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ROA FORUM
MAGICAL MOMENTS
TERRY FISHER
with ROA member Malcolm Hooker
Malcolm and Jackie Hooker with the brothers Buckhorn Timothy (left, with Danni Jones) and Buckhorn Tom (with Leia Crocker)
E
xeter’s January 19 meeting was one of those unremarkable cards that just happened to serve up a remarkable feat: full-brothers winning within a couple of hours of each other. Step forward Buckhorn Tom and Buckhorn Timothy, owned and bred by Malcolm Hooker, who lives with his wife Jackie at Tom Thumb Farm in Buckhorn Weston, Dorset. You can join those dots yourself. Aged 73, Hooker had to delve into the memory banks to explain his background in racing and how he came to be having so much fun with the siblings, who he shares with his wife and other close friends. “I was good friends with the famous tipster Bob Butchers, the original Newsboy on the Daily Mirror,” explains Hooker. “He was well into cricket as well as racing, as was my granddad, who survived World War I. He was a gardener and a lovely old boy, and we used to talk about racing. My interest in horses came through him. “I had a law practice in Fleet – we moved here in 2002 after retiring – and ran cricket teams and clubs. Bob became the chairman of a club and I was captaining a team. We went racing during the winter, and then when my wife and I got together in the eighties – she was an event rider – we became interested in breeding a horse. “She was a friend of Peter Hedger and we
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“They are both quite
young horses in National Hunt terms and hopefully can win again” ended up buying a horse called Smart In Sable, who is actually the grand-dam of Buckhorn Tom and Timothy. We bred Waimea Bay out of Smart In Sable, and she’s still with us here and now in foal to Geordieland. “We sent her to Tamure to produce Buckhorn Tom and Timothy and they’ve both done really well, with the promise of more to come. Colin Tizzard, who’s not far away, trains them, and we have a brilliant relationship with him. “They come here when they’re not in training, and my wife, who is now doing dressage, does roadwork with them. She prefers to ride Tom, while Chloe, a girl who helps us out, likes Timothy, so that works well!” Buckhorn Tom, the elder at seven, has won twice and been placed eight times from 20 starts at the time of writing, while six-year-old Buckhorn Timothy has likewise won a couple,
and been placed five times, from 13 runs. Tom is already chasing, and having finished a fine third in this season’s Devon Marathon he is seen as a regional National horse for next season, with perhaps the Welsh and Scottish Nationals as ambitions, while there is an outside chance Timothy might qualify for the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham this month. Again, though, it is chasing next season that is seen as his forte. Hopefully, then, there are magical moments ahead for the owners, although they already have that marvellous day at Exeter in the bag. “I’ve played a lot of cricket but to have two horses you bred and own win the same day, that really was just an unbelievable feeling,” recounts Hooker. “That is the highlight so far, but they are both quite young horses in National Hunt terms and hopefully both can win again. “They’re both very genuine and we’ve been so lucky. The fun all the owners get out of them is the best part. It’s exciting and we all enjoy it so much.” Ludlow, Taunton and Exeter were all praised by Hooker for their facilities for owners, and improvements made, while Ascot got a verdict of “breathtakingly good”. He admits however he is “not a great lover of crowds”. Claustrophobic or not, if his Buckhorn brothers keep progressing he might have to get used to them! THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER