Classy Woodlands switches on the power
For years, the huge seven-year-old grey has been the apple of trainer Peter Pritchard’s eye.
And despite the 1-3 favourite having to be pushed out by Mark Bradburne to beat some modest opponents, Woodlands Genpower was only ever just doing enough to win as he beat Abzuson by three and a half lengths.
A reflection of the testing and windy conditions was that of the nine starters in the three-mile gg.com Novices’ Hurdle, only four succeeded in completing the course.
But typically for the horse, Woodlands Genpower was never going any stronger than at the finish and he already looks to be crying out for a marathon test.
“He was broken in when he was four by an eventer, who had him jumping all sorts of things, and he was always going to be a chaser,” said Pritchard.
“In fact he told me that if I let him keep him he’d be the greatest eventer ever, but I told him that wasn’t happening.
“He’s not a flashy horse. Mark said that he just popped the last two, but he would have pulled out more if anything had come up to him - he had stacks left in the tank.
“He must have soft ground. I made the mistake of running him on something else earlier this season, but I won’t do it again.”
Having seen this performance, Pritchard said he may now elect to give Woodlands Genpower one more start over hurdles before switching him to the larger obstacles. “I have got a Grade Two at Doncaster marked in my programme book but he will only run if it is soft ground,” the trainer continued.
“Mark felt he might just benefit from a bit more experience and he knows him better than ever.
“I think he’s very good. We had a lot of interest in him from some big names after his bumper races but I was always adamant that he wasn’t for sale.”
Researcher sparked a double celebration when winning the gg.com Mares’ Only Beginners’ Chase.
Only 15 minutes before the 9-4 chance had made all under Sam Thomas to make a winning start over fences, trainer Venetia Williams’ secretary and right-hand lady Shirley Vickery had given birth to her first child, a boy, in hospital in Hereford.
“Both fillies have done well,” beamed the winning trainer.
