Battleoverdoyen – Multiple Grade 1 Winner Joins Pioneer Racing & Will be aimed for the big days including the Aintree Grand National
Pioneer Racing are delighted to secure the multiple Grade 1 winner Battleoverdoyen from the recent Goffs UK sale who formed part of the Gigginstown dispersal, he was of course the stand out lot of the dispersal and we were determined to see him continue his career in our colours. Following having a sequence of high profile runners and winners, Pioneer were determined to secure another high class horse who has the ability to run in the high value races at the big meetings throughout the season and at the Spring Festivals. Battleoverdoyen came highly recommended from Gordon and we were informed pre sale he was not a horse he would be losing out of his yard this added to our confidence to enlist Gordon and Aidan ‘Mouse’ O’Ryan to secure Battleoverdoyen from the sale for us. Gordon and Mouse know the Gigginstown horses very well as they have an excellent relationship with Gigginstown House Stud and this was a horse that was at the top of the list when the sales entries were published. Battleoverdoyen has established himself as a high class horse from the very beginning of his career he has won at the highest level on several occasions and Gordon said his big days are far from over.
We believe this horse offers great value to those getting involved as he is a horse that has a rating to run in those big value Handicap races which was demonstrated by his 5th place finish in this seasons Galway Plate on only his second last run (Hopefully he can go some places better this season), The Galway Plate run at the famous Galway Racing Festival is of course one of the highest valued races in National Hunt Racing and Battleoverdoyen also has the ability to compete in Graded races at the big meetings. Races such as the Grand National will be targeted for him in the Spring and we are very excited to be racing him in the black and mauve of Pioneer Racing.
Mouse O’Ryan when speaking to the Racing Post after the sales – “He’ll be trained for a Grand National for Pioneer Racing, who are big supporters of the yard. They’ve come a long way in a couple of years and we’ve had a lot of winners for them and this is going to be their flagship horse. We know him well, Battle has been a star for us and a star for Gigginstown and the boys wanted an upgrade to bring them to the real big days and this horse fits that bill”.
The nine-year-old son of Doyen won the Grade 1 Slaney Novice Hurdle during the early stages of his career and added a second top-flight success to his record in the Fort Leney Novice Chase at Leopardstown.
His peak Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 163 was gained in the Grade 2 Skymas Chase at Down Royal when he beat Easy Game by six lengths, with Samcro back in third. He was last seen finishing runner-up to Politesse in the Eileen Kelly Memorial Chase at Galway.
O’Ryan added: “He wants nice ground so we’ll aim him at all the spring festivals and hopefully the Grand National. He ran a blinder in the Galway Plate on ground he probably wouldn’t like and ran well again on the Friday of Galway so there’s plenty of enthusiasm still there. Hopefully he can bring Pioneer Racing to the next level as it’s a really well run syndicate headed up by Myles Richardson and Chris Donnelly.”
Gordon Elliott – “He’s a very high class horse who I was determined to keep in the yard and I put him to Pioneer prior to the sales as one that we should be looking to buy and to add to the team of horses Pioneer has with me. We think there is more big race success to be had with him and he is one that looks a Grand National type horse to me. We can also look at running him in plenty of those Graded chases as well. Myself and Mouse have taken a share in him with the lads and we look forward to the days ahead with him.”
Should you be interested in getting involved or require any further information please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team who will be only to happy to help.