Tim Vaughan happy with Architrave juvenile behaviour
If numbers do not lie, then Tim Vaughan is a trainer to follow.
In just his sixth season, Vaughan has already saddled 64 winners this season, well ahead of last term’s total of 88 and still out in front of what any of his rivals, like current champion Paul Nicholls, have managed thus far.
However, Vaughan is in fifth place in the trainers’ table. While that is an impressive position for a man with the ink still barely dry on his licence it also proves that, while all winners count, the big ones count for more. Unlike the jockeys’ title – the Flat version of which has been boiling away nicely as Richard Hughes and Paul Hanagan chase around the country for any horse with a chance of winning a race – the trainers’ version is decided on prize money.
Architrave has done his bit for the cause, with three wins in as many starts for Vaughan, which have come at Stratford, Fontwell and Market Rasen. But now Vaughan has his sights set on the big league and the Grade Two JCB Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham on November 13th. “Architrave is definitely heading to the Cheltenham - that has been the target since his win at Market Rasen and it remains the plan of attack,” Vaughan said. “He’s done everything right, has improved with every run and is a highly-progressive type.
“We went steady on him after the Market Rasen race with this in mind, and we have upped the work again over the last 10 days. At the moment he’s doing everything right and, God willing, he keeps progressing.”
Juvenile hurdlers can often be a shot in the dark. Many who come off the Flat with good form simply fail to take to jumping whiles others such as Katchit – the winner of the 2007 Triumph Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle 12 months later – improve by stones when they switch to hurdling.
“He’s been very natural over hurdles since the first day we started schooling him,” Vaughan said of a horse who had failed to win in seven starts on the Flat when trained by Sir Mark Prescott. “He was obviously useful on the Flat, rated in the low 70s, but he seems to have thrown that away and I’d like to think that hurdling is more his strength.”
Architrave’s turf starts have all come on good and good to firm going but Vaughan has no fears should rain arrive before Cheltenham’s Open meeting and believes the three-year-old will relish Cheltenham’s unique test. “I think he’s the type of horse that will relish the hill at Cheltenham. He appears to have plenty of stamina so that should hopefully play into his hands. There’s loads of stamina in the pedigree and when he first came here I was thinking he’d probably end up wanting two-and-a-half or three miles next year.
“His sire, Hernando, won on soft, so I don’t think he would be inconvenienced by cut in the ground. I can’t categorically confirm that he will handle softer ground but he gives no impression that he wouldn’t and I actually think a bit of cut in the ground will be beneficial for him because it will place more emphasis on stamina.
“With these juveniles, they just have to jump and stay, so I’m hoping the race experience he now has, combined with that stamina, will play into our favour. He should be able to run a big race.
“From where I’m sitting, looking at what else has been out this season, he appears to be in the higher level of juvenile hurdlers, so hopefully he continues to progress and handles the winter ground.”
And hopefully be there more than to simply make up the numbers.
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