Excitement continues to mount as we are on the cusp of the return of proper racing. Everything has gone to plan for Imperial Racing so far (touch wood), and the group of horses being prepared for the start of the season proper have never looked better.
IMPERIAL ELIXIR and IMPERIAL ELOQUENCE both arrived back with Fergal O’Brien last weekend and will be starting full training after a short period of quarantine. Both horses were gastroscoped yesterday as IMPERIAL ELIXIR had been a little sulky before his return from Ireland. They have both been given a clean bill of health and assuming we have no hold ups will be ready to run as soon as the ground is suitable.
IMPERIAL ELOQUENCE spent most of last season running with credit in listed and graded bumper company. The experience in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham proved too much for his fragile temperament and he was a no show. His sole run over hurdles at Warwick in May didn’t end any better when he fell at the 6th hurdle. It wasn’t the best introduction to jumping even before that fall, with Copernicus jumping into the back of him at the first hurdle. That said he was still full of running when taking the tumble and would have had a big say in the finish despite attempting to concede 5lbs to Bedrock who is now rated 144. He has come back from his summer a stronger horse and seems more settled mentally, assuming he can transfer that to the racecourse we are looking forward to a good season.
IMPERIAL ELIXIR showed plenty of ability when in training with Fergal last season. Sadly we were not able to get him onto a race track as a recurring lung infection refused to clear despite two doses of anti-biotics. With time and ground going against us we decided to draw stumps and send him back to Ireland. He has benefitted hugely from his summer break and is back bigger and stronger. He is another horse we expect to produce positive results sooner rather than later.
IMPERIAL NEMESIS took time to acclimatise to conditions at the Twiston-Davies yard, and was not assisted by a dose of red worm. Having been treated for the condition he showed considerably ability on the Naunton gallops and was ready to run before we ran out of ground. He is a sizeable horse and a chaser in making, so anything he does in the interim is a bonus. His half-brother Next Destination showed considerable ability last season including finishing 4th in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham. We hope that he can follow in the footsteps of his relative and make a positive start to his career.
IMPERIAL AURA never quite managed to leave Irish shores last season having a number of small issues. None of those issues were serious, but enough to slow his progress. He had a great summer and arrived at the Kim Bailey yard earlier this week. He has not done much so far, but Assistant Trainer Matt Nicholls told me he is a lovely looking horse with a great attitude. He didn’t do much wrong in his pre-training and showed plenty of ability, whether he is a bumper prospect remains to be seen. He jumps really well so we won’t hesitate to move to obstacles at the earliest possible opportunity.
AN CAISTEAL NUADH has demonstrated plenty of ability, but is proving frustrating difficult to train. He won easily at Limerick last time out, but pulled out stiff on his back end and needed another short break to recover. He is now back in training and is being targeted at a novice hurdle at Cheltenham in October. If he gets there in one piece he could well prove difficult to peg back.
IMPERIAL REPRISE is still at Mounttop Stud and increasing his workload. He will run in a trainee hurdle at the beginning of October before being transferred to Colin McBratney. Shares are still available on a lease basis, so no upfront payment and a very reasonable monthly payment gets you into ownership. He has shown enough at home to indicate he will be winning races.
That leaves our new recruits, who will step up their training now the older horses have been transferred to their trainers. We managed to secure four high quality prospects, who have exciting futures in front of them. IMPERIAL ALCAZAR is a striking son of Vinnie Roe and has proved very popular being fully sold. He has done everything to date very easily. He looks sharp enough to be a bumper type and we have high hopes for him when he makes his debut on a racecourse next spring. That will be under the care of Fergal O’Brien, who is delighted to have such an exciting prospect. He can be viewed in action by following the attached link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLDlro5JZ3Y
IMPERIAL ESPRIT is a horse with a substantial frame, standing 16’3 as a 3-year-old. Despite his size he is very athletic and has a huge stride which allows him to breeze through his work. He is by the rising sire Scorpion from the same cross (Presenting dam line) as Might Bite. The following link gives a demonstration of how quickly he covers the ground as he runs down IMPERIAL ELIXIR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf0c1Sxayeg IMPERIAL ESPRIT will be our first horse with Harry Fry one of the best young trainers in the country, and we could not have found him a more exciting prospect. He is selling quickly but at the time of writing we still have some shares available.
IMPERIAL ACOLYTE is by our favourite sire of the moment Kalanisi. Purchased at the Goff’s Land Rover sale he ticked all of the boxes, being very correct and an athletic mover. He is from the family of Banjaxed Girl and Ballykan both black type performers who were trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies. That is where IMPERIAL ACOLYTE will be heading once he has completed his pre-training and we hope he can enjoy similar levels of success. We have some shares available at the time of writing.
IMPERIAL ELYSIAN is another son of Kalanisi, also purchased at the Goff’s Land Rover sale. We believe he could prove to be the bargain of the sale. A very correct horse he had a great walk and an easy way of going, which has transferred into his pre-training work. Everything seems to come easily to him and we are confident he will be mature enough to make an impact in bumpers in the spring. He is a similar model to IMPERIAL ELOQUENCE who is also by Kalanisi, and will be heading to the same trainer Fergal O’Brien. There are still some shares available.
Our season will start with stable visits to the Kim Bailey yard on Friday 27th October and the Fergal O’Brien yard on the 28th October. The dates coincide with racing at Cheltenham.
Contact Imperial Racing:
ian@imperial-horseracing.com / Mobile 07831 636210