IT HAS been a good week for the yard with a couple of winners and the horses running well - and several placed efforts. After Old Bridge started the week by finishing second at Hereford last Monday, Kingston Queen made a winning hurdling debut at Chepstow on Wednesday.

Kingston Queen put up the performance I had hoped for to win at Chepstow. She is a very likeable mare with lots of ability and we will look for a similar race over an intermediary trip where she can run with a penalty.

Thanksforthehelp did not run quite as well as expected at Newbury but has returned home okay and it maybe that he is better over a slightly shorter trip.

King Turgeon ran a good race to be sixth in the Grand Sefton chase over the National fences at Aintree on Saturday. We’d hoped he could repeat last year’s victory but off a twelve-pound higher mark, he ran with great credit and had every chance of winning jumping the last.

On Sunday, we had three runners at Ffos Las and it was great to get a win with Jaipaletemp, the six year old’s first win in Britain and he was well ridden by Rian Corcoran, his first winner since turning professional. Jaipaletemps is owned by the Edwards family (secretary Gemma) and their colours were worn by A P McCoy aboard his first winner in Britain, way back in 1994 on a horse called Chickabiddy at Exeter. Pachacuti returned to form to be third in the staying handicap chase and Allstitchedup made a pleasing hurdling debut to be third in the maiden hurdle.

Our first runners of this week are at Lingfield on Tuesday where we have Purple Owl and Harry Junior while Gold in the Rivers makes his chasing debut on the card.

Taunton was due to host its first meeting of the season on Thursday but unfortunately, it has been abandoned due to the ground being unraceable.

Walkadina goes in the conditional jockeys handicap hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday while Parchment and Jurancon have entries there on Saturday. Bras D’or and Lady Balko are entered there on Sunday while Chemical Warfare has an entry in the Southern National at Fontwell on Sunday. Keep checking the website for the latest news

Two more of the new equine members to our team are listed below, with some more to follow next time.

Glenmore River is a lightly raced five-year-old gelding by Mount Nelson; he had four runs in Irish maiden hurdles but showed more on his handicap debut to be second at Clonmel in April. He joined us after having a summer break and he is now ready to run and will be out shortly.

October Hill is a gorgeous big five-year-old mare by Berkshire who has settled in well to life at Pond House since arriving last month. She has been placed in all four of her starts over hurdles in Ireland and now she is ready to start down that route.

We have just set up a small partnership to own her and have a ¼ share available for £10,000 plus VAT to include all training fees until the end of the season (end of April 2026). For more information please contact: [email protected] we would love to hear from you.

Dave Pipe was talking to Richard Walsh