Philip Hobbs stable tours 2021-2022
Camprond
Five-year-old gelding
Lope De Vega (sire) – Bernieres (dam)
Owner: JP McManus
Form figures: 314211
Racing Post Rating: 141h; Official Rating: 140h
He’s eligible to run in the Grade 1 Royal Bond in Ireland at Fairyhouse at the end of November. That is an option for him but we’ll look at the handicaps in England as well. He’s an ex-Flat horse and is only five so I’d imagine we’ll stay over hurdles this season.
Canastero
5g Getaway – Lucky Pigeon
Mrs R J Skan
0033-01
RPR 100h OR 95h
He’s gone up 2lb for his win at Stratford at the start of the month. He’s a Getaway and has a pedigree which suggests he could improve. He’s got a nice attitude and hopefully he’ll go on to better things.
Celebre D’Allen
9g Network – Revoltee
Allan Stennett
113/272/
RPR 136c OR 130c
He was with Louisa Carberry in France and he won a chase and a hurdle race at Auteuil. He’ll want soft ground and I’d say he’d be one for handicap chases over two and a half miles.
Chabichou Dupoitou
5g Martaline – Tidara Angel
Hot to Trot Racing and Robert Waley-Cohen
Unraced
She’s got an amazing pedigree as her dam was a Grade 1 winner. She’s doing everything very well at the moment and she’ll run some time in the next month or so. I expect we’ll start off in a bumper.
Chalgrove
5g Le Havre – Exit To Derawlin
Snowdrop Stud Co Ltd
1-
RPR 97b
He won by a short margin on his first start and, while he’s Flat-bred, he’s a big, strong horse. He jumps well at home and he’ll be straight over hurdles, probably starting off over two miles.
Chillabella
5m Black Sam Bellamy – Miss Chinchilla
The Philip Hobbs Racing Partnership II
Unraced
She’s a half-sister to five winners and goes well. She should win over hurdles this season and would be one for mares’ chases in the future.
Coolnaugh Haze
3g Lawman – Midas Haze
Available
2- (Flat form)
RPR 83f
He’s only just arrived with us and will go juvenile hurdling. He ran once and finished second at odds of 250-1. He seems a decent juvenile hurdler and he’s currently for sale.
Crossing The Bar
4g Poet’s Voice – Ship’s Biscuit
Salvo Giannini
7/9-2144
RPR 92f OR83f
We bought him at the Newmarket sales and he won at Carlisle on the Flat and is rated 83. He’s quite unusual for a Flat horse as he’s very big and needs soft ground. He’ll be one more for the winter months.
Dan’s Chosen
6g Well Chosen – Miss Audacious
The Philip Hobbs Racing Partnership II
3/5P
RPR 101h
He’s a nice horse but he was rather disappointing at Worcester and hopefully it was just because he needed his first run of the season. Maybe he could also do with better ground. He’s the sort of horse who should go well this season as he’s big and strong and jumps very well. We’ll be going chasing in the long term.
Star quality
Defi Du Seuil
8g Voix Du Nord – Quarvine Du Seuil
JP McManus
1114/P5-
RPR 170c OR 165c
I think we’re going to start off in the 1965 Chase at Ascot which is a Grade 2. He’ll be up in trip but it’s worth remembering when he was a novice he won at the Cheltenham Festival over two and a half miles and I’ve always thought he’d go further. Most horses who win the Triumph end up wanting three miles in time, but we’ll be taking it one race at a time and I suppose it could depend on what other horses will be going over different trips and how things work out. Nevertheless, he seems in very good form and appears to be fine. Hopefully we can forget last season and move on.
Deise Aba
8g Mahler – Kit Massini
Exors of the late Trevor Hemmings
15/PP1P
RPR 146c OR 141c
He’s just very inconsistent – I don’t think he likes getting crowded in his races but we know he’s got a good level of ability when things go right. He’s won the same race at Sandown two years in a row, and as he seems to go better there we could look at that. He wants a long trip and soft ground.
Dolphin Square
7g Shantou – Carrig Eden Lass
David Maxwell Racing
2P25-12
RPR 134c OR 129c
He’s not going to be easy to place but later in the season it’ll be more straightforward as he’ll go hunter chasing. He should be fun for his owner-rider David Maxwell.
Dostal Phil
8g Coastal Path – Quiphile
JP McManus
P/1323-U
RPR 147c OR 142c
He’s talented and he had a good first season over fences last year. I’m not sure where we’ll go but I imagine we’ll start over two and a half miles. Although he’s won over two miles, and was a good third in the Red Rum, I think that trip is a bit too short for him now. With his rating we’ll be sticking to handicaps, although I’m not quite sure where we’ll go yet. He copes well with soft ground and he has the ability to win a decent race.
Earth Company
5g Arcadio – Lady Rhinestone
Roger and Catherine Penny
420-
RPR 107b
The fourth at Wincanton in November was a good start but his last run in March was a bit disappointing. He’s since had wind surgery and he’ll be sent novice hurdling this season and we’ll go from there. He’ll need more of a trip in the long term.
Dark horse
Earth Lord
5g Mahler – Glebe Beauty
Roger and Catherine Penny
5932-
RPR 126h OR 127h
His last run at Taunton was good as he was only beaten a length. He’s a full brother to Sutton Place, who won a Grade 2, and he’ll be a chaser in the making. We’ve tinkered with his wind as well and he could progress this season. He wouldn’t want to go shorter than two and a half miles.
Forever Des Long
6g Blue Bresil – Fetuque Du Moulin
Noel Fehily Racing Syndicates
2/85222-
RPR 118h OR 119h
He’s been unlucky. He keeps on finishing second but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the horse. He’s genuine but just unlucky, being placed five times from nine runs. He’ll probably want further than two miles and he’ll be running before too long. We’ll start over hurdles but he could go chasing.
From The Heart
7g Jeremy – Zephyr Lilly
Unity Farm Holiday Centre Ltd
11439-91
RPR 125c OR 110c
He won at Exeter last week and I think he’s a better horse when he can dictate and make the running. He did it very well. He’s a horse who wants better ground while he’ll have a winter break at some stage.
Gosheven
8g Presenting – Fair Choice
The Grocer Syndicate
3/43/B12
RPR 128h OR 126h
He benefited from wind surgery and had some reasonable form last season. He’s a big, strong type and three miles is his trip. He’s schooled well over fences already so I think he’ll go straight novice handicap chasing.
Great Ocean
5g Great Pretender – Diamond Of Diana
Salvo and Alex Giannini
331-6
RPR 89b
He looked to have every chance of winning at the two-furlong pole the other day at Newton Abbot and he was upsides the horse who finished second. He just didn’t get home but maybe it was the very soft ground. He’s still a nice horse who does everything well and he wasn’t beaten that far. He won his point-to-point well in Ireland and I liked him at the sales. He’ll go hurdling next time and probably stay over two miles as he’s got plenty of pace.
Guernesey
5g Martaline – Myrtille Jersey
Terry Warner
5237-41
RPR 123h OR 117h
He won at Exeter at the start of the month at 14-1 but it wasn’t a big surprise. I think he just needed the run badly the first time as he’s a very stuffy horse and needs a lot of work. He’s come on a lot for that and hopefully will progress again. He wouldn’t want bottomless ground. He’ll stay over hurdles this season but would jump a fence at some point in the long term.
Head And Heart
4f Mount Nelson – Don’t Stop Me Now
Liam Quinn
2-6
RPR 78p
She was beaten in a bumper at Aintree on Sunday but before that was a runner-up in an Irish point-to-point for Denis Murphy. She goes very nicely and I’m happy with her work.
Honorary Colonel
5g Ocovango – Mushagak
Alan Peterson
9364P-
RPR 112h OR 113c
He’s a big potential chaser who could be an improver this season.
Hope You Do
4g Boris De Deauville – Une Tournee
JP McManus
1553-
RPR 98 OR 107
He ran okay in three starts for us last season having joined from France. Hopefully he could improve this year having had 12 months to acclimatise and he could benefit from stepping up in trip. We’ll look for novice handicap hurdles.
Iberio
4g Kamsin – Imogen
Brocade Racing
1
RPR 110b
He won well the other day at Newton Abbot. The Paul Nicholls horse [Lallygag] should be all right and they were well clear of the rest. He hung left a bit but we should be able to sort that out. I expect he’ll be running over hurdles next time.
Iceburgh Bay
5g Sageburgh – Aspelenie
The Philip Hobbs Racing Partnership
41- (point-to-point)
RPR 89p
He’s related to Grand National winner Monty’s Pass and won his point-to-point in Ireland for Sean Doyle. I think he’ll start straight over hurdles, over two and a half miles or further.
Jatiluwih
7g Linda’s Lad – Jaune De Beaufai
David Maxwell Racing
128/1P-2
RPR 138c OR 140c
He’s quite a nice horse and I expect he’ll go back hunter chasing at some point. We’ll be looking at handicaps before then.
Jerrysback
9g Jeremy – Get A Few Bob Back
JP McManus
3/03/3PP-
RPR 152c OR 140c
He’s been very disappointing because he keeps on looking like he’ll win a decent race and then doesn’t. He could run at Ascot this Saturday and we’ll keep going in top staying handicap races.
Kalooki
7g Martaline – Karuma
Andrew Cohen
2/13P32-
RPR 148c OR 144c
He started last season very well, winning at Newbury and then running well in a couple of Grade 2s. He stayed further but at the moment two and a half miles on very soft ground will be his job. He was a bit late coming back so he might not run until November. He’s probably better going left-handed and he’ll stick to handicap chases.
Keep Wondering
7g Scorpion – Supreme Touch
Andy Bell and Fergus Lyons
1/2331U/
RPR 136c OR 130c
He missed last season due to a back problem. He’s a big horse who has taken a fair bit of time but he could be an improver. He’ll want two and a half miles on soft ground and will stay in handicap chases.
Kepy Blanc
4g Kapgarde – Villemanzie
David Maxwell Racing
2/3
RPR 106b
He ran well enough at Warwick, he didn’t settle very well but he ran on nicely at the end. He could be a nice horse for the season.
Leapaway
9g Stowaway – Gisela
James and Veronica Ferguson
4U1316
RPR 140c OR 135c
He’s had a busy summer and won at Worcester twice, and he won’t run again until the spring. He ran okay at Cheltenham on Saturday but made a bad mistake down the back straight which probably stopped him a bit.
Little river bay
4g Kapgarde – Villemanzie
David Maxwell Racing
2/3
RPR 106b
He ran well enough at Warwick, he didn’t settle very well but he ran on nicely at the end. He could be a nice horse for the season.
6m Shirocco – Penneyrose Bay
Sir Christopher and Lady Wates
3/111P-1
RPR 129c OR 132c
She won nicely on her first start over fences at Worcester at the start of the month and she’ll go to Uttoxeter on November 13 for a 2m6f novice handicap chase. After that we’ll rethink. She was good the other day, which I was happy with as she ran very badly at Sandown in a Grade 2 and I have no idea why. Those mares’ races could suit her well.
Longshanks
7g Scorpion – Cash A Lawn
Unity Farm Holiday Centre
3/6F51-
RPR 121h OR 121h
He won for us towards the end of last season at Wincanton. He’s a big horse so we’ll go novice handicap chasing. He’s schooled well over fences.
Luttrell Lad
5g Beat Hollow – Fairly Definite
Owners For Owners Luttrell Lad
2114-12
RPR 135h OR 135
I thought he ran very well in the Persian War behind Camprond. I think he’ll run in a lesser novice hurdle with a penalty next in order to give him a bit more experience, then we can reassess. He seemed to stay the two and a half well enough at Chepstow but he started the season by winning over two miles and I think he’s flexible as he has pace and ability. We’ve always thought he wouldn’t want it too soft but he won at Taunton in a bog so he’s versatile in that regard too.
Masters Legacy
6g Getaway – Gently Go
Mrs Pam Bosley
211/46-1
RPR 137h OR 134h
We were a bit surprised when he won the handicap at Chepstow. We all thought he wanted further than two miles but all he did was stay on at the end. He’s gone up 2lb for that and I imagine we’ll go for another hurdle race next. Chasing will be his job but he’s only six. He’ll be going further next time and he looks a three-mile chaser for the future.
Musical Slave
8g Getaway – Inghwung
JP McManus
2/5U39-9
RPR 144c OR 128c
He ran very well first time out at Newbury, finishing fifth over two and a half miles, not beaten far. We thought he wanted three miles but then things didn’t progress. He’s undoubtedly reasonably talented but he needs to get back on track. Three miles is probably the right trip for him at the moment but he might be one to go further with in the future.
No Comment
10g Kayf Tara – Dizzy Frizzy
JP McManus
722425
RPR 147c OR 129c
He’s been frustrating but he nearly could have won at Uttoxeter last time as he was flying coming to the last but jumped it wrong. He made a mess of it and that was it. Hopefully he’ll win a race soon.
Off The Planet
6g Presenting – Kings Diva
The Brushmakers
5/7P4-3
RPR 113h OR 115h
I’ve always thought he was a nice horse and he could be an improver. He ran respectably to be third at Warwick and the handicapper gave him a mark of 115. He’s a big horse who will stay over hurdles for a run or two but ultimately will go over fences. He runs at Chepstow today and we think he’d have a nice chance.
One For You
6g Yeats – Tempest Belle
Martin St Quinton and Tim Syder
744511-
RPR 121h OR 123h
He’s a half-brother to Monalee, who was a Grade 1-winning chaser. He won twice at the end of last season where the step up in trip made the difference. For the moment we’ll run in another hurdle race and see how we go – I don’t quite know whether we go chasing this season. I hope he can continue to progress and prove better than his current mark.
First lot prepare for exercise at Philip Hobbs’s stable
First lot prepare for exercise at Philip Hobbs’s stable
Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)
Orbys Legend
5g Milan – Morning Legend
Highclere Racing
2/2131-1
RPR 138h OR 138h
He won well in the Silver Trophy in part of a great two days at Chepstow. That means he’s now run in four hurdle races and won three of them. We hope he’s still progressive but there’s not too many valuable handicap hurdles over two and a half miles, apart from one race at Haydock, so we might consider stepping him up to three. The Fixed Brush which is worth £100,000 is a possibility. He’s only five so we’re in no rush to go chasing with him.
Pileon
7g Yeats – Heath Heaven
Tim Syder & Martin St Quinton
2/4PP8-0
RPR 139h OR 132h
He was second in the Martin Pipe in 2020 but was really disappointing last season. He seems to be going really well at home and I’m hoping we can get him back on track now. He’ll stay over hurdles for the time being. He was nearly going to go to Cheltenham last week but he wasn’t ready and the ground was too quick so I think he’s likely to go to Newbury or Aintree for a Pertemps qualifier.
Pol Crocan
6g Shirocco – She’s All That
Roger and Carol Skan
0/611P-
RPR 115h OR 121h
I thought he won very well at Wincanton before he was pulled up at Sandown. I think he was over the top that day and he could be an improver. We’re not sure whether it’s fences or hurdles for him yet, I imagine the latter but the first run will tell us more.
Potters Venture
7g Arcadio – Starventure
Alan and Maggie Peterson
3/31/P53-
RPR 128h OR 118
He’s schooled very well over fences and he’s ready to go shortly. We’ll need some rain before we enter him. If he finds his old form he could do well this season.
Dark horse
Pulling Stumps
4g Soldier Of Fortune – Pride Of The Braid
Highclere Thoroughbred Racing
1-
RPR 99b
He’s a very nice horse and we couldn’t be more pleased with him. He won his only bumper when he was extremely green and immature and the runner-up has won on the Flat. He’s schooled well and will go straight over hurdles. He could be one to look forward to in novice hurdles. He’ll probably start off over two and a half miles.
Renwick
8g Milan – Come In Moscow
Nick Sutton
02/P-425
RPR 125 OR 110
He’s been placed a few times, including at Uttoxeter in May, and has since had a breathing operation. I’d like to think he’s one who’s going in the right direction.
Shantou Sunset
7m Shantou – Kingara
The Philip Hobbs Racing Partnership
U25-211
RPR 106h OR 106h
She won at Newton Abbot last week and I thought it was 50-50 between her and the other horse before that one fell at the last. She might’ve been lucky but we’re delighted with her first run of the season. She’s not a big mare so running off a lower weight might help and there’s a 0-130 mares’ handicap over three miles at Ascot on November 20 that we might have a go at.
Sharp Shadow
5m Fame And Glory – Sharps Express
Joanna Peppiatt
1 (point-to-point)
RPR 77p
She’s a nice mare we bought at the Cheltenham May sale having won her only Irish point-to-point for Denis Murphy that month. She’s been jumping well recently and we’ll be looking at mares’ novice hurdles over at least two and a half miles, possibly as soon as this week.
Smarty Wild
7g Fair Mix – Blaeberry
Michael And Mrs Norma Tuckey
343153-
RPR 140c OR 135c
He’s a big, strong horse with a good level of ability and might yet improve. Two and a half miles is probably his trip but three might be.
Sporting John (far): could start off in the Colin Parker
Sporting John (far): could start off in the Colin Parker
Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)
Star quality
Sporting John
6g Getaway – Wild Spell
JP McManus
17/31FP-
RPR 160c OR 151c
It was fantastic winning the Grade 1 Scilly Isles at Sandown last season. I’d like to start him off in a graduation chase and it’s likely we’ll go to Carlisle for the Colin Parker Memorial on Sunday. He’ll go three miles but probably not yet. Our priority is getting confidence into him but he’s a seriously good horse and he looked excellent over hurdles.
St Barts
7g High Chaparral – Lindeman
Mr & Mrs R Kelvin-Hughes
131/215-
RPR 135c OR 135c
He looked very good when winning over fences at Newbury in December but we probably made a mistake last season waiting with him while the ground was bad as he seems to cope with it extremely well. He will run somewhere in November with the Welsh National in mind. I hope there’s more to come but you never know how much they’re going to improve. He’s at his best on testing ground.
Stellar Magic
6g Arctic Cosmos – Inter Alia
Allan Stennett
1/11P-
RPR 135h OR 133h
He looked really good at the start of last season and he beat a subsequent Grade 2 winner [Alaphilippe] at Taunton. He was pulled up at Warwick next time but it transpired that he had broken a bone in his knee. He’s had surgery, is back in work and he’ll be one for handicap hurdles. We think he’s on a good mark, and trips over two and a half and further would suit him well. He could improve again this season.
Thyme Hill: stable star for Philip Hobbs
Thyme Hill: stable star for Philip Hobbs
Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)
Star quality
Thyme Hill
7g Kayf Tara – Rosita Bay
The Englands And Heywoods
114/121-
RPR 163h OR 162h
He’s been very good and we’ll stay over hurdles this season; even if things didn’t work out you wouldn’t want to start novice chasing after Christmas. Hopefully he’s just about the best in his division, especially with the talented mare of Dan Skelton’s [Roksana] being retired. We’ve schooled him in the past and he was very good but he’s not an overly big horse and while he’s at the top of his division he might as well stay there. I think it’s very likely that he’ll start off in France for the Grand Prix d’Automne at Auteuil on November 6 then we’ll look at the Long Walk at Ascot. We’re working back from Cheltenham, which we didn’t get to last season. If all were to go well in France there’s a race back there in May which is worth a lot as well that we have in mind; that could be the route.
Truckin Away
8g Getaway – Simons Girl
Brocade Racing
33/4210-
RPR 143c OR 137c
He surprised us with how well he won at Doncaster in December as the ground was very soft and we weren’t sure he would handle it. He’ll be one for long-distance chases this season; I haven’t got one in mind in particular but the Welsh National could be one of them.
Umndeni
7g Balko – Marie Royale
Salvo and Alex Giannini
2-3U313
RPR 137 OR 127
He won a reasonable race at Newton Abbot recently and would want better ground so he’ll be more of a spring horse.
Dark horse
Wildfire Warrior
6g Flemensfirth – Lady Of Fortune
Mrs Diana L Whateley
24/31-
RPR 119h OR 123
He got an unusual injury after Ludlow as he had a very bad clout on his leg, which meant he was out for the rest of the season. He was desperately green when he won but we’ll have to go into handicaps when he isn’t that experienced. He’s a nice young horse, though, and I’d be hopeful there’s a lot more to come. At a minimum he’ll start over two and a half but I imagine he’ll end up wanting three miles.
Zanza
7g Arcadio – What A Bleu
Louisville Syndicate Elite
421FP6-
RPR 152c OR 145
He’s been unlucky – he fell when travelling well at Cheltenham, was pulled up in the Grand Annual after being badly hampered and would have run well at Aintree but for a mistake. It’s been one thing after another. I think he’ll probably start in the Haldon Gold Cup but I hope it’ll be soft enough by then – not that he needs it, but he probably stays a bit further than that trip, even on a stiff track. It’s very likely he’ll end up going up in trip this season.
Zoffee
4g Zoffany – Mount Crystal
Alan Peterson
4P63-23F
RPR 132c OR 122c
He would’ve gone close at Exeter earlier this month but he fell two out. He might run at Stratford this week. He wouldn’t want winter ground and 2m4f should be his trip.
Two for the Tracker
Pulling Stumps won really well, despite being green, at Ludlow and he looks a nice horse going forward. I also quite like Great Ocean.
Expert view
It’s a measure of Philip Hobbs’s sustained success during his long and illustrious career that followers are shocked when he fails to register a century of winners in a season.
‘Mr Consistency’ has achieved that three-figure target 14 times since 1999, so last season’s tally of just 54 was hugely disappointing.
As a result, it’s no surprise that the Hobbs stable currently houses a number of very well-handicapped horses, and my eye is immediately drawn to the JP McManus-owned Musical Slave.
I followed the eight-year-old off a cliff last term and, while he didn’t perform badly overall, there was simply no spark to him.
That’s a classic sign of a yard not firing on all cylinders, and the fact that Hobbs has started the winter campaign in such sparkling form offers significant hope that Musical Slave will bounce back off an attractive handicap mark.
The four-time scorer began last season off 137, but kicks off 2021-22 rated fully 9lb lower on 128, his last winning mark.
Musical Slave, who won over hurdles at the 2019 Punchestown festival, appeared to be travelling strongly when unseating Richard Johnson at the 14th in the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster in January, and that race could well prove his major target again.
Wildfire Warrior, winner of a 2m5f Ludlow novice hurdle last November, graduates to handicaps off 123 and there could be significant mileage in that mark.
He’d been highly competitive in previous outings against the likes of the Paul Nicholls-trained Flash Collonges (now rated 145) and Jeremy Scott’s Sizable Sam (131).
Wildfire Warrior is a very low-mileage six-year-old with just four runs behind him. He looks just the type to win first time out as Hobbs runners in handicaps are rarely lacking in fitness on their reappearances.