Expanding yard has best-ever tally well within sights
| Published date | 02 March 2022 |
| Publication title | Weekender |
"We started with 50-odd this season, but as several get sold and move on we're down to around 36 at the moment.
"It has been a good season so far. We have 29 winners on the board already, which is better than last season, and are only
seven shy of our best-ever campaign. With some lovely horses still to run I think we can challenge that personal best."
Honeyball is confident he can fill extra boxes with plenty of interest for orders, and with his team consistently among the winners that is hardly a surprise.
Last season the Dorset handler sent Sully D'Oc AA to the Punchestown festival to win a €50,000 handicap chase.
"That was a great thrill, despite there not being any crowds," Honeyball says. "It was quite a feather in our caps to do that in
Mullins' and Elliott's backyard, and especially so for JP McManus. Unfortunately, Sully D'Oc AA is out for the season but hopefully will be back next year."
The master of Potwell Farm is not a believer that Cheltenham is the be-all and end-all. "Of course, having a winner there is wonderful but there are so many other good races in the programme dotted all over the place. We have some lovely horses going into the spring with Aintree particularly in our sights, but we have plans the length and breadth of Britain in the coming weeks."
Acey Milan 8 b g Milan - Strong Wishes His handicap mark, like his form, had been on a downward spiral since his last win 18 months ago, but his recent effort at Wincanton gave me something to smile about as he ran much better. He was runner-up to the in-form Imphal, which was much more like it. Unfortunately he had a small setback after that, but he'll be okay. His big challenge this season is the Challenger Series Final at Haydock in mid-April, which has a £60,000 pot. It's good to see him on the way back, and if he can get back to his old form he's on a very decent handicap mark.
Belle De Manech 6 gr m Vision D'Etat - Noor Forever She got off to a winning start over fences at Wincanton and ran well when second in a mares' novice handicap chase at Bangor last month. I then ran her 24 hours later at Uttoxeter in a £25k mares' race, which she was below form in but still picked up some good prizemoney. I'm looking to either the mares' novice handicap at Cheltenham in April or possibly the Challengers Series Final at Haydock for mares. There's a qualifier for the series at Bangor this month that she'll go for and I'd be looking for a
big run. Coquelicot 6 bb m Soldier Of Fortune - Moscow Nights She has a much better attitude to jumping this term and won at Chepstow over 2m7½f before running second last time at Hereford, where I was disappointed with how easily Bellatrixsa brushed her aside. She's still a novice until the end of the season and I'll be looking for a little race where she can defy a penalty. I hope she's better than she showed last time as I get the impression at home that she has more to offer.
Credo 7 b m Fame And Glory - Tasmani I really like this mare who is relatively lightly raced and is coming along nicely. She won her bumper last season and did well to open her hurdling account last month at Exeter. She had disappointed...
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