Marsh Wren breaking new ground for Stuart Edmunds

Ashley Iveson
February 21, 2024 2:57 pm

First Irish runner for trainer in Thurles Listed heat.

Stuart Edmunds will saddle his first ever runner in Ireland on Thursday when Marsh Wren bids for Listed honours in the Carey Glass Irish EBF Colreevy Mares Novice Chase at Thurles.

The eight-year-old, who is part-owned by former Cardiff and Coventry City defender Ben Turner, has won two of her three starts over fences to date, with victories at Warwick and Uttoxeter sandwiching a second-placed finish in Listed company behind Nicky Henderson’s Arclight at Wincanton.

Edmunds admits taking on the Irish in their own back yard is a stiff test, but with conditions in Marsh Wren’s favour and Turner and other members of the Far Bihoue Partnership set to make the trip, the trainer is excited by the challenge.

“We thought about going for a previous mares’ race there, but in the end we decided to go for what was not too difficult a race at Uttoxeter,” said Edmunds, who is based near Milton Keynes.

“We just thought she’s already Listed placed, she loves soft ground and the boys are all very excited about going to Ireland, so she’s gone.

“We wouldn’t be going if we thought it was a waste of time, we think she’s gone there in good order and the more rain they get the better, as long as it’s on.

“She loves testing conditions, the trip (two and three-quarter miles) in Ireland is about right and it’s worth a few quid at EURO 30,000, so why not have a go?”

Marsh Wren features in a six-strong field, with Gordon Elliott’s pair of Harmonya Maker and Jumping Jet and Gavin Cromwell’s Law Ella seemingly her biggest threats.

There is also British interest in the BoyleSports Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle, with the Willie Mullins-trained Stoke The Fire carrying the colours of Middleham Park Racing.

An impressive winner on his hurdling debut at Tramore, the five-year-old lines up as one of three runners for the champion trainer in the Grade Three contest alongside Largy Hill and What Path.

Middleham Park’s National Hunt racing manager, Tom Palin, said: “He’s the first horse we’ve had with Willie, but we’ve obviously been huge admirers of his for a long time. We like to have our horses with trainers who provide you with the best chance of having good runners on the best days, and there’s probably no finer man than Willie for that.

“We actually bought this horse as a possible Irish Cesarewitch contender, that’s more of a longer-term plan, but he might give us a little bit of fun over hurdles in the interim.

“He certainly gave us a bit more than a little bit of fun on New Year’s Day with a fairly bloodless victory at Tramore, when he seemed to cope with the testing conditions well and we were very taken by how he jumped on debut.

“This feels like the right sort of race to pitch him in and I’m sure whatever happens, he’ll still be a nice horse capable of taking us to Festivals both on the Flat and over hurdles, whether that’s Fairyhouse or Punchestown in graded company or in handicaps, we’ll have to wait and see.”

The likely favourite for the race is Elliott’s Staffordshire Knot, who will carry the colours of Gigginstown House Stud for the first time after being bought to stay in the yard for EURO 510,000 at Andy and Gemma Brown’s dispersal earlier this month.