Honeyball hoping for more success after going from 'worst to best season'

Anthony Honeyball is revelling in a dramatic change in fortune over the past 12 months – going from his self-described "worst season to his best season" – with a number of high-profile runners set to fly the flag before a big weekend for the Dorset trainer.

With his yard struggling with a virus, Honeyball sent out five winners between October and January last season. In the same period this campaign, he has secured 17 successes and is operating at an impressive 27 per cent strike-rate. He is hoping that fine run can continue before a busy week.

He said: "What's got me feeling good is that we're well on course for our best year. We got properly shoved to one side last year, and that wasn't easy, but now we've got our confidence back.

"On the big days we've really shown up, winning and finishing second in two £100,000 races. It would be brilliant to go from our worst season to our best season and I think we can do it.

"Big weeks like this creep up on you but it's exciting, and we're lucky enough to have a few nice chances in the big races."

Sam Brown: won by 22 lengths at Lingfield following an absence of more than two yearsCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

The most eyecatching of those recent winners was Sam Brown, who defied a 750-day absence in emphatic style at Lingfield last week. Honeyball is keen to make up for lost time with the exciting eight-year-old, who could run in the Grade 2 Altcar Novices' Chase at Haydock on Saturday.

"We weren't expecting him to do that," Honeyball said. "He's come out of the race really well and we want to fast-track him into the deep end. Take nothing away from his rivals but he came back just like he had a strong racecourse gallop so I don't think the bounce factor will really comes into it.

"We won't make up our minds until Friday but at the minute he's very much ready to do it, and I'd say there's a 60 per cent chance he'll go to Haydock."

Sam Brown is already being compared to Honeyball's former star Fountains Windfall. The 157-rated chaser who was unlucky not to give his trainer a first Grade 1 when travelling powerfully before falling in the Kauto Star Novices' Chase in 2017. He suffered a fatal injury in a schooling session two months later.

Fountains Windfall: was an exciting novice chaser for HoneyballCredit: Mark Cranham

He added: "I'd say Sam Brown could be as good as Fountains Windfall. He hasn't proved much yet but his form is very good. It's great to have another bite of the cherry."

In a busy week for the yard's top stars, the talented Midnight Tune is set to tackle the Grade 2 Peter Marsh Handicap Chase at Haydock, while talented mare Midnight Callisto runs in a Listed bumper at Market Rasen on Thursday.

"The Peter Marsh is the big test for Midnight Tune. Aidan Coleman calls her a tractor and she's a proper stayer. This will be her Gold Cup, I think she'll stay every yard and that race will be right up her street.

"Midnight Callisto's a lovely mare with a great pedigree, and she won her bumper nicely in October. I think something was amiss with her at Cheltenham the following month, possibly the ground, but we've had a lovely prep for this and we fancy her quite strongly."

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