Early Season Momentum For Manor House

For the team at Manor House Stables in Cheshire, there is perhaps no greater thrill in the game than winning races at their local Chester Racecourse. There was plenty of cause for celebration, then, when 2-year-old Dragons Tail (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}) broke his maiden at the meeting last Thursday for trainer Tom Dascombe and a partnership put together by Manor House co-owner Michael Owen.

Dragons Tail was bought as a yearling (lot 176) for €30,000 out of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale by agent Ed Sackville, who said, “The guys up in Chester kind of have the mentality–not literally–but it's nearly the mentality that they'd rather win the Chester Derby trial than the actual Derby itself. They'd rather win the Agnes [Conditions S.] than [Royal Ascot's G2] Coventry. We're very lucky, we've got a very loyal base of local owners up there and they are passionate about anything to do with Chester.”

There is more to the Manor House story, however, than winning races at Chester. Dragons Tail is the team's second juvenile winner this month, with Frozen Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) having won at Ascot on May 3. In a two-part TDN interview in October, Owen spoke of his ambitions to improve the quality of the stock at Manor House. At €30,000, Dragons Tail was in the typical price range for the stable, while Frozen Angel (lot127) was a larger gamble at £165,000 out of the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale last August.

“We were delighted with [Frozen Angel] because he cost £165,000 as a yearling,” Sackville said. “We don't really get the opportunity to buy horses at that kind of price mark; we're usually averaging more around 50,000. It's great when we do get the chance to be able to buy a more high-end yearling. It's nice to think that we can do a good job.”

Timeform figures show that, through last Friday, Frozen Angel is the highest-rated 2-year-old to have run in Europe during the early part of the season, with a figure of 102p. Dragons Tail received a mark of 92p, which puts him among the top five 2-year-old colts. Sackville said he recognizes that those positions will be difficult to maintain as the season goes on, but hopes that of the roughly 70 2-year-olds at Manor House, more may emerge in a similar mold to Frozen Angel and Dragons Tail.

Manor House Stables opened for business in 2007 under the ownership of former star footballer Michael Owen and Betfair co-founder Andrew Black, with Dascombe at the reins on the training end. The team's focus has historically been on early 2-year-olds, but the business plan has shifted somewhat over the last couple years. While they maintain a syndicate for precocious juveniles, the buying team made an effort last year to add some later maturing types to the roster.

“Certainly it's been the game plan for the yearlings we bought,” Sackville said. “We bought yearlings by stallions such as New Approach, Sea the Stars, Nathaniel and Camelot. We bought yearlings by stallions like that with the view to try and have horses which can go on to be 3-year-old prospects as well as 2-year-olds.”

Looking back at Manor House's success, it isn't a surprise that they would want to cultivate that type of horse; the stable's best-ever horse was Owen's homebred Brown Panther (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}), winner of the 2011 King George V S. at Royal Ascot who went on to add the G1 Irish St Leger, G2 Dubai Gold Cup, G2 Goodwood Cup and a pair of Group 3s.

“Tom is more than capable of training that type of horse,” Sackville said. “Let's not forget the best horse he's ever had was Brown Panther. We definitely have had the idea to buy more later-maturing horses and Tom is very good with that kind of horse.”

Next on the agenda for Frozen Angel and Dragons Tail will be Royal Ascot, and Sackville noted the Royal meeting is also the target for the Dascombe-trained Formidable Kitt (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who races as a homebred for Andrew Black's Chasemore Farm. Formidable Kitt is a daughter of Black's 2012 G2 Queen Mary S. winner Ceiling Kitty (GB) (Red Clubs {Ire}) and broke her maiden at first asking at Newmarket on Apr. 19.

“She's won her only start at Newmarket and has a Timeform of 87p, which puts her in the top five fillies,” Sackville said. The agent also nominated Rock Of Estonia (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) as a 2-year-old to watch for Royal Ascot. The colt was a 90,000gns yearling purchase by Sackville's business partner, Alastair Donald, and has won both starts to date for trainer Charlie Hills.

As for the team at Manor House, they will be hoping their formula that has led to early season success will continue to reap rewards throughout the year.

“Tom had his best year last year and we want to try and do well on the back of that,” Sackville said. “We have more numbers so we're hoping for the best.”