Nick Mitchell enjoyed his finest day in racing on Saturday, winning the biggest jumps races in both Britain and Ireland. Yesterday, however, he admitted he might have to give up training unless such success attracts new owners to his rural Dorset yard.
Victories for The Listener, at Down Royal, and Ellerslie George at Wincanton gave Mitchell “a surreal day”. Having delayed his celebrations through exhaustion, he took time out to ponder his future with a licence he took out only 15 months ago.
“I've only got eight horses and I'm starting to question it all,” he admitted. “You need bums on seats to pay the bills and if I don't get more horses within a year I'll have to consider whether I can continue.
“Days like yesterday don't come around very often but we can only keep doing similar things and hope it has some effect. I'd certainly be disappointed if I don't get a call or two after this.”
Ellerslie George is to be given a winter break with a view to bidding for long-distance handicaps in the spring. The Listener, meanwhile, will continue his unique role as a British-based chaser campaigned almost exclusively in Ireland, where he has now won four grade ones.
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“His programme is purely down to ground conditions,” Mitchell explained. “The big tracks over here seldom produce the heavy going he loves. We did think about a more domestic campaign last year but I know he'd end up getting trounced by Kauto Star on decent ground.”
The Listener's next target is the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown next month, when the opposition will include a stablemate of Kauto Star. Herecomesthetruth, who mastered Forpadydeplasterer at Down Royal, will be dispatched back to Ireland by Paul Nicholls.
A typically productive Saturday for the champion trainer included the impressive return of Celestial Halo. The Boylesports International Hurdle at Cheltenham, his next target, will now be a first race this season for Binocular after Nicky Henderson ruled him out of a potential prep run at Punchestown next Sunday.
“We've decided he won't go to Ireland,” Henderson said yesterday. “He's very nearly ready but I don't want him to have a hard race in very soft ground, so we'll now wait for Cheltenham.”
The stand-out performance in Ireland yesterday came from Big Zeb, generally shortened to 8-1 for the Champion Chase after a facile win in the Fortria Chase at Navan.