Handlethekettle is an impressive 5-year-old gelding in training with Jamie Snowden in Upper Lambourn. Having made a promising hurdles debut in the summer, he made a winning start to his Racing Club career when running out a cosy winner at Worcester on stable debut, before finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle at Chepstow.
He has a striking pedigree, having been sired by the three-time Arc runner-up Youmzain, who amassed over £3.3 million in prize money during his five-year career. His dam Tooreen was a three-time winner herself too, and his half-brother Curley Finger is a five-time winner over hurdles, so he certainly has the pedigree to suggest he could have a big future ahead of him.
Having fallen in both point-to-point racing, he put in a much more assured round of jumping to finish runner-up on hurdles debut at Listowel in June, pulling well clear of the remainder of the field. The form received a major boost the following month, with the winner running out a decisive winner next time out at the Galway Festival, in the same race that two-time Grade 1 winner Mystical Power won 12 months earlier.
After moving to Jamie Snowden’s yard, he made a winning stable debut at Worcester, making all and finishing a comfortable winner under an assured ride from jockey Gavin Sheehan. Handlethekettle then stepped up to Grade 2 company in the Persian War Novices’ Hurdle, finishing fifth – just over six lengths behind the well-fancied Ryan’s Rocket.
Trainer Jamie Snowden has told us “He looks a really exciting horse, with a decent pedigree. After tipping up in both point-to-point races, he jumped much more fluently on his hurdles debut to finish second – the form of that race received a big boost when the winner won comfortably at the Galway Festival next time out. He certainly looks tailor-made to go and win a maiden hurdle, and he’s the type of horse we could run in Graded races later in the season. Hopefully we can have a lot of fun with him in the Autumn and Spring, with a bit of a break over the winter months as he won’t want the ground too soft. He has the size and scope to jump a fence too, so we can certainly look at going chasing with him later in his career.”
Handlethekettle is progressing well with his training and looks to be a horse we are going to have plenty of fun with. We have high ambitions for him and we’re looking forward to watching his career flourish under master trainer Jamie Snowden.
The syndicate term for Handlethekettle will end on 30th September 2025.
You will be a shareholder within RC Syndicate VIII.
