worth against his rivals but he comes out third top on official ratings. Favourite is Bodhi who has won his last four starts, including over course and distance and even with his 3lb penalty, looks the one to beat. However, Master Carpenter's confidence can only be boosted by that facile success at Sandown and with the rain-softened ground (why he has gone to France) in his favour, we are hopeful of a place at least.

We also have two 'home' runners at Southwell and Windsor. Masai Moon is back on his beloved fibresand and despite the fact that his last four wins have been at six furlongs, we still feel he is best at seven furlongs as he gets badly outpaced. He has a bit to find on official ratings but he is nearly always in the three at Southwell so should not be too far away. Ivor's Princess is not the most consistent but has won twice in the last six months, once over seven furlongs and then twelve furlongs at Bath. Whatever the trip, she is reliant on a strong pace, which she should get in a thirteen runner field and if on a going day, she should not be too far away.

First Ever Across The Card Treble

Thursday 29th May proved to be a red letter day for the yard as we recorded our first ever treble. Ivors Princess and Graphene doubled up at Bath before Master Carpenter ran away to Listed success in the Heron Stakes at Sandown.

Master Carpenter has been the yard's flag bearer so far in 2014, surprising us all by finishing third in the Greenham as an 80/1 shot, staying on strongly behind Kingman and Night Of Thunder, form boosted when they filled first and second in the 2,000 Guineas. Stepped up to ten furlongs, he showed that was no fluke by finishing third in the Sandown Classic Trial on heavy ground and then runner-up to Pinzolo on quick ground at Newmarket. We felt that he did not quite see out the ten furlongs there and a mile with ease in the ground may prove to be his optimum conditions, yet all three that have beaten him over ten furlongs are still engaged in next week's Derby.

Although he has had a busy start to the season, with all the rain that fell over the Bank Holiday weekend, we felt we had to run again, this time in the Listed Heron Stakes at Sandown's high profile Brigadier Gerard evening meeting. Admittedly we were slightly concerned about the heavy ground, as Ryan felt he did not really handle similar conditions in the Classic Trial. Although Master Carpenter had by far the best form going into the race, his rivals were unexposed and could have been anything and he was sent off third favourite at 3/1. Settled out the back by Ryan Moore, the running style which seems to suit him best, the field went extremely wide down the back straight and round the home bend. Ryan Moore is not Champion Jockey and best in the world for no reason and sensing that the other jockeys were needlessly wasting ground, went round the inside, saving plenty of ground and was in front when joining his four rivals three furlongs from home. Asked to quicken inside the final two, Master Carpenter rapidly pulled away from the opposition to record a seven length success. While the move by Ryan certainly aided Master Carpenter, we still feel that he was good enough to have won the race even if he had followed the others but it was by far the easiest race he has had this year and will have done his confidence the world of good. Plans are extremely fluid, mainly due to the fact we would like to run him where there is ease in the ground but he will probably step back into Group 3 company and deserves more success.

This was a first Black-Type success for the Links Partnership, long time supporters of the yard and without such loyal owners, we could not stay involved in the game, While Cheveley Park Stud, who acquired a half-share in him before Royal Ascot last year, have had many Black-type successes, it was very important for the yard to do well for such a high profile owner and hopefully a high-class horse like Master Carpenter will get some more owners into the yard.

While the double at Bath was highly rewarding for the yard as well. Ivors Princess is a tricky mare, who recorded her fourth career success in the 1m4f handicap, showing a surprising amount of stamina as her three previous successes came over six and seven furlongs. However, she clearly enjoyed the steadier pace and was on a going day. She will be capable of winning again, especially in the plethora of fillies races that are open to her over ten to twelve furlongs. Graphene had been very disappointing in three runs on the AW so we were not sure what to expect returned to turf on his fifth start. Slowly away, he enjoyed the strong early pace which spread out the field and was moving into contention when slipping on the home bend. Sean Levey did extremely well to stay on board but it looked as if his chance had gone. However, he did not lose much momentum and hit the front inside the final furlong to win a shade cosily. He is at the right end of the handicap, looks as if he will stay much further and should provide some fun for his owners this season.

We also had impressive Warwick winner Bonnie Grey at Sandown in the National Stakes and we were hoping for a big run. However, the ground was much softer than on her debut and she was not travelling from an early stage, not helped by being stuck in the middle of the track. She still stayed on nicely for fourth, certainly was not disgraced and she will probably step up to six furlongs. It is likely she will miss Royal Ascot and head to a Listed race at Newmarket. While Indaria was not disgraced when finishing fourth on her debut at Bath and showed she has ability, with the benefit of experience a race should certainly come her way.

More Black Type For Master Carpenter

Stable star Master Carpenter has had a very successful 2014 and proved his Greenham third was no fluke by finishing third in the Sandown Classic Trial and then runner-up in a Newmarket Listed event at the weekend.

As he stayed on strongly in the Greenham, backed up by his pedigree, we felt that Master Carpenter would stay ten furlongs and when the Sandown Classic Trial re-opened, we felt it was worth an entry as we were guaranteed to get ease in the ground. However, we did not expect the ground to be so soft come raceday and like most horses that ran there, Master Carpenter found it pretty hard work and never moved as fluently as normal. He still put up a valiant effort to finish third to Western Hymn (a possible Derby candidate for John Gosden) but it did not really tell us what his optimum conditions were.

Last weekend there were two possible Listed races for him to tackle, one over seven furlongs, the other a mile and a quarter. With the ground drying out so quickly, we felt that we had to tackle the longer trip and with only five runners, it made it an easy decision. In the race he settled nicely off a steady early pace before being asked for his effort approaching the two furlong marker. While he looked to hold every chance coming out of the dip, the superior stamina and perhaps class of Godolphin's Pinzolo enabled his rival to pull two lengths clear. Although he handled the ground and stayed ten furlongs to pretty good effect, we feel as though a mile on easy ground will be his optimum conditions this year. Where such opportunities arise will be down to the British Weather but he certainly looks capable of winning in Pattern company and it is great to have a horse like him in the yard.  

Cracking Greenham Third For Master Carpenter

Last Saturday was a brilliant day for the yard as Master Carpenter confirmed the Group-race potential he showed as an early season two-year-old by finishing third at 80/1 in an extremely competitive Greenham. When we planned to run him in the race, we assumed there would be five or six runners and hoped to pick up some minor prize money. However, when the declarations came out, there was ten runners and it looked the hottest Greenham run for sometime, we thought we might have made the wrong decision. With five horses rated above 109 and everything rated above Master Carpenter's official rating of 91, we would have been pleased with eighth, never mind third!

However, he surpassed expectations by staying on extremely strongly to grab third in the final yards and although he was seven lengths behind the superstar that could be Kingman, he beat some very useful horses on merit. Plans are fluid for now, the way he stayed on suggests a mile will suit, although ground conditions will be a strong consideration for future races as he jarred himself up in the July stakes and he does appear to be better on an easy surface. Either way, it is great to have a proper Saturday horse and is the best we have had since Roi De Vitesse back in 2009, with his official rating now at 103.

Newbury Nursery Third For Carpenter

It was a good effort from Master Carpenter at Doncaster but the three pound rise he received for a three and a quarter length second was extremely harsh. With his fondness for soft ground, we decided to run him at Newbury ten days later in a small field Nursery, in case we had a dry time ahead. He again put up a solid show, although his efforts to challenge the easy six length winner Bow Creek meant he lost out on second place in the closing stages. Hopefully the handicapper will reassess him after this effort as things won't be easy in similar events in the autumn but we hope he will strengthen up over the winter and progress into an exciting three-year-old.

Runner Up Slot For The Carpenter

After disappointing in the Chesham at Royal Ascot and seemingly outclassed in the July Stakes, it was good to see Master Carpenter running a solid race when second on his handicap debut at Doncaster on Thursday. The Mastercraftsman colt had shown some useful early season form but hadn't progressed as expected in those high class races and given plenty of time to recover from Newmarket, we were unsure how he would fare off an opening mark of 89. However, he enjoyed the rain-softened ground and stayed on strongly inside the final furlong to finish a clear second, showing there are races to be won off his current mark and as he enjoys soft ground, he should have a profitable autumn.

Shahdaroba Second At Chepstow

Shahdaroba picked up some nice prize money (£3,600) when finishing second in a £19,000 81-100 Handicap at Chepstow on Friday, his first start over a mile. While it certainly wasn't a strong contest for the grade and just five runners, it was a solid effort over the new trip. Although his stamina wasn't tested as he dictated a steady pace, it was pleasing to see him stay on again inside the final hundred yards to suggest that he's worth preserving over a mile in the future. Unfortunately the handicapper has put him back up two pounds to 94, which won't make life easy in more competitive events.

After disappointing at Royal Ascot, Master Carpenter ran much better in the July Stakes, finishing eighth but only beaten five and a half lengths. He appeared to run to a slightly higher level of form than previously (RPR87 compared to previous best of 84) and while he's a useful two-year-old, he just isn't quite as good as we hoped. We will now lower our sights a little, with the valuable Sales races rather than pattern races, his new targets.

Lots Of Recent Places

It has been a few weeks since a news update and although we would like some more winners, the horses have been running well in recent weeks. It was a very narrow defeat for Gladiatrix when she was denied by a short head at Newmarket on Friday evening, with the rejuvenated Tax Free taking advantage of a reduced handicap mark but Gladiatrix posted a career best effort in the process so we can't be disappointed. She had been unlucky on her two previous starts, a bad draw at Sandown costing her victory when third and then got badly hampered at Salisbury next time out. Another homebred filly to be busy is Gaelic Ice who has posted solid second and thirds at Windsor and Ffos Las in the last ten days.

We took two of the Links Partnership's horses to Haydock earlier in the month and both Astrum and Icebuster ran good races, both finishing second to useful horses. Astrum was unlucky not to go one better when second again at Pontefract on Monday, unfortunately he got hampered at the start and was too far behind to catch the winner. His attitude has been brilliant this year and he has improved with every start.

Unfortunately we did endure disappointment at Royal Ascot as Master Carpenter was only fourteenth in the Chesham Stakes. It wasn't ideal for him to make the running on Ascot's straight track and perhaps he may benefit from dropping back to six furlongs but no obvious excuse has come to light and we will just ignore that effort and he will be out again shortly.

Cheveley Park Acquires Half Share In Master Carpenter

We are pleased to announce that Cheveley Park have acquired a fifty per cent share in our exciting two-year Master Carpenter. The Mastercraftsman colt, winner of two of his three starts, his most recent success coming in a £15,000 Conditions race at Pontefract, will head to Royal Ascot for the Chesham Stakes. He goes there with a live chance as the step up to seven furlongs should suit according to his pedigree and hopefully he can continue to progress through the ranks.

Chris Richardson, Cheveley Parks Stud's managing director, said "Mr and Mrs David Thompson are delighted to have acquired an interest in the progressive two year old colt, Master Carpenter, trained by Rod Millman, who will continue to race in the colours of The Links Partnership."

It is a major boost for the yard to attract such an important owner and with Master Carpenter our best ever chance of a winner at the Royal meeting, it's an exciting summer ahead for the stable.

Third Success In Valuable Pontefract Conditions Event

After getting outpaced in a competitive five furlong conditions event at Ascot, we were confident the stiff six furlongs at Pontefract would suit Master Carpenter and he'd make it a successful 560 mile round trip to the Yorkshire course. The £15,000 Conditions event is a race we like to target with our best two-year-olds, having had three representative in the event, winning it in 2003 with Cop Hill Lad (later runner-up in the Super Sprint) and 2009 with Roi De Vitesse (runner-up in Group 2 Superlative Stakes) while Glenmuir was second in 2005. With Master Carpenter's running style and breeding suggesting he was only going to improve stepped up in trip, we were slightly surprised that the Richard Hannon trained Malachim Mist was such a hot favourite, as both had showed a similar level of form and he'd already had a run over six. Although the fact that Richard Hughes highlighted him in his Racing Post column certainly gave confidence to his many supporters. However, those that kept the faith with the smaller yard were rewarded with an 11/4 winner as Master Carpenter won a shade comfortably, always doing enough to win by a length and three quarters.

Master Carpenter's next target will be the Chesham at Royal Ascot and he fully deserves to take his chance at the Royal meeting. Andrea suggested that he needs seven furlongs already and as the Chesham is restricted to two-year-olds whose sire have won over ten furlongs or more. This means it's by far the weakest two-year-old race at the meeting, as most early two-year-olds are ineligible for the contest and we're hopeful of a big run.

Creditable Third For Carpenter At Ascot

As expected, five furlongs on drying ground was too sharp a test for Master Carpenter, although the Mastercraftsman colt still put up a solid effort to finish third in a very competitive conditions event. We were slightly surprised that there was no early pace and although he was out in front, he was left a sitting duck when Richard Hughes sprinted past on Anticipating at halfway. It was still pleasing to see him rally again in the final furlong and it confirmed that we have a nice horse. We will now go to Pontefract for a six furlongs conditions event we won with Roi De Vitesse back in 2009 and return to Ascot for the Royal meeting if all goes well.

Carpenter Returns At Ascot

Impressive debut winner Master Carpenter returns to the track tomorrow in an incredibly competitive conditions event at Ascot. Despite been outpaced in the early stages at Leicester, he made good headway two furlongs from home and wasn't asked a question by Andrea Atzeni as he pulled away from his rivals inside the final furlong to win by two and a half lengths. He clocked an excellent time and the form has worked out well, with the third, fifth and seventh all winning next time and the runner-up and fourth were second on their subsequent outings.

His pedigree (related to ten furlong winners) suggests that he will improve as he steps up in trip and his homework confirms that might be the case and he may just find five, especially against some useful sorts, on the sharp side. He was slightly flattered at Leicester as the leaders went off hard in front and the uphill finish on soft ground certainly played into his favour. While he should be fine on quicker ground over a trip, the quick drying nature of Ascot (currently good to soft) won't be ideal and although he should be sharper with the experience of a run, he may just lack the speed to make an impact. There are few suitable opportunities to run maiden winners at this time of year and it will certainly tell us if he has Royal Ascot potential.

It's hard to be too judgemental about the opposition, with three of them winning their only starts and all were impressive in their own way. Both Anticipated and Justice Day clocked good speed figures when winning at Windsor and Newbury, while the Kempton race won by Montagine was a very competitive event. With Far Gaze more exposed but getting a four pound allowance, none of the five can be ruled out and it's easily the most competitive two-year-old race run this season. It's nice to go to Ascot with a fighting chance and as long as he isn't disgraced, we will be happy as we know he's only going to get better the further he goes and he's an exciting horse to have in the yard.

Successful Debut For Carpenter

Master Carpenter was an impressive winner on his debut at Leicester on Friday, our third winner of the week and our first two-year-old success of the season. He was also Mastercraftsman's first representative on the track and has got Coolmore Stud's first season sire off to a great start. Although he broke on terms, Master Carpenter was green and outpaced in the early stages, however, he started making progress from the two pole and was easily on top in the final hundred yards. His pedigree, half-sister to a ten-furlong winner while dam also won over ten furlongs, suggests he will improve the further he goes and it looks like we have a smart prospect on our hands. We are a bit limited to where we go from here as no six furlong races for six weeks but the Garter Stakes at Ascot, a race we won with Optimate, likely to be his next target.

On her second start, Burnt Fingers showed she had strengthened up nicely over the winter by finishing third in the fillies maiden. She should keep progressing with experience and shouldn't be long in winning this year.

Carpenter Makes His Debut

Master Carpenter

We have our second two-year-old runner of the season as Master Carpenter makes his debut at Leicester on Friday. His pedigree suggests he may need further, half-sister won over 10f for Henry Cecil while dam also won over 10f but he shows enough speed on the gallops to have a run. His sire, Mastercraftsman (MC is his first runner), was a useful two-year-old and made a winning debut in May so hopefully he's injected some speed into him and it will be interesting to see how he gets on but in all likelihood, he will improve for the experience.

Burnt Fingers makes her seasonal debut in the fillies maiden and she has strengthened up nicely over the winter. She had one run for experience last autumn at Newbury and showed speed before tiring in the soft ground. Her half-brother Coconut Penang was fourth in the Coventry for the yard in 2002 and while this filly is a late developing sort, she should progress with time and experience and we hope we can have some fun with her this year. It doesn't look the strongest of races on paper and it would be nice if she picked up some place money.

While it's certainly back to reality for James as he has a trip to Wolverhampton on Saturday evening with Winnie Perry in the 8.20. Winnie Perry had the three runs at two and ended his season with a third at Bath but the handicapper hasn't taken any chances with his opening mark of 67. There are only seven runners but it's a competitive race and he's the only maiden in the field so it isn't an easy task. However, the horses have started the new season in top form and long may it continue.

Also, Pat had his first winner as a professional when steering Shirataki to success for Peter Hiatt at Lingfield today. Hopefully it will help him get some more rides now the turf season has started and he will be supported by the yard when possible.