Wednesday, 25th February 2026
In ATC today….
Kdeux Saint Fray is the one to take out of the Ladbrokes Trophy….
…. there’s another one of Anthony Honeyball’s staying chasers to look out for in the weeks ahead….
…. and this flat season I’m going to follow a horse that Keiren Fallon put me on to….
Oh…. and thanks to everybody who got in touch with an opinion about Constitution Hill yesterday….
Read on….
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Whether it’s this term or next term that he makes good on his promise….
…. Anthony Honeyball’s Kdeux Saint Fray is the one to take out of Saturday’s Ladbrokes Trophy at Kempton….
…. you can review the race here….
The 6yo already had experience of big tracks like Cheltenham and Aintree in the bag….
…. but he’d never raced before at Saturday’s level – over fences or hurdles….
…. it was just his fifth go over the bigger obstacles….
…. it was his first go going clockwise since he won a bumper at Ascot….
…. it was his first go under Sam Twiston-Davies….
…. and – most importantly – he was stepping up to the 3m trip for the first time….
He jumped out to his left on occasions (maybe going right-handed isn’t the ideal scenario)….
…. and he wasn’t fluent at all his fences….
But what the overall performance suggests….
…. he finished 3/11 beaten just 2.5 lengths – and was bang there at the last of the 18 fences….
…. is that there’s progression to be made at staying trips off his revised mark of 131 (up 2lb)….
…. and he’s going onto my Watch List….
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Kdeux Saint Fray is definitely in the right yard for making an impact in decent staying chases….
…. the area in which trainer Anthony Honeyball excels….
The trainer’s only won two races worth £20k+ to winning connections over hurdles – at any trip….
…. but when it comes to chases worth £20k+ at 3m+ the win figure rises to 13….
If you need Anthony Honeyball to saddle you a winner in a big race to save your life….
…. your best hope is a handicap chaser over a staying trip – no doubt….
Think the likes of Regal Encore – a real breakthrough horse for this up-and-coming yard….
…. Jepeck – winner of the final of the Veterans Handicap Chase series in 2019….
…. Sam Brown, Blackjack Magic, Forward Plan….
…. and more recently Gustavian – winner of this season’s Badger Beer at Wincanton….
…. and Dartmoor Pirate – winner of the Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster in January….
One of Honeyball’s current crop to look out for in the weeks ahead on spring ground is Leave Of Absence….
He went down a head to Deep Cave at Ascot in December on good to soft – just letting the winner slip up his inside to victory at the death….
…. on another day he would have won and – if nothing else – he outlined that he’s capable of winning a decent pot off a mark in the mid-140s….
Either side of that performance he disappointed on soft ground at Cheltenham….
…. and then earlier this month at Newbury in the G2 Denman Chase he ran down the field and was well-beaten….
I can draw a line through that last outing given how testing the ground was – which would not have suited….
…. and I’m mindful that he was up against it at the weights anyway – getting just 4lb & 6lb off horses currently rated 20lb & 18lb superior….
He won a few quid for his connections but that wouldn’t have been his day….
…. and I expect him to be in the mix for a big pot at some point in the next few weeks….
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Thanks to everybody who wrote in with a response to yesterday’s piece on Constitution Hill and his next assignment….
I haven’t got enough slack in my pre-Festival schedule to pen an individual response to everybody….
… but I want you all to know how much I appreciate you taking the time to get in touch and to make your various points….
Surprisingly – at least I was surprised – pretty much everybody who got involved is in the same camp as me….
…. hoping that Michael Buckley and Nicky Henderson decide to plough a fresh furrow on the flat this summer….
I really do hope that is what happens….
Constitution Hill has a schooling session over hurdles today – and then the decision will be made….
Fingers crossed….
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Finally, the Derby entries were published yesterday….
…. and one of Charlie Appleby’s potential runners is Study Of Words who won a maiden at Newmarket over 10f in October….
In November, Keiren Fallon – who does ride work for Charlie Appleby – had this to say about the Frankel colt….
“I ride a two-year-old who I think could be a Derby horse – Study Of Words. I love how when you ask him to quicken, he drops down low and takes off. I know it was a small field at Newmarket, but he’s a big baby and it was the manner in which he did it. There’s a long way to go, but he feels like a Derby horse to me. He’s a beautiful mover and he should stay well….”
Now, it may be that this horse gets nowhere near winning a Derby….
…. and the firms have him in well down the list at 33s & 40s….
But Fallon ain’t no run-of-the-mill work rider….
…. he’s sat on and won big races on a stack of elite horses in what was a glittering top-level career….
I reckon he knows a good ‘feel’ better than most when he sits on one….
…. and – whilst a Derby is a big ask and maybe a bit of a pipe dream – I don’t think Fallon’s instincts will be a mile off and I see this horse winning races as a 3yo….
I’m putting him in my tracker….
Fallon might well be yesterday’s man – but he will still recognize quality when he comes across it….
…. and I’m happy to take a steer from him about this under-the-radar horse….
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That’s all for today….
Back tomorrow….
Meantime – contact me at – nick.pullen@spapublishinggroup.co.uk
Stay tuned….
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