by Tom Collins
With the winners flowing and a young team starting to reach their full potential, Donald McCain has a spring in his step.
The focus at Bankhouse Stables has been on building for the future and McCain started to see the fruits of his labour when Navajo Pass won last season’s Grade 2 Summit Juvenile Hurdle at Doncaster.
Confidence is high that other young prospects – many of whom, like Navajo Pass, are owned by Tim Leslie of Peddlers Cross and Overturn fame – can take the next step up the ladder.
„I’m not going to train the number of winners I used to, but we’ve gathered up a young team and some of them are turning into really nice horses,“ said McCain.
Navajo Pass is set to tackle the top staying hurdlers and should come into his own over further after his Triumph Hurdle fourth.
McCain won’t be lacking assistance in the saddle with champion jockey Brian Hughes riding the vast majority and conditional Theo Gillard looking excellent value for his 7lb claim.
Rival to watch
Goshen blew the Triumph Hurdle field apart before his unfortunate departure at the last. It could be a weak year in the Champion Hurdle and I wouldn’t be too concerned by what he’s been doing on the Flat.
Race in focus
I’ve got a couple of hurdlers that might be up to running well in a good staying race like the Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock. I won it with Across The Bay and it’s a race I tend to target.
Stable profile
Yard Bankhouse
Stables
Where Cholmondeley, Cheshire
Started training 2006
Horses in yard 110
Members of staff 40
Assistant trainer Adrian Lane
Head lad Alan Bradley
Travelling head lad Ludovic Gaubusseau
Assistant travelling head lad Mark Jones
Jockeys Brian Hughes, Henry Brooke
Conditionals Theo Gillard, Abbie McCain
Website donaldmccain.co.uk
Twitter @donaldmccain
Winners in Britain
2019-20 62
2018-19 63
2017-18 98
2016-17 80
2015-16 53
Profit/loss to £1 stake
2019-20 -£35.75
2018-19 -£270.25
2017-18 -£17.29
2016-17 -£126.20
2015-16 -£138.27
Total prize-money 2019-20
£577,745
Horses:
| B | C | D | F | G | H | M | N | O | P | S | T |
Bannixtown Glory
Six-year-old mare
Fame And Glory (sire) – Me Auld Segosha (dam)
Owner: Miss C McCracken
Form figures: 33-7131
Racing Post Rating 121h; Official rating 123h
There’s not much to her, but she’s tough and genuine. She won impressively over two and a half miles at Carlisle and stays further. She’s a good jumper but she can be careful, so we put on the cheekpieces to make her a bit slicker and it worked.
Bareback Jack
4g Getaway – Dubh Go Leir
TG Leslie
1 (point-to-point)
RPR 92p
He came recommended by Colin Bowe after winning a Punchestown point-to-point and was possibly half the price he should have been because he flashed his tail after the last. We like him and, although I was thinking of starting off in a bumper, I’m inclined to kick on over hurdles now.
Blakeney Point
7g Sir Percy – Cartoon
TW Johnson & G Maxwell
8-19
RPR 121h OR 125h
I was disappointed with him at Carlisle last time and I’ve done his wind again. I’m not sure whether he didn’t like the stiff track, but he didn’t show up at all. He’d won well at Bangor on his previous jumps start and it might be that he needs a flatter track to bring his speed more into play.
Chti Balko
8g Balko – Ina Scoop
DG Carrington
90/5124-
RPR 147h OR 142h
He’s a great little horse. He ran in the Welsh Champion Hurdle last season, but I’ve not rushed him back this time. I think we’ll stick to hurdles and I’m sure there’s a good race in him, probably at Haydock on heavy ground.
Chuvelo
5g Milan – Bargante
TG Leslie
2/112-35
RPR 107h OR –
He was good in bumpers last season and had been due to go for the bumper at Aintree in April. I thought I might have underdone him for his return at Bangor, but his second run proves there’s something else up with him and we’ll investigate further. He’ll get further than two miles but wouldn’t want a bog.
Dear Sire
8g Al Namix – Polismith
Green Day Racing
F4-1321
RPR 142h OR 142h
A wonderful horse who has won 11 races. He’s not the best I’ve trained, but he’s definitely one of the toughest. He’ll be sticking to hurdles as he’s too brave for his own good over fences. He’s come back from winning at Chepstow in great nick and is ready to go again. He’s a better horse in a better race as he wants a good gallop.
Fin And Game
8g Oscar – Miss Cilla
TG Leslie
52P/328-
RPR 131h OR 127h
He’s a bit delicate and I just want to get a proper season of racing into him. I don’t think he’s going chasing again and it’ll be handicap hurdles over two to two and a half miles, starting at Wetherby on Friday. He’s always given the impression there’s a nice race in him.
Finisk River
7g Red Rocks – Scopa D’Assi
Les Buckley
3112F
RPR 134h OR 135h
I don’t think he really handled Cheltenham last week – he’s an easy-moving horse and it was probably too up and down for him. He’s not the best jumper of a hurdle and fell late on, but he’s fine and fresh. He should have brought up his hat-trick at Bangor the time before and we’ll probably go back to flat tracks.
Gaelik Coast
6g Coastal Path – Gaelika
TG Leslie
25/611-1
RPR 130h OR 130h
He’s one we’ve always liked as he’s a straightforward, willing horse. He was quite poorly at the start of last season and came back well to win two novice hurdles at Doncaster and Bangor. He jumped well to win his chase debut at Fakenham on Wednesday. We went there for the nice ground and he’ll probably be better at a more galloping track.
Goobinator
4g Noble Mission – Lilac Lilly
TG Leslie
1212-4
RPR 124h OR 126h
He’s quite a smart horse and probably shouldn’t have been beaten last season. It was frustrating at Chepstow on his return as he had a rough passage round and then stayed on really well in fourth. He had his wind done in the summer and, while we’re likely to stick to hurdles for now, he could go chasing sooner rather than later. He’s a big, quality horse and a bold jumper.
Heartbreak Kid
5g Getaway – Bella’s Bury
TG Leslie
371-
RPR 110h OR –
We thought a bit of him at the start of last season, but he had some problems and disappointments. He got lucky at Sedgefield when his sole rival fell at the last, but he travelled down to the final flight nicely. He’s schooled well over fences and might have another run in a novice hurdle before going chasing.
Mackenberg
5g Jukebox Jury – Mountain Melody
TG Leslie
14-1
RPR 125h OR –
He was an impressive winner on his hurdles debut at Carlisle this month, pulling well clear up the hill. He won his bumper there last season and then got stuck in the mud at Bangor. We’ll probably find another hurdle with a penalty and then there’s a Listed race at Haydock next month.
Minella Drama
5g Flemensfirth – Midsummer Drama
Green Day Racing
2
RPR 122h OR –
He’s a nice horse who made a very pleasing debut at Bangor on Tuesday in a warm enough race on very bad ground. He’s quite nervy and did a bit too much early, which probably cost him the race. It’s given us something to build on.
Minella Trump
6g Shantou – One Theatre
TG Leslie
11224-
RPR 132h OR 127h
He’s a grand horse who goes novice chasing. I still don’t know how he got a race taken off him at Bangor last season and then the ground had gone at Newcastle – he just didn’t handle it and never got his jumping together. He’s been schooling well and will stay three miles over fences.
Mount Mews
9g Presenting – Kneeland Lass
The Blue Nuns
2R0/265-
RPR 150h 145c OR 131h 134c
He was one of those sold by Trevor Hemmings and I bought him for £16,000 as I felt there was unfinished business with him. He’s had his wind done and is likely to go over hurdles and then we may look at fences. He’s a sound, good-looking horse without too many miles on the clock.
Mr McGo
9g Touch Of Land – La Principal
Jon Glews
234313-
RPR 133c OR 124c
He had another solid season, running well at Kempton on Boxing Day and winning by a wide margin at Doncaster in February. He was in much better order last term and has come back better again. He always takes a run or two to get fit and should be capable of winning another nice race.
Star quality
Navajo Pass
3g Nathaniel – Navajo Charm
TG Leslie
1214-
RPR 140h OR 145h
He won the Grade 2 Summit Hurdle at Doncaster and was then fourth in the Triumph Hurdle. We were pleased with his run at Cheltenham, but there was part of me left thinking he was better than that. He got a bit lost coming down the hill when they quickened and then stayed on to the line – in another 100 yards he’d have been second. He’s got bundles of stamina and will definitely want two and half miles, maybe three by the end of the season, and we don’t think he’ll be one of those juveniles who gets lost the following season. He was going to have a run on the Flat at Haydock but he had a bit of colic which he’s over now. He’s ready to go and we might look at Aintree on Saturday week. In the second half of the season, I could see him running in the Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock which would hopefully lead on to other things.
Ottonian
6g Dubawi – Evil Empire
Nigel Dunnington & David Shaw
5
RPR 96h OR –
He was quite a good three-year-old for Godolphin but had a long time off before a couple of runs for us on the Flat. He travelled well on his hurdles debut at Aintree but got stuck in the ground. We’ll drop him back to two miles on some better ground and I think you’ll see a much-improved run second time.
Pogue
7g Stowaway – Night Palm
J Turner
2/2215-2
RPR 128c OR 120c
A beast of a horse. He probably wants to go left-handed at a big jumping track like Doncaster – where he won well last season – or Wetherby. His first run back at Bangor was grand as the course wouldn’t really play to his strengths. He’s a novice over hurdles so that’s an option, but he’s likely to go handicap chasing. To look at him you’d think he wants proper soft ground, but he prefers a sounder surface.
Dark horse
Presentandcounting
6g Presenting – Count On Me
J Turner
31-23
RPR 114h OR 122h
He’s a fine-looking, talented horse with a good pedigree who’s still very raw. He raced a bit back to front at Cheltenham and you can’t do that round there. I think the only thing that will steady him is a fence. He’s done a lot of schooling over them and I think that’s what we’ll do now. He wouldn’t want bad ground.
Same Circus
9m Brian Boru – Curragh Orpen
Penketh and Sankey Jech Racing Club 1
53426-2
RPR 123h 135c OR 120h 120c
She ran her heart out to finish second at Aintree in a race she won last year. It was another lovely, genuine performance. She stays well and doesn’t want to go right-handed. She has it in her to go in again.
The Con Man
7g Oscar – Phillis Hill
TG Leslie
1/22151-
RPR 140h OR 138h
He’s a nice horse, a real staying type. He’s a bit of a rarity as he’s by Oscar but likes soft ground. His inexperience caught him out a little bit at Ascot and then we expected him to win at Ayr and he did. We haven’t really got a plan for him as he’s a little bit delicate. Whether he goes chasing is to be debated as well, but he’s a good jumper.
Bumper horses
I’ve been sent Barrichello (4g Gentlewave – Tambourine Ridge) by Owners Group and the form of his point-to-point has worked out well. He’s a fine big horse who could start off in bumpers. We gave fair money for Wetherby bumper winner Teasing Georgia (4f New Approach – Hallowed Park) from the Crawfords. She’s a very nice filly who might run in a bumper first but will go hurdling in the near future.
Two for the tracker
Ottonian looks capable of making a mark over hurdles and Barrichello is a young horse we like.
Expert view
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Donald McCain is his phenomenal strike-rate at Ayr, Perth and Bangor in recent seasons. It seems like he gets a winner or two on every card at those venues.
McCain has had an overhaul of stock in the last few years and now has an exciting team of young hurdlers and chasers who look sure to get him to 60-plus winners for the fifth consecutive season.
Navajo Pass is the real shining light in the stable. The son of Nathaniel landed the Grade 2 Summit Hurdle in December last year before finishing fourth in the Triumph at the Cheltenham Festival, and is likely to be better again this season.
I’m also a big fan of Mackenberg, who achieved a Racing Post Rating of 125 when hacking up at Carlisle when last seen 12 months ago. He’s in my tracker and should pay his way. Finally, don’t give up on Fin And Game. McCain has long been keen on this relative of Peddlers Cross, who won three times in 2017-18, but reports him to be delicate. He has shown signs that he retains all of his ability.
