Medyaf graduates to Listed success at Wetherby

Dan Skelton will strike while the iron is hot with Medyaf after the bargain buy ran out a ready winner of an eventful Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle.

Last year’s winner of the Listed contest, Gary Moore’s Porticello, went on to score at Grade One level and while that may seem a long way off for Medyaf at the minute, having won his first two outings over hurdles after failing to pull up any trees on the Flat, he has made the perfect start.

Bought out of John and Thady Gosden’s yard for 9,000 guineas having failed to trouble the judge in four starts, he looks a different proposition over hurdles.

It could have been different, though, had the strong-travelling Mr Freedom not ducked out at the second last, leaving Medyaf to come home three lengths clear of the favourite Tuddenham Green.

“He’s been a good buy. I just said to Craig (Buckingham) who picked him up for 9,000 guineas, you don’t expect to pick up a Listed winner for that money, especially out of that yard,” said Skelton.

“He must have been destined to go hurdling because he definitely wasn’t a Flat horse.

“He’s hardy, he’s tough and while it wasn’t a surprise at Stratford, we thought he’d go close, it was the attitude he showed and the commitment he had was great to see.

“It doesn’t matter where the hurdles are to him, he can jump out of any position. He’s just got a great attitude and with the four-year-olds that counts for a lot.

“I think he’ll handle soft ground but the only thing is he’ll have a class one penalty now. We might look at the Paddy Power meeting now because he’s got the experience and a lot won’t have that.

“There are then the obvious targets at Doncaster in December (the Summit Juvenile Hurdle), the Finale at Chepstow, the Cheltenham race in January (JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial), he’ll run in them all and it will tell us whether he’s at that level or if he’s a Fred Winter horse.”