Experience the excitement of racehorse ownership with our Cheltenham & South West Syndicate with three excellent Jump horses, including Docpickedme. Membership includes a range of benefits including a complimentary two-year membership to Cheltenham, Exeter, Warwick, and Wincanton Racecourses.
- Trainer: Harry Whittington
- Age: 4y/o
- Race Type: Jump
- Description: Chestnut Gelding
- 2020/22 runs: 1
- 2020/22 places: 1
Based in Lambourn – ‘The Valley of the Racehorse’ - and with access to some of the finest facilities in the country, Harry Whittington is fast becoming a name to sit up and take note of. Now in his eighth season in training, he has already saddled Grade 1 & Cheltenham Festival winners and, alongside his young and ambitious team, is set to continue to improve on these successes.
A very exciting prospect, Docpickedme is a four-year-old Chestnut gelding by Getaway and out of Hard Luck, an Old Vic mare.
He won his Irish point to point at Ballycahane in March 2020 showing plenty of stamina and a turn of foot to beat talented sons of Shirocco and Coastal Path who have both gone on to make £100K and £150K respectively. Affectionately known as ‘Derek’, named after Derek O’Connor who rode him in the race having schooled and worked him all winter, he was bought at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale by Harry who admittedly had a soft spot for ‘Derek the Dude’ before selling him to the Syndicate in May 2020.
The initial plan had been for him to run in a bumper but, the natural flair for jumping he had been showing at home led Harry to decide he would better of going straight in a Novice Hurdle to make the most of his jumping which would hopefully give him an edge over other novices. His first run for us – and only second run in his life- came at Aintree on Saturday 7th November in a 2m4f Novice Hurdle where, by all accounts, he shaped up to run very encouragingly indeed and all parties were delighted with this first attempt under rules.
Docpickedme went off second favourite to the 8-15 Fav Wilde About Oscar, a Dan Skelton-trained individual which had already won 2 of his previous starts, one in a bumper and one over hurdles the month before. Our chap looked super in the paddock and seemed to be very relaxed and taking everything in his stride. During the race, Jockey Jonjo O’Neil Jnr had Derek very nicely settled in behind the leaders for the most part, racing with enthusiasm and hurdling very fluently. He made a move to challenge at 3 fences from home, hit two out which knocked the stuffing out of him a bit but still challenged briefly before being left behind by the winner from the last so Jonjo Jnr didn’t give him a too-harder finish to come home second. All in all, he came up against a very competitive individual in the Skelton horse on his first attempt over hurdles but certainly has time on his side and hopefully plenty to come for this chap!
