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| Staff Writer |
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Claire Kubler is excited to see the direction they can take Astro King. The gelding, formerly trained by Sir Michael Stoute, has thrived since joining the Kublers and earned a spot at the US$2 million Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia. Once Kubler and her co-trainer and husband, Daniel, see how Astro King does there, there are many possibilities.
The Kublers could keep Astro King in the Middle East or bring him closer to their home base in England. Having a talented horse on their hands opens a lot of doors. Making sure Astro King knows which ones to sprint through is essential.
“We’ll make a decision after he’s run, just to see how he competes against that field,” Claire said. “If we are to win, then fantastic.There are a couple of opportunities for him there. Otherwise, we could go back to England, Royal Ascot is very much on the agenda. There have been hints that we have another go at the John Smith’s Cup since we just got beaten by a pixel on a photo last year. So, you never know, we might have another go at that. On the international stage, there are also a lot of fantastic opportunities.”
Astro King has won five of the twenty rules races he’s run in and three of the seventeen flat turf events. Daniel and Claire took over as Astro King’s trainers in April last year. Since then, Astro King
has picked up a pair of victories from six his starts.
Having raced in Bahrain in November, Dan felt it was important to get the 7YO Kingman colt a couple of weeks’ rest before heading to Saudi Arabia.
“And now we’re building him back up and he’s got some important pieces of work coming up tomorrow morning and then on Saturday, and then we should be, just about there,” Dan said. “It’s just the final finishing touches before he flies out.”
There is always an adjustment period when a new horse is brought into a stable. Kubler Racing is based at Sarsen Farm in England. When the Kubler’s saw Astro King at Tattersalls horse sales last year, the couple felt excited about what Astro King could accomplish.
“Like any new horse that we get into the yard, it’s about understanding the horse,” Claire said. “You want to know what makes him tick and tweaking everything, whether it’s the food, nutrition, or training style, so that you bring out the optimum performance in the horse.”
Daniel Kubler feels that Astro King displayed his potential under Stoute. What Dan felt that Astro King really needed was consistency.
“The talent was there, but he just lacked consistency at times. Partly it’s understanding those elements of his form to just take away, for
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example he tried 10 furlongs a couple of time, but he was lame after one race, another time was on soft ground,” Dan said. “So, you say, well, actually ignore them because he doesn’t like soft ground. Then once you’ve analysed the form, we also do things like genetic testing so you can work out the muscle type of the horse. That really helped give us confidence to try the 10 furlongs again. He’s excelled again by having the right conditions over 9 & 10.”
When worrying about traveling a horse, there are few who will do as well as Astro King.
“He’s laid back, definitely,” Dan said. “He’s a horse that I suppose you don’t really see how good he is from his demeanour, but actually, when he gallops it’s kind of easy. What’s fascinating is with the analytics, you see how quickly he’s able to recover from very testing pieces of work, the difference between him and most in that regard is what makes him remarkable.”
Creating a suitable environment for racehorses at Sarsen Farms is something the Kublers have an eye on. They want to ensure their horses have the most comfortable living conditions.
“Everything was designed taking into account horse health and making sure they’re happy horses,” Claire said. “They’ve all got windows to look out of, nice big stables. All those factors are so important to get the best out of the racehorses. Not forgetting a fantastic team. We’ve developed a great team over the years, and it’s kind of all coming to fruition now, isn’t it, Dan? And they all work really well together and are fantastic horsemen and women.”
“He’s an absolute pleasure to train,” Claire said.
Astro King’s ownership team has also been supportive of the training process.
“They’re really fun,” Dan said. “Quite eclectic.”
Dan said he has enjoyed racing in the Middle East when they had the opportunity. The available amenities are hard to match, and the competition is excellent.
“Well, I think it presents a great opportunity for horses from all over the world to come together at that top level and compete,” Dan said. “Obviously, the prize money is excellent, which, does play into these factors. They’re very good at organising everything too, which makes life easy.”
The Middle East also provides an opportunity for more year-round racing. England and other European countries are sometimes limited by the temperatures through the winter.
“When you’ve got this type of horse, you can spread their runs out a little bit, and it suits a certain type of horse. The first time you travel a horse, you never really know,” Dan said. “You have a pretty good feeling about how they’re going to take it. But if you’ve got a horse that can do it and there are these great opportunities. I think that going forward into the future, we want to be able to compete consistently at the highest level, and right now some of the highestlevel international racing is happening in Bahrain, Saudi and Dubai.”
Astro King is the stable’s most successful horse. But Dan said there are plenty of other things to be excited about with the team. Most importantly, Dan believes from top to bottom that everyone has been on the same page.
That is why last season was their best year ever. Being successful has brought new owners on board.
“We’ve attracted some new clients, and you know we’ll have our biggest team in terms of horses that we’ve ever had to go to work with, so to speak, next season,” Dan said. “Which is exciting, and we have more quality to the stock than there has been in the past, which is also really exciting.”
Creating a suitable environment for racehorses at Sarsen Farms is something the Kublers have an eye on. They want to ensure their horses have the most comfortable living conditions.
“Everything was designed taking into account horse health and making sure they’re happy horses,” Claire said. “They’ve all got windows to look out of, nice big stables. All those factors are so important to get the best out of the racehorses. Not forgetting a fantastic team. We’ve developed a great team over the years, and it’s kind of all coming to fruition now, isn’t it, Dan? And they all work really well together and are fantastic horsemen and women.”
“He’s an absolute pleasure to train,” Claire said.
Astro King’s ownership team has also been supportive of the training process.
“They’re really fun,” Dan said. “Quite eclectic.”
Winning always helps build morale. That helps set the template for continuing to be successful in the future.
“There’s a lot of positivity around the place at the moment,” Dan said. “All the dreams are very much alive at this time of year, trying to survive the less than exciting weather by looking forward to the sunny days and, hopefully winning some nice races in the summer.”
The Kublers are focused on being on the cutting edge. They want to try and find new ways to make things easier for everyone.
“We also bring in a more analytical angle, and we’re probably more focused on that now,” Claire said. “I did a degree at Cambridge in physiology, and it really helps to understand horses. Dan does a lot of research into podcasts and scientific papers, just knowing the latest research to get horses like Astro King and to get the best out of them.”
“Horses are always a team effort,” Dan said. “Everyone sees the jockey crossing the line on the track, but there have been lots of people along the way to develop that horse to reach that moment. And we’re very much about the team and working well together as a team.”