From Larkhill to the Leger

While many fans of point-to-pointing will tune in to watch tomorrow’s St Leger (3.40), the final Classic of the British turf season, one follower of the sport will be heading to Doncaster with added purpose.

Carl Evans, a journalist who has been writing about the amateur sport for some 40 years and is a regular contributor to this website, is in a syndicate that owns big-race hopeful Furthur (pictured above under Oisin Murphy). Trained by Andrew Balding, the colt is a general 12/1 shot and the best hope of a British success against a strong contingent from Ireland.

Evans, who with partner Louise is a member of the ten-strong Merry Pranksters syndicate, says: “Earlier this year it would have been bonkers to think we might have a runner on the St Leger card, let alone in the big race, yet here we are, the epitome of a small group of people, some first-time owners, taking a shot at Britain’s oldest Classic. I’ve written about many wonderful successes for ‘little people’ down the years, and never imagined I would find myself in their position. It would have been lovely had it come with a good hunter chaser, but I’ll take this.”

He says his first taste of racing came as a small boy when taken to Larkhill by his parents, adding: “They had no idea about racing, and I remember being frustrated that we had to sit on a picnic blanket near the final bend, when I wanted to go and see the action in the paddock.”

Fast forward, and after owning numerous horses down the years, including bits and pieces of various point-to-pointers, and having made a career of writing about racing at all levels, he finds himself owning a very small part of a very good horse. He says: “I reported on sales at Tattersalls in Newmarket for many years, and made friends with the marketing manager, now director, Jason Singh. He pressed us to join a syndicate with the aim of buying an affordable yearling with a middle-distance pedigree, putting it into training with Andrew Balding and then selling it at the end of its three-year-old season. Jason is originally from Australia, and it was his ambition to sell such a horse to that country as a Melbourne Cup contender. It was a stupid idea that I dismissed as very unlikely, but we signed up.

“Four years ago we bought a yearling that won a race at Brighton and we sold to break even. The next yearling was given away without reaching the track, the third was sold at a loss, and just as we were thinking it might be time to pull out, we dipped in for one more go with Furthur.”

The colt is named after a bus which toured America in the 1960s with a group of hippies known as The Merry Pranksters – it’s a long story. A very tall, good-looking son of Arc winner Waldgeist, Furthur did well to finish second in a race at two, then opened this season with a Newbury maiden victory. Evans says: “He went on and gave us a memorable day at Royal Ascot when second in the Queens Vase as a 20/1 outsider and more recently won a Gr.3 race at Newbury. That track, a galloping course with a long home straight, suits him, and I’m expecting Doncaster to be no different.

“He’s a big horse, who was always like to improve through this year, and while on form the best we can hope for is fourth or fifth place, I wouldn’t be surprised if he sneaks one or two places higher. His trainer has given us the thumbs-up about his wellbeing – I wouldn’t put anyone off backing him each-way, albeit with seven runners some bookies are paying out on the first two, others on first three.

“Horses give people so much pleasure, whether they win their members’ race at a point-to-point or run well in a decent race on the Flat. My nerves are at the point of breaking, but it’s been a great ride.”