Aisling Oscar, Betties Bay, Dartrey, Eagles Whistle, Grey Horizon, Latin, Rogue de Vega and Spartan Fighter tied for first in January’s All-Weather Horse of the Month Bonus competition, with each horse receiving a prize of £11,562.50
Aisling Oscar becomes the first horse to win All-Weather Horse of the Month competitions in successive months, having landed December’s £20,000 bonus outright. Trained by Adrian Keatley, the five-year-old has won seven races on the spin at Newcastle and leads the overall Horse of the Year standings with 190 points.
Half of January’s competition winners were supplied by two trainers, with Antony Brittain responsible for Rogue de Vega and Spartan Fighter. Rogue de Vega notched a three-timer at Wolverhampton, while Spartan Fighter did all of his winning at Newcastle.
Brittain said: “One horse winning the bonus is nice, so to get two for the yard is fantastic. January was extra competitive with the increased money on offer. The All-Weather Bonus is a good initiative and we are happy to support it.
“I would love to say it was a long-term plan but ultimately everything just fell into place for Rogue de Vega and Spartan Fighter. They won their first race of the month and then the programme landed nicely for them. They have been two grand servants for us.
“Rogue de Vega is owned by my wife, so hopefully she will be happy with the bonus money! Spartan Fighter is owned by John and Tony Jarvis, who have been great supporters of ours down the years. I think every horse they have had with us in their own name has won, so they seem to be lucky owners.
“Horses at this level have a ceiling, which makes it hard for them to keep winning, but Spartan Fighter is declared again at Newcastle on Wednesday 4th. We have noticed that he is in the top 20 of the Horse of the Year standings, so we will give that a go between now and the end of the season provided he remains in good form.”
James Owen had two winning contenders as well, with Latin registering a hat-trick at Wolverhampton and Betties Bay returning from over a year off to win at the same course, Lingfield Park and Southwell.
Expensive Juddmonte purchase Dartrey showed the benefit of a gelding operation, with Ralph Beckett’s runner winning three times at Southwell during the first week of the month.
Fellow three-year-old Grey Horizon, trained by Scott Dixon, triumphed at Southwell on New Year’s Day and followed up with two victories at Wolverhampton.
Eagles Whistle produced a rare feat for Lockerbie-based handler Daragh Bourke as she won three classified contests in the space of four days at Newcastle and Wolverhampton.
Call Glory, Francesi, Hardstyle, How’s The Guvnor and Secret Road tied for ninth place and receive a bonus of £1,800. In addition, the stable staff associated with the eight winners share £12,500.
