Harry Derham on December highlights and what’s next in National Hunt racing

Speaking exclusively to his yard sponsor OLBG.com, on Wednesday, 7th January, National Hunt trainer Harry Derham looks back on a busy December, reflects on the highs and lows of the month, discusses and looks ahead to what’s in store for January onwards.

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Q: Well, let’s discuss Boxing Day and Klub De Reve?

HD: That was really satisfying, because he’s been just a lovely progressive horse, but I hadn’t won with him yet, and I was thinking that we were going to Exeter three weeks before that to win, and he bumped into one, but really good performance. Jumped beautifully, quickened better than I was anticipating, actually, which I think was because of the better ground.

Paul thought on better ground he would, but I sort of had him down as a two-and-a-half miler, which shows what I know.

Q: The way he hit the line, you think that he could step up in trip time?

HD: Yeah, absolutely he could. So, we’re just going to go straight to the Dovecote now… because it was a class two he gets quite a hefty penalty to just run in a normal novice, course form is relevant. And why not?

You know, he’s kept progressing really nicely this season. His form all the way through, even when he finished behind Captain Hugo and Sinnatra.

That’s good form. The third horse has won, his last run I think was pretty good. So we’re just going to go straight to the Dovecote and have a good go.

Q: Another winner over the December period was Lario, who I was really impressed with the first time over fences. I thought he jumped beautifully. You must have been pleased with him?

HD: Extremely, and that was the sort of performance that we’ve been wanting from him for about 18 months, really.

You know, when you look back at his hurdle form, bar one run at Ayr last year, he’s run very well lots of times, but just without winning, which has been a source of frustration, but jumped beautifully, and he’d scored very well. So you were hoping he was going to.

He could go now at the end of this month, there are a few options for him. You could come back.

Paul said he travelled very well, but I think two mile, three, if he sees that out well, and he has that bit of pace at the end, that might be the job for him.

Q: One Horse Town at Cheltenham, I thought, ran with plenty of credit. What was your assessment?

HD: Ran fine, just when he won in November, he beat a horse with a penalty and got to December, and we had a penalty and we got beat.

I kept saying, you know, he was doing great, but it was never going to keep going on his run that he was on.

I don’t think he jumped as well as he might, I don’t know why that was. He’ll go to trials day, and he could go to the Adonis, then he’d probably go to the Triumph, then probably Aintree like he’s a horse who’s done fabulously well.

I’m not going to go and carry 12 stone in the Fred Winter against horses that will end up being rated higher than him, that are off 125, I don’t see the point in that. 

So I think we’ll probably just run in the Triumph after a couple more runs, maybe one, we’ll see; but he’s done us proud already, so now’s the time for his syndicate to really enjoy themselves.

Q: How’s Mossy Fen Road doing?

HD: He’s good. He’s had a little, not break, but a quieter time since Chepstow, probably for me to calm down more than anything after that.

I was obviously very pleased with him, particularly pleased with his jumping. You know, his jumping was just spectacular, which was great.

So now I think we’ll probably do. You could go to Newbury Super Saturday on the 7th, I think, but more likely Exeter on the 8th, there’s a listed Novice hurdler there of two miles. 

I think that’s five weeks from the Supreme so I think that works. He’s come out of it great. We’ll now train him for Exeter or Newbury, probably Exeter, and then hopefully go on to the spring.

Q: It must be so satisfying, because even 18 months ago, he’s always been a horse that you’ve held in a really high regard. Yourself and Ed Bailey (who bought him), have always loved him. So the fact that he’s been able to start fulfilling that potential that you always saw him here must be hugely satisfying?

HD: It is very satisfying, now though he has to keep progressing. He’s done what we hoped and thought he would. Now we’re trying to take him up a level.

That last performance said that I’m ready to go up in class. So, we hope he can. I personally think the way he won his point to point, he could be a better chaser

Q: You could possibly enter him in the Turners over two and a half? Would there be a world that you could run him in that or is it all roads to the supreme?

HD: I’d have to speak to Ian and Claire (Barratt, his owners), maybe, like, if the ground was really dry, I’d consider it.

However, Chepstow was good ground, and he showed a lot of pace, I thought. I think we’ll probably stick to two miles. 

I mean, the times that Chepstow were suggesting that was pretty dry ground, and he did not look to me like all she needed to step up in trip.

Do I think he’ll stay? Yes, do I need to, at the moment, I don’t think I do. 

Q: In the same ownership, Cristal d’Estruval, really sad to learn the news that he’s out for the rest of the season. What’s the kind of extent to his setback?

HD: It’s not big. He has to miss six weeks, but of course, six weeks now leaves you not ready for spring festivals. He’s just turned five.

The conservative approach is to wait until next season, it’s absolutely gutting, because I think the world of him and this year, all right, he achieved nothing at Carlisle, but he beat them by a hurdle, and at Warwick, to me, that was a very good maiden that he won.

So, yeah, I’m properly gutted, but he hasn’t got a tendon injury. 

This is a six week problem, but it’s six weeks at the wrong time, so he’s just gonna have to wait and we’ll have a, in my opinion, a very good horse for next season.

Q: And he’s got time on his side, it’ll give him time to mature?

HD: “It will and it’s not a disaster. It’s not a disaster, but when you have horses like him, you want them for the spring. Now, he’s not going to be around for this spring, but you hope that by doing the right thing by him now he’s only five, hopefully he’ll be here for lots of springs to come. 

Q: And what have you got to look forward to over the next couple of weeks?

HD: Frost? I think – I mean, I’m gonna to be honest, by design, this time of year for us has been quieter. I think that lots of national yards do this, don’t they?

They race hard up until Christmas and give themselves a little breather. And I think that’s really sensible. 

I don’t know why, horses coats in January never look amazing, I think the weather is really cold and they just get a bit low, so it’ll be pretty quiet. We’ve got a few entries on the weekend, Just Ennemi could run. 

Q: How’s he been since his run? 

HD: He’s been great and we’re going to go back over hurdles this season, just because we’re past halfway through the season, and we just think it’s the right thing to do.

However, it won’t be a particularly busy time of year for us. I mean, we’ll have a couple of runners next weekend, and then at the back-end of January, we’ll get going again, but a lot of the horses in the last couple of weeks have just had a bit of a quieter time.

They’ve still trained, and they’ve done a little bit, but I think it just does them all a little bit of good to have a period of training where everyone can just take a breath.

Q: I always think there should be a break in January. And I don’t know why there isn’t. Would you agree? Would that be a sensible idea or not?

HD: I’d be more keen for that to be six weeks in the summer, but I think there always, naturally is like, as in, generally, there’s always a bit of frost, there’s always water logging.

So I think it naturally happens and also I think you have to be careful doing that, because if you have a really heavy ground horse, you know, sometimes January, you might have the only time.

But I think basically, a lot of national hunt trainers do the same, don’t they, they get to the 1st of January, have a quieter couple of weeks and then drive on again.

The idea you hope, don’t you that you’re giving your horses a little bit of a chance so you can accelerate through the spring?

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