After a really good start to the jumping season, Barbury Castle trainer Alan King has found there’s a problem with his horses and from January 1 will “shut up shop and not have a runner for a week or so.”
Although he had a success at Warwick on New Year’s Eve (albeit a frustrating dead heat) and Kumeshwar came third in a £50,000 Chase at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, Alan King’s has been suffering a losing run.
“Some horses have had inflammation in their lungs and we must get to the bottom of the problem…It’s a shame as we had made our best start to a season, and the horses were in terrific form in October and November, but a few alarm bells started to ring during Hennessy week [Newbury, November 30].”
Last year King had 119 horses in training at his Barbury Castle Stables and in April Godsmejudge won the Scottish Grand National at Ayr – giving King his first victory in this prestigious race.
St John’s, Marlborough, named one of the top 20 state schools in the country in Tatler schools guide
