Exciting season ahead as top-class Yanworth goes over fences
Peter Thomas talks to the master of Barbury Castle
Last season at Barbury Castle could hardly have gone better. A Cheltenham Festival winner would have been nice, but that aside there were big winners, a lot of winners, and winners that gave hope for an even brighter future.
Yanworth was Alan King’s star, landing the Christmas Hurdle, the Kingwell and the three-mile Grade 1 at Aintree, which seemed to tee him up for a big season over fences, but there were plenty of others who contributed.
“We had a good summer to kick the season off, topped the 100-winner mark for the first time since 2009, won three Grade 1s and got above £1 million in prize-money, which is always the target,” says King. “The horses were pretty consistent all year and, although we didn’t have a Cheltenham winner, you have to bear in mind that’s getting harder and harder to do.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inStable Tours
Last updated
Copy- 'We hope he's a Triumph Hurdle horse, so until he tells us otherwise we'll be aiming him that way'
- 'He could make it right to the very top over fences’ - Willie Mullins’ exclusive horse-by-horse guide to his extraordinary team
- 'He's bigger, stronger, definitely getting better - and he'll be a classy horse going back into handicaps'
- 'Our novice chasers are as good as anyone's in Britain - and this one is a proper horse'
- 'Having a winner at the Cheltenham Festival last season made a big difference - and this might be one for the same race'
- 'We hope he's a Triumph Hurdle horse, so until he tells us otherwise we'll be aiming him that way'
- 'He could make it right to the very top over fences’ - Willie Mullins’ exclusive horse-by-horse guide to his extraordinary team
- 'He's bigger, stronger, definitely getting better - and he'll be a classy horse going back into handicaps'
- 'Our novice chasers are as good as anyone's in Britain - and this one is a proper horse'
- 'Having a winner at the Cheltenham Festival last season made a big difference - and this might be one for the same race'