Strike target- 50 winners this season for Pulborough trainer

AIMING to win some Group races again this year is Pulborough trainer Amanda Perrett, who has some exceptional three-year-olds for the coming Flat season, as well as a crop of potentially decent juveniles.

Amanda took over the training licence in November, 1996, at Coombelands Stables when her father, Guy Harwood, retired.

Her husband, Mark, is very much a major part of the training operation, having worked at Coombelands since he was 17, riding work on all the well-known Harwood group winners.

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He also rode more than 900 winners as a successful National Hunt Jockey, while Amanda won 90 races on the Flat as an amateur rider.

She said: "We lacked quality with our three-year-olds last year. We had 34 winners and 107 placed runners, less than we would have liked, but the two-year- olds ran well in their maidens and we have some really nice types to run this year, which ought to win some decent races.

"I'd like to achieve 50 winners this season and a strike rate of approaching 20 per cent. I'm also aiming to lift some Group races again and have a year like we did when we won the Tote Ebor, the Chester Cup and Tote International Handicap in one season."

There are also some useful older horses in the yard, such as Tungsten Strike, Bandama, John Terry, Camps Bay and Night Crescendo '“ and five of last year's three-year-olds have been retained as four-year-olds.

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Amanda will have 70 horses for the coming season, including 26 juveniles. "It's a nice number, where we can know them all as individuals. The most essential thing for me is to keep my horses healthy and happy, and all my owners are important to me," she said.

The horses are all housed in five modern American barns '“ each with their own experienced manager '“ and set amidst some of the finest training facilitiies, with four all-weather gallops, five turf gallops, an indoor canterway and an equine swimming pool, all set within a stunning 150 acres.

There is even a banked turf American bend for educating horses that might race abroad, as well as teaching youngsters to turn at speed for European tracks.

Tungsten Strike, now eight, is an old favourite at Coombelands, having won some outstanding races in his career.

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Owned by John Connelly, he has victories which include the Windflower March Stakes, Listed race, at Goodwood in 2007 and 2008, Ascot Woodcote Stud Sagaro Stakes Group 3 race in 2007, and The Henry II Group II Stakes at Sandown in 2006.

In the Goodwood Cup last year, he was beaten into second place by top Irish horse Yeats.

"We have to look after his front fetlocks and he goes swimming occasionally for exercise, which doesn't put strain on them. He has a similar plan mapped out for this year, taking in the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot, where he was second last year, and he might miss Royal Ascot and go straight to the Goodwood Cup," said Amanda.

Last week, he had a thorough vet inspection '“ Rob van Pelt is the in-house vet from Arundel Equine Hospital '“ and Tungsten Strike enjoyed a swimming session before a short canter as part of his careful preparation for the season.

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The juveniles were being educated with a spin on the all-weather gallops, with Amanda noting instant feedback from the riders.

They were led in single file by a three-year-old and will soon be on turf gallops as ground dries out, progressing to two abreast, and later to gallops which have room for three abreast, preparing them further for racing.

Among three-year-olds showing particular potential for the coming season are Classic Vintage, bred by Gallagher Stud (owned by a partnership of R & P Scott, A &J Powell, Gallagaher Stud), Coiled Spring, Count of Tuscany, Sampi and Truism (all owned by Khalid Abdulla), Tudor Key (owned by the Coombelands Racing Syndicate) and Wilfred Pickles (owned jointly by Valda Burke and Amanda).

There is also a Coombelands Racing Group, which offers the chance to own shares in horses, making racing more affordable. Three 10 per cent shares are currently still available at 2,500 plus VAT in a two-year-old Medician colt out of Valiantly. A quarter share can still be bought in juvenile filly Roxy Flyer, by Rock of Gibraltar out of Dyna Flyer, for 10,000 plus VAT.

Amanda can be contacted on (01798) 873011 or by email at [email protected]

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