Mar_139_ROA_Forum_Owner 19/02/2016 10:53 Page 82
ROA FORUM
MAGICAL MOMENTS with ROA member Heather Snook
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f there is such a thing as a British banker at this month’s Willie Mullins-dominated Cheltenham Festival, Thistlecrack has to be it. Kept over hurdles this season, with connections believing the World Hurdle looked wide open, the eight-year-old has gone from strength to strength and polished off his Festival preparations with a commanding success at the course on trials day in the Cleeve Hurdle. His proud owners are John and Heather Snook, who found time to communicate with the magazine amid TB-testing cattle at their farm near Yeovil. “It’s the bane of our lives, not fun – but that’s why we go racing, for a change of scenery,” says Heather Snook. There is no better scenery for jumping enthusiasts than the Cheltenham Festival, and through Thistlecrack the Snooks head into the meeting with understandable excitement. It has been a slow burn, however, the Snooks having been involved in ownership throughout this century. Detailing their journey, Heather Snook says: “We farm in south Somerset but have always gone National Hunt racing at local tracks as well as Cheltenham. “I come from a hunting, point-to-point family, and John has always raced. It seemed like a good idea to go into ownership after the foot and mouth crisis had shut us down for most of the year and John joined cattle auctioneers Terry Hamlin and Martin Dare in a syndicate with three horses. “They had a very good pointing mare, What A Mover, with Ollie Cann, and Manawanui was trained by Robert Alner. They had a lot of success with Mister Quasimodo, trained by Colin Tizzard, and by then we’d gone into ownership on our own. The syndicate has been together 15 years and is still going strong.” She continues: “John has bought and sold cattle at auctions all his life, so he especially enjoys the atmosphere of the horse sales ring. We usually try to buy our own horses at the Doncaster Spring Sale or the Irish Derby Sale, choosing sires we like and family lines that appeal, often from old, proven NH families. “Supreme Leader was a favourite sire and we’ve followed Kayf Tara horses for years. We’ve attended the Derby Sale for 11 years, along with Colin and Pauline Tizzard, where a number of horses have been bought – not all winners! It’s a great social event, too. “We are really old fashioned in our approach. Horses are given a complete education when
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Thistlecrack scored a decisive victory in the Cleeve Hurdle (top) for owners Heather and John Snook, pictured with Colin Tizzard (left) and Tom Scudamore after his earlier success in the Grade 1 JLT Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot
young and most go on to have a good career in other spheres after racing, especially if they don’t make the grade as racehorses.” The classy Flight Leader gave the Snooks their first taste of success, the quirky Russian Song scored at Newbury, while Classic Clover got them off the mark at local track Wincanton. He won four of his six races there and was placed more than 20 times in 60-plus contests. “You don’t get a better horse than that,” affirms Heather Snook. She continues: “We bought Thistlecrack’s full-brother at the Derby Store Sales in 2008. He was very impressive, so we went back to buy Thistlecrack at the November Foal Sale, but were outbid. A year later the elder brother broke a leg on the gallops, which made us more determined to buy Thistlecrack when he came
to the August Sales in 2011. John managed to buy him, and my brother Nigel and his son, amateur jockey Michael Legg, broke him in. “He took a long time to mature into the horse he is today and spent quite a bit of time doing basic flat work and showjumping with Renee Nichols near Beaminster. When he was finally ready Michael rode him to win a bumper in a very fast time, then his first hurdle race, both at Wincanton. “He does his pre-training with Fiona Shaw at her Dorchester farm and goes back to Colin’s yard hard and strong enough for his successful training regime. “We decided to stay hurdling this season because he came out top of the novice staying hurdlers last season and the World Hurdle route looked tempting. He has a relentlessly
THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER