Royal Tune hits winning note in Wales
Guillaume Macaire struck with his first British runner for nearly three years as Royal Tune danced 17 lengths clear in the Walters UK Ltd Handicap Chase at Ffos Las.
The trainer used to be a frequent visitor to these shores during the winter, notably with Jair du Cochet, but has cut back since the untimely death of his brilliant stable star.
Macaire, who is based near Royan in south-west France, has not mapped out a detailed plan for his highly impressive winner but had earmarked the five-year-old as a perfect sort for regulation fences.
Welsh punters evidently remembered the names of Macaire and jockey Jacques Ricou, sending Royal Tune off the 4-1 favourite.
His form from home appeared reasonable but he made an opening handicap mark of 124 look distinctly generous by charging right away in the home straight.
“Usually the horses I run in England are for sale to Highflyer (Bloodstock) but this was a special case because he is owned by Mr and Mrs Papot, who are French owners,” explained Macaire.
“There are not suitable races in France for this horse, who I thought had exactly the right profile to be successful in the UK, and I was very satisfied with that for his first run.
“He is a big, galloping horse and I think he will be able to stretch out to an even longer trip, three or even four miles.
“For the moment, I have a better idea about what I want to do and I will focus on an English programme. He will have an English handicap mark and I will have a think about the next race.
“Certainly he will be totally focussed on an English programme next season and may miss the French programme completely.”
Fog enveloped the Carmarthenshire course for the first part of the afternoon and not much could be seen of the opening Walters UK Ltd Novices’ Hurdle, where ex-Irish pointer State Benefit (9-4 favourite) made a successful debut for Nicky Henderson, holding off the challenge of Alan King’s Iron Chancellor by a nose.
It was Henderson first and King second again in the Saxton Drilling Novices’ Chase.
Henderson’s Osric (10-11 favourite) was keen under Andrew Tinkler and not tremendously convincing over his fences but had the raw talent to see off Squadron.
Kim Bailey has had his horses in excellent nick this winter and rounded off the year on the right note as Real Treasure justified 100-30 favouritism in the Isuzu Mares’ Handicap Hurdle.
Oscar Gogo (17-2) was given a good, positive ride by Adam Wedge in the Ronald Jessett 85th Birthday Handicap Chase while trainer Evan Williams was on the mark again later when Pilgreen (7-2) was a little sharper than Henderson’s 6-4 favourite Master Fiddle in the Eileen Rees Birthday Maiden Hurdle.
King hit back when the well-bred Genstone Trail (11-8 favourite) took a small-field Davies Chemists Ltd ’Newcomers’ Mares’ Bumper.
