Master Minded
Encyclopedia
Master Minded is a French
bred National Hunt
racehorse presently trained in Great Britain by Paul Nicholls
.
from 4 October 2006 as a three year old to 27 May 2007. He had 3 wins, a fourth, pulling up once, two falls and possible his best run when he finished runner-up in the 2007 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure
. Prior to this run he had shown plenty of class and Clive Smith (owner of Kauto Star) was impressed with what he had seen and had bought him and Ruby Walsh
had his first ride on the horse in that race.
to begin chasing. He was not a novice following his win in France so was thrown in at the deep end against seasoned campaigners. Nicholls found an easy opening for him at Exeter Racecourse in a 4 runner graduation Chase where Sam Thomas took the ride. He inexplicably made a serious error and unseated Sam Thomas.
Not perturbed Nicholls took him up a class to run at Sandown on 5 January 2008 in the Free £25 Bet partybets.com Handicap Chase at Sandown. He took on some real seasoned campaigners in this and taught them a lesson. After the race he was now starting to be taken seriously as a Cheltenham Festival
horse and was surprisingly for such an inexperienced horse made 8-1 favourite for the RyanAir Chase and 25-1 for the Champion Chase.
He stepped up another step in his next run the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury (9 February 2008) which is a very important stepping stone to the Queen Mother Champion Chase
where he beat a top class field including the defending champion Voy Por Ustedes. Now this recruit was starting to be taken seriously as a challenger for serious honours.
On 13 March 2008 as a five-year-old he became the youngest horse to win the prestigious Queen Mother Champion Chase
at the Cheltenham Festival
since the race was established in 1959. Ridden by Ruby Walsh
, Master Minded comfortably defeated the previous year's winner, Voy Por Ustedes
, by a margin of 19 lengths
. This was an astonishing performance as he crushed his opposition in a style not seen before by most seasoned watchers. John Francome
said that on that form he could have won any race in the Festival which was the highest compliment possible from the former Champion Jockey and described the horse as "Scary". Strangely his trainer in his early years Macaire had also previously trained both Runner Up Voy Por Ustedes
and another of the 2008 Champion Chase runners, Twist Magic (sixth).
He was now highest rated Chaser in the world and had one more run at Aintree. He was beaten by Voy Por Ustedes at Aintree. The Racing Post describes this race for Master Minded like this "As much as Voy Por Ustedes relished the rapidly drying conditions, Master Minded intermittently looked uneasy, certainly not jumping or travelling with the zest he showed at Cheltenham. That might be as much to do with a change of tactics. He set off last and was put immediately on the back foot off the fast pace by getting in close to the first, possibly frightening himself, as he was careful over the second. He telegraphed his second-last boneshaker first time and was again ragged over the same set of fences down the back straight. He still moved up strongly around the home bend and there was everything to play for before it simply looked like he ran out of stamina, which is what connections reported. He was 12 lengths down halfway up the run-in before being eased to accentuate his beating. He remains the one to beat over 2m. It could also turn out that like another top 2m chaser from France, Edredon Bleu, he is happiest bowling along and putting his rivals under pressure. A return to those tactics could restore his air of invincibility."
He finished the 2007/2008 jumps season as the Highest Rated Chaser in the World. A remarkable rise to the top and leaving him with a lot to live up to in the next season.
. He was ridden by A P McCoy
as Ruby Walsh was injured having had his spleen removed following a fall a fortnight prior. McCoy was massively impressed with the machine he was riding and just was amazed by the horse.
His next run was another easy victory in the Victor Chandler chase at Ascot
where Ruby Walsh was back on board. He said that "this horse is not a machine - he is an aeroplane" and Nicholls has come out and said it is the best he had ever trained which is high praise indeed.
With jockey Ruby Walsh at the helm, Master Minded won the 2009 Queen Mother Champion Chase. The win marked consecutive victories for him in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, which he also won in 2008.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
bred National Hunt
National Hunt racing
National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...
racehorse presently trained in Great Britain by Paul Nicholls
Paul Nicholls (horse racing)
Paul Nicholls is a British National Hunt horse trainer with stables at Ditcheat, Somerset. A relatively successful jump jockey, Nicholls has become the leading National Hunt trainer of his generation, finishing the 2007-2008 season with 155 winners and a record £4 million in prize money...
.
Early Days in France
He started his National Hunt career in France. He was initially trained by Guillaume Macaire and owned by Mme Benoit Gabeur. He started his career with 8 runs at AuteuilAuteuil Hippodrome
The Auteuil Hippodrome is a horse racing venue on Route des Lacs in Paris, France. The 33-hectare race course opened November 1, 1873...
from 4 October 2006 as a three year old to 27 May 2007. He had 3 wins, a fourth, pulling up once, two falls and possible his best run when he finished runner-up in the 2007 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure
Prix Ferdinand Dufaure
The Prix Ferdinand Dufaure is a Group 1 steeplechase in France which is open to four-year-old horses. It is run at Auteuil over a distance of 4,100 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late May....
. Prior to this run he had shown plenty of class and Clive Smith (owner of Kauto Star) was impressed with what he had seen and had bought him and Ruby Walsh
Ruby Walsh
Ruby Walsh is the reigning Irish National Hunt champion jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen.-Success:...
had his first ride on the horse in that race.
2007 - 2008 Season
In 2007 he joined the powerful Ditcheat stable of Paul NichollsPaul Nicholls (horse racing)
Paul Nicholls is a British National Hunt horse trainer with stables at Ditcheat, Somerset. A relatively successful jump jockey, Nicholls has become the leading National Hunt trainer of his generation, finishing the 2007-2008 season with 155 winners and a record £4 million in prize money...
to begin chasing. He was not a novice following his win in France so was thrown in at the deep end against seasoned campaigners. Nicholls found an easy opening for him at Exeter Racecourse in a 4 runner graduation Chase where Sam Thomas took the ride. He inexplicably made a serious error and unseated Sam Thomas.
Not perturbed Nicholls took him up a class to run at Sandown on 5 January 2008 in the Free £25 Bet partybets.com Handicap Chase at Sandown. He took on some real seasoned campaigners in this and taught them a lesson. After the race he was now starting to be taken seriously as a Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
horse and was surprisingly for such an inexperienced horse made 8-1 favourite for the RyanAir Chase and 25-1 for the Champion Chase.
He stepped up another step in his next run the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury (9 February 2008) which is a very important stepping stone to the Queen Mother Champion Chase
Queen Mother Champion Chase
The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles , and during its running there are twelve fences to be jumped...
where he beat a top class field including the defending champion Voy Por Ustedes. Now this recruit was starting to be taken seriously as a challenger for serious honours.
On 13 March 2008 as a five-year-old he became the youngest horse to win the prestigious Queen Mother Champion Chase
Queen Mother Champion Chase
The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles , and during its running there are twelve fences to be jumped...
at the Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
since the race was established in 1959. Ridden by Ruby Walsh
Ruby Walsh
Ruby Walsh is the reigning Irish National Hunt champion jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen.-Success:...
, Master Minded comfortably defeated the previous year's winner, Voy Por Ustedes
Voy Por Ustedes
Voy Por Ustedes is a French-bred chaser owned by Sir Robert Ogden and trained by Nicky Henderson. He was originally trained by Guillaume Macaire in France and was subsequently sold to the Million in Mind Partnership in December 2004...
, by a margin of 19 lengths
Length (horse racing)
A horse length, or simply length, is a unit of measurement that refers to the length of a horse from nose to tail, approximately 8 feet, It is commonly used in Thoroughbred horse racing, where it describes the distance between horses in a race...
. This was an astonishing performance as he crushed his opposition in a style not seen before by most seasoned watchers. John Francome
John Francome
John Francome MBE is a former National Hunt Champion Jockey.Born in Swindon the son of a railway fireman, his family had no connection with the horse racing world. At sixteen years old he became apprentice to Lambourn trainer Fred Winter and so began his career as a jockey. He rode a total of...
said that on that form he could have won any race in the Festival which was the highest compliment possible from the former Champion Jockey and described the horse as "Scary". Strangely his trainer in his early years Macaire had also previously trained both Runner Up Voy Por Ustedes
Voy Por Ustedes
Voy Por Ustedes is a French-bred chaser owned by Sir Robert Ogden and trained by Nicky Henderson. He was originally trained by Guillaume Macaire in France and was subsequently sold to the Million in Mind Partnership in December 2004...
and another of the 2008 Champion Chase runners, Twist Magic (sixth).
He was now highest rated Chaser in the world and had one more run at Aintree. He was beaten by Voy Por Ustedes at Aintree. The Racing Post describes this race for Master Minded like this "As much as Voy Por Ustedes relished the rapidly drying conditions, Master Minded intermittently looked uneasy, certainly not jumping or travelling with the zest he showed at Cheltenham. That might be as much to do with a change of tactics. He set off last and was put immediately on the back foot off the fast pace by getting in close to the first, possibly frightening himself, as he was careful over the second. He telegraphed his second-last boneshaker first time and was again ragged over the same set of fences down the back straight. He still moved up strongly around the home bend and there was everything to play for before it simply looked like he ran out of stamina, which is what connections reported. He was 12 lengths down halfway up the run-in before being eased to accentuate his beating. He remains the one to beat over 2m. It could also turn out that like another top 2m chaser from France, Edredon Bleu, he is happiest bowling along and putting his rivals under pressure. A return to those tactics could restore his air of invincibility."
He finished the 2007/2008 jumps season as the Highest Rated Chaser in the World. A remarkable rise to the top and leaving him with a lot to live up to in the next season.
2008 - 2009 Season
Master Minded started the season with an effortless victory in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown ParkSandown Park
Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse racing during afternoons, evenings and on weekends, and also hosts many non racing events such as trade...
. He was ridden by A P McCoy
Tony McCoy
Anthony Peter McCoy OBE , commonly known as A. P. McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a Northern Irish horse racing jockey....
as Ruby Walsh was injured having had his spleen removed following a fall a fortnight prior. McCoy was massively impressed with the machine he was riding and just was amazed by the horse.
His next run was another easy victory in the Victor Chandler chase at Ascot
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races...
where Ruby Walsh was back on board. He said that "this horse is not a machine - he is an aeroplane" and Nicholls has come out and said it is the best he had ever trained which is high praise indeed.
With jockey Ruby Walsh at the helm, Master Minded won the 2009 Queen Mother Champion Chase. The win marked consecutive victories for him in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, which he also won in 2008.
2009 - 2010 Season
Master Minded was beaten by Big Zeb, an Irish horse, owned by Patrick Joseph Redmond, on the 17th March 2010, in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.See also
- Independent article - "Master's supremacy steals the show"
- pedigreequery.com - Master Minded's pedigree
- racingpost.com - Master Minded's race record
- Telegraph.co.uk - Master Minded is the best horse I've ever trained says trainer Paul Nicholls