Aisling Oscar was the outright winner of December’s AW Bonus Horse of the Month competition, taking the spoils for Malton trainer Adrian Keatley and owner Dan Astbury.
The five-year-old scoops the £20,000 prize with a maximum 75 points following three straight wins at Newcastle, a run that culminated on December 20.
Seven horses had the chance to match Aisling Oscar’s tally over the festive period, with the Tony Carroll-trained Towerlands faring best as he filled the runner-up spot at Newcastle.
Towerlands tied for second on 68 points with Jim Boyle’s Dandy Khan and the Heather Main-trained Zoulu Warrior, with connections of each horse receiving a bonus of £5,000.
In addition, the stable staff involved with Aisling Oscar get £5,000, while the staff associated with the other three horses share a further £5,000.
Keatley said: “We are delighted to win the AW Bonus for December with Aisling Oscar. It is great for his owner Dan and all the staff in the yard. Josh Brown, our amateur, Oisin McSweeney and Barry McHugh ride out regularly and each of them have had a win on the horse since he joined us, so thanks to them as well.
“I was away in Dubai for much of the final week as we had a runner over there, but Dan was keeping an eye on the other horses going for their third win and keeping me updated with the results. Thankfully, every time a text came through, the result had gone in our favour. The AW Bonus is a fantastic initiative and it is nice to not have to share the first prize!”
Formerly trained in Ireland, Aisling Oscar was picked up for 3,200 guineas in September and sits eighth in the AW Bonus Horse of the Year standings, having also posted a win and third from two appearances in November.
Keatley added: “We thought there could be plenty of improvement in Aisling Oscar when we bought him, just by switching up his routine. He is a very straightforward horse and has pleased us in his work from day one. The fact he has not been winning by big distances has been a help from a handicapping perspective as well.
“The £100,000 AW Horse of the Year bonus will have to be his goal now for the rest of the winter. We will have a crack at the January bonus in the meantime as there are a few races pencilled in for him from halfway through the month. We will try and win as much money as we can, that is for sure.”
