In what he is calling his first ‘full season’ training, we paid Harry Derham a visit in his new state of the art Boxford base to see how preparations for the 2023-24 National Hunt season are taking shape.
Beginning his new adventure on Boxing Day last term, Paul Nicholls’ former Assistant trained 14 winners in the U.K. last year and saddled runners at both the Cheltenham Festival and Grand National meeting.
After recently welcoming Grand National winning trainer Oliver Sherwood aboard the operation as his assistant, Derham now has more than 40 horses in training and has some exciting new equine arrivals too.
Queens Gamble
Five-year-old mare, OR: N/A, Form: 1/120-1, Last seen: Warwick, 1st May (1st of 8)
Owner: A Frost and E Galvin
Trainer Comment:
“Queens Gamble did really well in her bumpers. I think her Warwick maiden hurdle was a bit messy, my read on the race - she was in a little bit of a hurry, a little fresh and keen. She didn’t jump as well as she might've done, but that might’ve been a lack of concentration. Often when horses are superior to their opposition they don’t go the gallop they need and consequently they concentrate quite as well.
"She’s schooled really nicely for me a couple of times. I think she’ll run on the 9th November at Newbury. There’s a nice Mare Novice hurdle there, I think Newbury will suit her well, a big galloping track that generally gets nice ground. She’ll head there with the idea that at the Newbury Winter Carnival there's a listed Mares Novice hurdle and we’d love to go there. We’ll go for a bit of experience first, the way should jumped at Warwick. I'd like to get another run into her before we go into listed company.
✏️ Pencil in a November @NewburyRacing return for 𝙌𝙐𝙀𝙀𝙉𝙎 𝙂𝘼𝙈𝘽𝙇𝙀
This morning, we spoke to @Harry05Derham about his exciting Novice Hurdler 🏇 pic.twitter.com/0QpSvyoLgu
— Tote (@ToteRacing) September 25, 2023
“I’m very anxious not to start talking about the dreaded C word (Cheltenham) in September because there is a lot of water to go under the bridge. She is a nice mare, she’s obviously got nice course form on that new track she won very nicely didn't she? If she progresses, if she goes well through this season there is no reason why she couldn’t end up there.”
Brentford Hope
Six-year-old gelding, OR: 122, Form: 22211-6, Last seen: Haydock, 13th May (6th of 17)
Owner: The Optimists Syndicate
Trainer Comment:
“I’m excited about Brentford Hope, he won two novice hurdles for me last season. He was then favourite for the Swinton hurdle, we were very confident going into it, walking the course an hour before i thought this ground has just gone a bit quick, his younger, overexcitable trainer was dying to run and thought we might get away with it but in reality he never really let himself go on the ground. Paul (O’Brien) said he was never really at the races properly that day. Which was a shame.
One-time Derby hope Brentford Hope makes the most of a good opportunity to get off the mark over hurdles at the fourth attempt @wincantonraces on his first outing for @Harry05Derham under Paul O'Brien 🏇 pic.twitter.com/IHZWmFbcRV
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 27, 2023
“We got a target in mind at the Newbury Winter Carnival on the 4th December, a race called the Jerry Fielding which is for last season’s Novice Hurdlers, a two-mile handicap hurdle. You’d hope there is a bit of juice in the ground by then so I’d like to run him there. Whether or not he has a prep run before I’m not sure, he’s a lovely horse and I’m hoping he can progress again.”
Dargiannini
Eight-year-old gelding, OR: 136, Form: F110-0, Last seen: Haydock, 13th May (10th of 16)
Owner: Andrew Mitchell
Trainer Comment:
“Dargiannini did really well for me last season. Probably rather naively he was my second runner to start the season, he went over fences at Doncaster and tipped up five or six out. Paul (O’Brien) and I just said he probably didn't love fences, we dropped him back to hurdles and he won at Uttoxeter and Newbury. He ended up going to Aintree where he wasn’t quite good enough.
“After Doncaster I don’t think he’ll go Chasing again. A P McCoy did a bit of work with us last season and he said with those horses you often can keep trying over fences and you actually end up wasting half a season. He didn’t look that natural at Doncaster, he’d schooled well but it was always going to be a case of he either took to it or he didn’t and he just didn’t really.”
“I’m looking to start on the 30th November at Kempton Park in a Pertemps Qualifier over two and a half miles. The Lanzarote Hurdle would be in mind if Kempton goes well. To have a horse to win a couple of Saturday races in my first year training was mega, he’s got pride of place now in my front yard and deservedly so.”
Shared
Four-year-old gelding, OR: 121, Form: 15103-, Last seen: Chepstow, 28th April (3rd of 9)
Owner: Colm Donlon
Trainer Comment:
“His first win was at Wetherby, I think he went off 25/1. We bought him from Roger Charlton, he’s the only horse I’ve been part of buying when the buying actually goes to plan. Colm Donlon is a friend of mine and he bought him with me and we said let’s try and get him to the Fred Winter.
"He won at Doncaster as well as Wetherby before running in the Fred Winter. Really annoyingly after the Fred Winter he has puss in his foot. Now, I’m not saying he’d have won or anything like it but I thought he was good enough to finish midfield in the Fred Winter and he didn’t really get going on the day.
“He ran well at Chepstow on the last day of the season and he’ll run at Chepstow on the 14th October, in a four-year-old handicap hurdle. He’s in good form, we’ve trained him for it since, when he finished third at Chepstow in April we said right we’ll go for that in October.
Nice one for @Harry05Derham! Shared stays on well to get back to winning ways at @DoncasterRaces under Paul O'Brien... pic.twitter.com/8kq5NUFa8r
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) February 22, 2023
“It’s obviously a tough year for four-year-olds, he’s not a novice so we are realistic about our expectations for this season but in four-year-old company he can be really competitive and I’d like to think at Chepstow he’ll run very well.”
“I don’t think I’d ever go chasing with him, he doesn’t strike me as an obvious chaser, he’s a very quick hurdler. I personally think our angle to improve will come when we step up in trip, I think his pedigree says he’ll stay quite well. Graham, my Head Lad, who rides him everyday seems to think he’ll stay well. I don’t want to do it straight away with him, he’s only four, but i certainly think two and a half miles can bring out a bit of improvement.”
Sir Psycho
Seven-year-old gelding, OR: 127, Form: /F337-, Last seen: Ascot, 2nd April (7th of 14)
Owner: Martin Broughton & Friends 3
Trainer Comment:
“Paul Nicholls actually rang me in April, as did Sir Martin Broughton, Paul felt that Sir Psycho had gone a little bit sour in Ditcheat. He did very well for Paul as a juvenile, he ran in the Triumph Hurdle and then suffered an injury the season after. He ran okay last season without setting the world alight and Paul said to Sir Martin that a change of scenery might help him.
“We are very lucky to get him, it’s great to have Sir Martin’s colours in the yard. He was a classy horse, he was rated 150 after his four-year-old season and last was always going to be hard for him then. I think he’s getting back down to a reasonable mark, he’s tried chasing unsuccessfully at Bangor - Sir Martin and his ownership group would like to have another go at Chasing. In the next couple of weeks we are going to do some schooling over fences and see how that goes. We won’t do it if we don’t think he’s capable of it but I think with Sir Psycho I think it’s a little bit in his head.
“If we can get him enjoying chasing there is a race on the 17th October at Uttoxeter I'd like to start him in if he schools sensibly.”
Monviel
Six-year-old gelding, OR: 128, Form: 66118/155-, Last seen: Sandown, 11th March (5th of 16)
Trainer Comment:
“There’s a nice novice chaser called Monviel who has joined us from Phillip Hobbs. He won at Ascot at the start of the season then he was fifth in the Betfair Hurdle and the Imperial Cup.
Easy! Monviel bolts up at @Ascot for @tjobrien12 and @PJHobbs1... pic.twitter.com/Y07hh8bLlZ
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 18, 2022
“I think we are going to go Chasing with him, he could start at Newton Abbot on the 21st October.
“He’s a nice horse with a good level of form, I think he’s rated 128. You’d hope that he could improve a little bit for going over fences, he’s lovely to have.”
Mojo Ego
Three-year-old colt.
Owner: Highclere Thoroughbreds
Trainer Comment:
“Highclere sent him to me in the summer, I really like him. He had a couple of runs over hurdles in France, his last run where he finished second at Strasbourg was good.
“He’s a nice horse, he could go to Kempton Park on the 22nd October.”
𝐌𝐨𝐣𝐨 𝐄𝐠𝐨 - (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐣𝐨 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞) 🏇🏽
Introducing Mojo Ego, our hugely promising 3-year-old gelding by Intello. He will be placed in training with Harry Derham and looks like a horse full of excitement for a juvenile hurdling campaign. #HighclereRacing pic.twitter.com/dktZvjrV2P
— Highclere (@HighclereRacing) August 9, 2023
Givemefive
Three-year-old gelding, Flat OR: 69, Form: 34271, Last seen: Roscommon, 4th September (1st of 13)
Trainer Comment:
“My cousin Megan has just bought a horse for Graeme McDowell and Brooks Koepka. He won in Ireland for Johnny Murtagh the other day over a mile and a half. He’s rated 69, a real likeable, tough hardy horse that you would hope would be a good juvenile hurdling prospect.”
“My cousin @Meg_nicholls11 has just bought one for @Graeme_McDowell and @BKoepka” ⛳️🏌️♂️
🗣️ @Harry05Derham give us the latest on two of his top juvenile prospects 𝙂𝙄𝙑𝙀𝙈𝙀𝙁𝙄𝙑𝙀 & 𝙋𝙐𝙎𝙃 𝙏𝙊 𝙋𝘼𝙎𝙎 🏇 pic.twitter.com/ibXpkQdmYr
— Tote (@ToteRacing) September 26, 2023
Push To Pass
Three-year-old gelding, unraced Pillar Coral x Serendipities.
Owner: Harry Tincknell
Trainer Comment:
“There is a horse to run in the junior national hunt hurdles, called Push To Pass who’s a Pillar Corral.
"Ed Bailey, who buys quite a lot for me, bought him as a two-year-old in August and we’ve had him ever since. I really like him, he’s sort of a home-grown one if you like. Jason Maguire broke him in and we’ve done a lot of work with him since.
“He could start on the 3rd November in a junior hurdle at Wetherby, i really like him. I’d hoped he’d make up into a really nice horse.”
Il Va De Soi
Five-year-old gelding, OR: N/A, Form: 33/24-, Last seen: Taunton, 13th April (4th of 13)
Owner: The Merry Makers
Trainer Comment:
“We took our time with his last season, he was an ex-Irish point-to-pointer that was placed twice. We just felt that going novice hurdling last season wasn't the right thing to do. He jumps very well, very pleased with him, he could be a nice novice hurdler.”
Exciting Bumper prospects also include:
Noahsgreatrainbow
Four-year-old gelding, unraced Milan x Bowling Green.
Owner: Will Watt & the late Jeremy Dougall
Trainer Comment:
“He looks pretty nice. He’s a Milan four-year-old who could start in November, he’s very nice.”
Pure Carbon
Trainer Comment:
“He’s a Diamond Boy four-year-old who I like.”
The Blueberry One
Four-year-old gelding, unraced Blue Bresil x The Strawberry One.
Owner: Benji Powell
Trainer Comment:
“A nice Blue Bresil who I like a lot.”
