Ferns Lock

Ferns Lock was seriously impressive in winning the hunters’ chase at Fairyhouse last Tuesday. Sent to the front from flagfall by Barry O’Neill, his jumping was superb, and he had his rivals on the stretch from a long way out. Three lengths clear jumping the third last fence, he travelled well into the home straight as his rivals came under pressure. He jumped the last two fences well, and came right away from his rivals, appearing to finish with plenty of energy left, 12 lengths clear of his rivals.

There was an awful lot to like about this performance from David Christie’s horse, on his first run in a hunters’ chase. He had only run in three point-to-points before this, two of which he had won, but the quality of his jumping belied his inexperience. This is a race that David Christie and Barry O’Neill won last year with Vaucelet, and Vaucelet went on to win the Frank & Teresa O’Reilly Memorial Hunters’ Chase at Fairyhouse, before finishing a close-up second behind Billaway in the Champion Hunters’ Chase at Punchestown in April, and winning the Horse and Hound Cup at Stratford in May, and Ferns Lock will be of interest again now wherever he goes next. He looks like a hugely exciting recruit.
Fairyhouse, 15^th November 2022