FURTADO HAPPY TO BE PUNCHING ABOVE HIS WEIGHT
There’s no doubt that Newark-based Ivan Furtado is punching above his weight this winter. The Brazilian entered the final two months of Season 9 in joint-fifth place in the trainers’ championship with 23 winners already on the board.
Only reigning champion Mick Appleby and the powerhouses of Charlie Appleby, Andrew Balding and David O’Meara were ahead of him.
It’s commendable that Furtado has established himself towards the top of the leaderboard with a winter team of only around 25 horses and admits he is exceeding even his own expectations.
“I said at the start of the All-Weather season that I’d like to get to 20 by Easter,” he tells me. “I’m very happy with my horses because they’ve been running so consistently. We had nine winners in December and another nine in January and they’ve continued to run well, even though some of them are getting high enough in the handicap now.”
Roger Charlton’s former assistant, who secured his first Group success with star filly Just Beautiful in the Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster last autumn, hasn’t looked back since moving into a bigger yard just 15 minutes from Southwell Racecourse.
Last year, his third at Averham Park Stables, Furtado more than doubled his previous year’s tally with 41 winners on sand and turf. He already has 11 on the board in 2022.
“We are full up with 66 horses, which is great, but I’ve been trying to improve the quality and we’ve been getting some nice winners from a higher class of horse,” he adds.
Just Beautiful was a perfect example. She won five of her seven races, including her Group 3 at the St Leger Festival, and was sold at the December Mares Sale for 625,000gns – that’s some return on a filly who cost just 8,000gns as a yearling.
“Having such top-class facilities is a big factor as well,” adds Furtado, whose landlord is successful owner John Fretwell. “We have two Polytrack gallops, one over five furlongs and the other over seven, and have the benefit of an equine pool and an indoor ride which is a furlong round.
“It is also an advantage to be so close to Southwell Racecourse, where we gallop our horses regularly. We have always enjoyed a lot of success there and there’s no doubt it’s going to be the best All-Weather track once it’s settled down.”
He has a string of nicely bred two-year-olds to look forward to this summer, including colts by Cracksman and Dark Angel, but before they reach the track Furtado has plenty of unfinished business on the All-Weather.
Here, the in-form Brazilian reveals 10 horses to Simon Mapletoft of attheraces.com follow on the road to Good Friday.
