Theatre team happy to go for glory in red-hot Festival feature

Mares’ Hurdle supplementary entry flying the flag for Seven Barrows staff members.

The list of owners who will employ the services of Nicky Henderson during the Cheltenham Festival is a roll call of the rich and powerful racing elite.

But the owners of Theatre Glory hail from much closer to home as the upwardly-mobile Warwick winner prepares to tackle one of the week’s hottest contests.

That is because the six-year-old is owned by Canter Banter Racing – the brainchild of Katie Croft and David Fehily, who are both head staff at Henderson’s Lambourn base.

To continue the Henderson connection, Theatre Glory – who is set to take her chance in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle – came into their possession via another graduate of the Seven Barrows academy – former jockey Jerry McGrath, who has become a key player in the Canter Banter set-up.

“Myself and David are both head staff for Nicky and we’ve been here for 12 or 13 years. We just wanted to do something different and for ourselves,” explained Croft.

“Jerry gave us this filly which was actually unsold at the sales for under GBP 5,000 as a three-year-old. They broke her in, liked her and then said to us ‘why don’t you have a crack with her, we think she’s quite nice’.”

Although unwanted in the ring, Theatre Glory has attracted plenty of admirers following her performances on the track – including the bookmakers, who made her around a 10-1 chance for the Coral Cup.

However, that race barely crossed Croft’s radar and the 145-rated mare will attempt to give syndicate-owned horses back-to-back victories in the day one contest having scooped her second Listed prize in style last month.

She continued: “I believe you need an awful lot of luck in a handicap and she’s not the biggest girl. For us as a syndicate to have a runner in a Grade One is great and if she was to finish in the top four, you would be delighted.

“It’s very exciting, just to have a live chance is very exciting.”

Nico de Boinville and Theatre Glory return after securing Listed honours at Warwick
Nico de Boinville and Theatre Glory return after securing Listed honours at Warwick (PA)

The Warwick Mares’ Hurdle was supposed to be a simple tune-up mission for last year’s Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle winner Love Envoi.

She was trading at odds-on before her late withdrawal from the Listed event, but the Canter Banter team always fancied their chances against Harry Fry’s charge – especially having seen the form of Theatre Glory’s Boxing Day third at Kempton franked by Grey Dawning.

“We were quite confident beforehand, even with Love Envoi in the race,” said Croft.

“It might sound bullish now after the race because of the performance, but we were. At Kempton when she ran in the handicap, she was giving away a stone to a Grade Two winner and to be honest, we came back with excuses.

“She took a good blow and you could obviously see she was running on again at the finish. She also came back with a slight dirty nose and she could have just been better on the day, so we were confident there were bigger performances than that in her.”

It is costing connections GBP 4,599 to supplement Theatre Glory for the Mares’ Hurdle – which may be small change for the might of JP McManus who owns stablemate Epatante – but a hefty outlay for a fledgling syndicate still in its infancy.

However, it appears the Canter Banter posse were in no doubt about ensuring their flagship mare lines up in Grade One company.

“They were all sort of revved straight away,” added Croft. “The hype she built up that day (at Warwick), it gave them a sort of a ‘oh my god, we have a chance’ feel and they are all very excited.”

With both Epatante and defending champion Marie’s Rock also possible runners in the Mares’ Hurdle, it would be easy to envisage loyalties towards each of the Henderson-trained mares causing a Seven Barrows cold war in the build up to the Festival.

However, for the Canter Banter team at least, there is no cloak and dagger from the spies in the camp, and no iron curtain splitting Upper Lambourn.

“We’re quite laid back about it as we’ve got it to prove,” continued Croft.

Theatre Glory ridden by Nico de Boinville goes on to win The Follow At The Races On Twitter Maiden Open NH Flat Race at Worcester
Theatre Glory ridden by Nico de Boinville goes on to win The Follow At The Races On Twitter Maiden Open NH Flat Race at Worcester (David Davies/PA)

“We’re the underdog and if we’re good enough, then great we’re good enough, but we’re under no illusion we will beat two champion hurdlers.

“Between the other two (Epatante and Marie’s Rock) there isn’t much in it and obviously it all depends if Marie’s Rock switches.

“Although without being biased towards our syndicate, I always thought Marie’s Rock would win a Stayers’ (Hurdle) anyway. I thought she should have been going to the Stayers’ before – she wasn’t stopping at Cheltenham in the Relkeel.”

Win or lose on Tuesday, Theatre Glory is set to stay in training for another season and the Canter Banter team are relishing the chance to put their racing club in the shop window on the big stage.

“It’s sort of the dream day to promote yourself. It’s very nice when you think she was unsold for GBP 5,000,” said Croft.

“We’ve managed to persuade the breeders to keep her for another year. So we’ve got the whole of next season to look forward to, depending on what happens at Cheltenham.

“We’re in the process of finding some new horses and hopefully we will make a nice strong team.”

For now though, all eyes will be on Theatre Glory in her bid for Cheltenham success and after 25 years combined service to the Seven Barrows cause, the carriage clocks and gold watches are being put to one side – it is a Mares’ Hurdle gold medal that would be the perfect reward from the guv’nor.

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