When is a stayer, not a stayer? When he comes out of the boxes like this!
Headford Ranger completed an unbeaten run through the RPGTV Steel City Cup with another stunning trap to line victory. And no one was more surprise than trainer Kevin Hutton who expected his star to be contesting staying opens at this stage of his career.
He said: “I have no idea what has happened. He has looked like a potential stayer for a long time now and his run in the Juvenile did nothing to suggest otherwise. But he has been a revelation at Sheffield.
“I really don’t know what to put it down to, other than he is absolutely full of confidence and loving his racing. He really is a dog that would happily go racing every day.”
Ranger will be one of ‘a handful’ of Hutton open racers who now seem destined to spend a few weeks on their beds.
Kevin is hoping that the majority of the kennel can be accommodated at Monmore, but accepts that a few will ungradeable. He is putting his entire kennel at the disposal of the Monmore racing office.
He said: “Normally open race commitments mean that we don’t race at Monmore more than twice a week and have no more than about 15-18 runners. But the rest of the kennel will now be going there, and hopefully, if the track run the invitation races, there should be races for the majority. I have to accept that there are a few who will be nearly impossible to grade. But we will just get on with it.”
With so many visits now scheduled for Monmore, Team Hutton at least have the consolation of a ‘Coronavirus reduction’ in the potential three hour journey time from Carterton to Wolverhampton.
HEADFORD RANGER RPGTV Steel City Cup winner Photo: © Steve Nash
