So, Donald McCain

Diamond Geezer

Diamond Geezer

Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
May 2, 2003
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Doesn't seem to have moved forward this season, no winners at Cheltenham or Aintree and doesn't appear to have too much ammunition with regards to next season's championship races.
Just wondering how this has come about, how much he was affected by the bad weather and whether he has failed to attract top owners or at least those prepared to put good horses with him.
I had hoped he would rattle the cage of the big two this season but maybe he is happy to operate at his own level, earn a good living and produce plenty of lower profile winners.

Or am I being unfair ?
 
Fair question,He lacks a good staying chaser or 2 and cinders and ashes certainly didnt progress like evryone thought he would,peddlers would probabley have been his great white hope but the fly broke his heart and then was unlucky to bump into a cracking crop of novice chasers.I would imagine hes been onto Tim leslie to get his chequebook out but who knows the situation there.
 
McCains are tough to get right. Dont seem to have hit form this year.

I was looking at the past runners in the Maghull Novice Chase yesterday. Paul Nicholls used to have some monopoly on novice chases in the early 21st century - the obvious ones of course, but whitenzo, le volfoni, strong flow, exit to wave, l'aventure, Santenay, Kadarann et al

His cupboard seems to have thinned down a lot. Couldnt keep it up forever I suppose. But is there an awful lot to look forward to?
 
Interesting topic

One trainer who hasn't slowed down my side of the water is Gordon Elliott. New training facility and a trainer for the now.

Slow year for McCain. Has he many rich owners backing him
 
McCain has trained more winners and sent out more runners than any other trainer at a 20% strike rate. Not the worst season ever; he just hasn't had the top notchers.

Nicholls current regression is of more interest for me. He's struggling for young talent as well. Most of t seems to be in Hendo or. Mullins yard.
 
Must confess I don't study the trainers championship much but having a look, DM is sixth in the table and has had 670 runners, a figure only beaten by Jonjo with 4 more but whereas DM has had 132 winners at 20% Jonjo has only had 86 at 13%. Edward Gillespie has been hired as a consultant by Jonjo with a view to being Champion Trainer within four years and going by that analysis has some job on his hands.

Harry Fry,John Quinn,Dr Richard Newland and Beccy Curtis currrently have better percentages than Henderson or Nicholls.
 
Hendo's got a better strike rate than Curtis and Newland...

In a general sense I don't think McCain is any worse a trainer this season, in fact in percentage terms only last season was better for him. Quality trainer although he may ask a little much of his horses at times.
 
granger said:
Interesting topic

One trainer who hasn't slowed down my side of the water is Gordon Elliott. New training facility and a trainer for the now.

Slow year for McCain. Has he many rich owners backing him
Click to expand...

What's also interesting is the winners Gordon has trained, that haven't run under his name!
 
As far as I know, Elliott has moved to the new premises.

Gillian Callaghan has been training for a few years now, didn't Mount Benbulben start out with her?
 
She's been training for a while in fairness and Callaghan's know what they're doing with the cash so to speak.

Rumour has it they did alright out of a Novice Hurdle at a leading track a season or so back and they also sold themselves a horse for 250k too (or near enough did).
 
MB did indeed start out with Gillian Callaghan and think you're right on GE's new place too - probably funded by his fiancee's parents who aren't short of a few quid.

Martin
 
Donald spends a lot of money on horses that mop up the races in the north. I agree for the money he spends he doesnt have enough top grade animals. PFN is going backwards at a rate of knotts.
 
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