Dascombe delivers with Sportsman's success

Lambourn-based Tom Dascombe today registered his most notable success since leaving Michael Owen's Manor House Stables in March, as the trainer's Felix Natalis landed Naas' featured €100,000 Goffs Sportsman's Challenge.

Irish St Leger-winning trainer Dascombe parted ways with ex-footballer Owen and his business partner Andrew Black last December, moving from their Cheshire yard in March, and today registered a seventh winner this season with Felix Natalis (6/1 — 7/2), which made all to beat Miami Girl by two lengths.

Dascombe, in the UK, said “It’s been an unbelievable journey this last 10 months and I’ve been lucky enough to have some really, really good people stick with me.

“This horse left me on December 12 because the owners didn’t want him to be trained by someone they hadn’t chosen and he came back to me on April 1 because by then I’d got a yard.

“That little boy, Felix Natalis — what a superstar. He’s never let me down, he’s learned on the job, he’s run good race after good race and today he smashed it.

“I’m so pleased for everybody concerned because we’ve all gone through the same journey and it’s immense for us to have a good quality horse who was inexpensive (€20,000) in the grand scheme of things because that’s where I started and that’s where I’m back to.

“We probably ought to sell him now, but I won’t! We’ve got no plans, this was the long-term project. I thought he’d be gelded by now and going to the sales, but we’ll have to rethink that won’t we?”

Winning jockey Heffernan, competing a double, added “I spoke to Tom (Dascombe) and the owners this morning - the horse has plenty of experience and is very genuine.

“Tom was confident he'd get money and said to keep it uncomplicated. He said to lie up his neck, from three (furlongs) down go forward, and from a furlong down apply full pressure.

“We got all the money! It's a nice sponsorship and we had some nice two-year-olds turning up.”

“He's been creeping up and winning and hopefully he'll progress into a group horse.

“He's the first of the Harry Angels, out of a Dubawi mare. He's a two-year-old type, he's handy, muscular, clear winded and ready to run.”

Quotes from Gary Carson