New heights for Festive Fare

Two former racehorses shine in their new guises, while home-producers reign in multiple sections

- TRICIA JOHNSON

A CHANCE meeting at Aintree and subsequent Facebook friendship led to Diana Taylor’s former Flat campaigner Festive Fare (Fletch) – originally bred and owned by Godolphin – joining Essex-based ex-racer specialist Becky Court in March this year and here, the partnership scaled new heights.

These included a first Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) hunter ticket for Becky, and a win in the Royal International (RIHS) amateur lightweight class, qualifying for next year’s final at Hickstead. Sadly, the pair were unable to progress further as the evening championship was cancelled (see “Talking point”, p73).

Becky first met Diana while campaigning Beware Chalk Pit, the SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse (R2R) winner at HOYS in 2017.

“She watched my show in the supreme and came over to say well done,” recalled Becky, who works full-time for the University of Creative Arts and keeps her horses with Justine Armstrong-Small.

“We became Facebook friends and followed each other’s activities and progress, and when I saw her at Aintree again in 2022, I commented that I really liked Fletch, who was doing a novice class. I told her I was looking for another horse, having sadly lost Saint Are from a heart attack, and I wanted one just like Fletch.

“We kept in touch and last summer, out of the blue, she asked if I would be interested in taking Fletch this year as her circumstances changed and she didn’t have a regular rider for him – I jumped at the chance.”

Fletch, by Teofilo, won more than £64,000 under Rules and came out of racing in 2016 to begin his “rehab” under the Godolphin Lifetime Care scheme.