It’s a busy week for trainer Ruth Jefferson with a flurry of runners, including stable stars Sounds Russian and Kerryhill both entered in Saturday’s G2 Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock.
Ruth Jefferson: A HUGE Weekend of Runners, Feb 13th 2025
We saddle both Sounds Russian and Kerryhill – much to the annoyance of both owners – at Haydock on Saturday. Bruce (Sounds Russian) only just got clipped last week, he’s been like a hairy teddy bear all winter, so he’ll be strutting around the place after his new haircut. It’s been a frustrating 6-7 months with him, after an original setback in October when we just weren’t quite right with him. I’d rode him out and was washing his leg when I said to our Head Lass ‘I don’t like the look of that’ and she agreed.
We got the vet out and there was no heat in his leg and he wasn’t lame, but it’s one of those things where you just know something isn’t right. We had him scanned again and it turns out he’d done a leg. It was either scar tissue or something fresh, and if it was something recent we were looking at being out for this season and maybe next.
Fortunately, not sure that’s the right word, it was something he had probably done in The Cheltenham Gold Cup back in 2023, and he’s been able to recover well. We blistered it, and he’s been on the treadmill down at Richard Fahey’s and done really well. It’s been far from perfect in terms preparation however, with him breaking a shoe, and then everywhere being frozen,
We worked him again last week, and then scanned him again, and he was fine. He wouldn’t be running if he was 100% because with this type of injury, re-injuring could potentially be career-threatening. I’m looking forward to seeing him back on a racecourse, and Brian has chosen to ride over Kerryhill.
Ruth Jefferson: Kerry on the Comeback
We’re still on a fact-finding mission with Kerry, who hasn’t been seen since pulling up at Haydock in November. The vets said he was lame at Cheltenham, and we’ve jumped through all the hoops to make sure he’s fine to run, and he seems fine. It’s been a bit stop-start with him, with us looking at going to Ascot for the Long Walk Hurdle in December, and then the Pertemps Qualifier at Warwick, before him being declared and then unable to run in The Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham..
We’ll run him against graded horses and see where he stands – we thought he was a good horse when winning The River Don last January at Doncaster. If he runs well then we’ll continue at this level, if he runs poorly then we’ll probably revert back to handicaps.
Ruth Jefferson: Thursday at Newcastle
Aquitaine Boy has a good chance after struggling under a penalty last time out at Catterick. He went from running twice in six months, having come back from three years out, to twice in a week and it probably just came a little bit too soon for him. It was a messy race that day at Catterick and I think the time off between his races, and hopefully a stronger pace, will see him in a much better light this afternoon,
Elsewhere on the card, I’m excited to get Loveatfirstglance started in the closing bumper. She’s a full sister to our superstar Attaglance and was due to run towards the end of last year when got sick and needed some time off. None of the family have won first time out, Attaglance was the best of the lot and didn’t get his head in front until the 8th time of asking, so she will probably need a bit of time.
The fillies in the family tend to be a bit buzzy, so she could end up being a bit of a handful for Jamie (Hamilton) but the penny is dropping with her, albeit a bit slowly. She will like the track and the ground.
Ruth Jefferson Runners: Lunar Chief (1.50, Kelso)
Lunar Chief is one of the most talented horses I have ever trained, but can be equally as frustrating. We thought he was a nice horse and then felt rather justified when he won on seasonal debut here back in November. He’s been beaten twice since but I’m adamant he’s much better than what he has shown on a racetrack.
He won’t do anything unless he’s really asked to. If you ask him to trot up the gallops, he trots up the gallops, but will do the bare minimum. We’ve gone for the blinkers, and that will hopefully help him concentrate better, and apply himself in his races. Charlie Maggs rides, and is one of the best Conditionals out there at present. Both he and his twin William have been riding out with Donald (McCain) since 14 and are a pair of strong little riders.
Ruth Jefferson Runners: Mobile Mamma (4.15, Southwell)
Mobile Mamma goes to Southwell for Monday’s 3m Mares’ Handicap Hurdle from an opening mark of 90. She’s shown glimpses of promise in three starts since joining us from the pointing fields and does have potential but is still trying to put it all together. We may need to go for a pair of blinkers with her, but I’m happy to get her started and see how she does now handicapping.
Ruth Jefferson: Lavida Avida (3.20, Market Rasen)
Market Rasen has always been good to the family and I love having runners there – it was always my favourite course as a kid! The Diva – Lavida Avida to non-readers of this blog will hopefully run there on Tuesday bidding to defy the burden of top weight. She has a big weight to carry but carried 11’7 to win last time out at Aintree and is hopefully well-treated from just a 4lb rise at the weights.
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