KIM BAILEY'S Upper Lambourn team received a timely pre King George VI Chase boost with a 653 1/2 to 1 treble at Nottingham yesterday. The stable's first victories for almost a month were provided by Dominie, The Bud Club and Fellow Countryman all ridden by a different jockey.
Bailey is due to be represented by both Book Of Music (Mick Fitzgerald) and reigning champion chaser Master Oats (for whom riding plans will be finalised today) in tomorrow's rescheduled feature at Sandown.
Welcoming the abrupt change in his fortunes, the trainer said: There's been nothing wrong with the horses - we've just experienced a lot of bad luck recently. And in this game it's all about being lucky."
The trainer heaped praise on Irishman Timmy Murphy following 9 to 2 favourite Dominie's six length triumph in the Colwick Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle.
"That was very well ridden by Timmy" explained Bailey. "They were miles behind and Dominie needs pushing and pushing. The horse is very lazy - in fact he's bone idle."
Two races later, The Bud Club (Jamie Osborne) bravely beat Pennine Pride by six lengths to capture the Arnold Handicap Chase and help erase the memory of a crashing fall for horse and jockey here a month earlier.
Fellow Countryman (Graham Bradley), who edged out newcomer the Booley House and Braes Of Mar in an incident packed second leg of the West Bridgford Novices' Chase, is rated by Bailey as: "An ideal candidate for the four mile, National Hunt amateur riders chase at Cheltenham in March."
Haile Derring overcame a race course absence of 217 days to romp home by 11 lengths from Cassio's, Boy in the Kegworth Novices Handicap Hurdle. He failed to pick up a single penny in any of his 14 previous starts but was clearly not unfancied this time.
