Man of many parts ready to Rock On

Suffolk trainer Rob Cundy will be happy if rain stays away until Rock On Rocco has run in Southwell’s hunters’ chase (2.25) on Monday.

The nine-year-old – who joined Cundy in August from Tom George’s stable – has shown an aptitude for quick ground, as he proved when winning at Higham last month under Alex Chadwick, although the prevailing dry weather and abandonment of Ampton means the Cundy-trained Josh The Plod will be staying at home this weekend.

Cundy (pictured above), who is based at Semer near Ipswich in Suffolk, trains at a yard owned by James and Heather Buckle. Nine years ago their son Charlie decided to take up point-to-pointing as a hobby, and Cundy was given the job of training the horses.

A man of many parts, he says: “I train five pointers, including Rock On Rocco who is the first syndicate horse in the yard, I work on the [Buckles’] farm and help out at the Essex & Suffolk Hunt. There are also a number of hunters on the yard. We have a four-and-a-half furlong uphill grass gallop at home, we use the Links [in Newmarket] occasionally and there’s an all-weather gallop nearby.

Rock On Rocco at the Waveney Harriers in February  **Graham Bishop

“I first became involved in the sport when going to work for George Cooper [an owner/rider and legend of East Anglian pointing], just after he had retired his best horse, Carl’s Choice. Weight was a problem for me, but I rode a couple of winners. Later I came to work for James and Heather on their farm, but after their son Charlie decided to ride in point-to-points we started with one horse and built it up from there.”

Charlie, whose career in hospitality involves running pubs and a brewery – using malting barley grown on his family’s farm – has gone on to ride 11 winners, of which ten were under Cundy’s wing. The most recent came at Revesby Park on Castle Trump, a horse who gave his rider some grief when they first teamed up in races, but who has been transformed into a star for the yard with six wins. Castle Trump was no match for Law Of Gold when stepping into open company for the first time at Garthorpe on Sunday, but he ran well enough to suggest he can score at that level before long.

Cundy says: “Heather bought the horse in Ireland. We had a lot of niggles with him at first and couldn’t get him right, and then he cracked his pedal bone and had a year off. It did him the world of good. He came back a better horse and after some schooling under Alex Chadwick he won his maiden and a restricted and he’s gone on from there.

“Charlie rode him at Cheltenham last year in the Intermediate Final which was a good day out, and he travelled lovely but didn’t get up the hill. He ran well at Garthorpe, but probably needs a bit more cut in the ground. We’re a bit torn, because Rock On Rocco and Charlie’s other good horse, Josh The Plod, like it firm – we’ll be targeting some South-East races with Josh in the spring.”

Cundy leads up Charlie Buckle on Myplaceatmidnight at Garthorpe last Sunday  **Carl Evans