Sam Thomas and stable jockey Dylan Johnston are hoping Doctor Blue can complete a hat-trick for the team in the DragonBet Welsh Champion Hurdle at Chepstow on Friday 9th October.
Thomas has captured the prestigious two-mile contest for the past two seasons, first with Lump Sum at Ffos Las in 2024 before Celtic Dino kept the trophy in the yard when the race returned to Chepstow last year.
Johnston was in the saddle for both victories and the pair will now attempt to make it three in succession when the Welsh Champion Hurdle takes centre stage on the final day of the DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival.
The unusually dry conditions have also led to this year’s meeting being restricted to hurdle races only.
For Thomas, who is based close to Chepstow, the three-day Festival represents an important early-season target and an opportunity to support racing in his native Wales.
“We are all really looking forward to the DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival,” said Thomas.
“Traditionally, having ridden for Paul Nicholls a lot, this was always the start for him and we try to do something similar.
“We’re very ground dependent now with the seriously dry summer we have had. We might not send out as many runners as we previously have, but we will certainly be starting our season off there anyway.”
The significance of supporting one of Welsh racing’s showcase occasions is not lost on Thomas, who has fond memories of visiting Chepstow long before beginning his own training career.
“I think it’s a fabulous initiative and Welsh racing needs to be really well supported,” he said.
“Thankfully, it draws a big crowd and we’re just happy to play a small part in that.
“Being Welsh, I’m hugely proud to go and race at Chepstow, which is only down the road from us. It feels like home for me anyway.
“I have great memories of going there as a kid with my Mum and Dad. It’s fantastic to be able to go back there and compete.”
Doctor Blue is being prepared for the Welsh Champion Hurdle as Thomas bids to emulate Martin Pipe by winning the race for a third successive year.
The six-year-old showed his ability when narrowly beaten in Grade 2 company at Cheltenham on his first start over hurdles last season before winning at Ascot on his next appearance.
His form subsequently tailed off, but following a wind operation Thomas is optimistic that Doctor Blue can return to his best.
“We’ve had runners in the Welsh Champion Hurdle without much success, but I think since we have gone and won it the last two years it has made it more important for us to keep supporting it and try to win it again,” said Thomas.
“It’s a very prestigious race and we’re lucky enough to have won it both at Ffos Las and back at Chepstow last season.
“There’s only one other trainer who has won it three years on the bounce in Martin Pipe. We’re going to give it a good go this season.
“Doctor Blue started out well last year and then his form just petered out towards the end of last season. He’s had a wind operation and seems to be back in good form.
“We always thought a lot of him. He was a close second in a Graded race first time out last year at Cheltenham. We know he has lots of ability, so we’re prepping him for it.
Thomas believes Doctor Blue's handicap mark gives him a different route into the contest compared to his two previous winners.
“Lump Sum and Celtic Dino had strong form leading up to the race,” he said.
“Doctor Blue is certainly handicapped to run well, which would be nice coming into the race off a lower weight.
“The ground won’t be an issue; we know he likes good ground. He’s certainly not going to go off favourite like the last two winners we’ve had in the race, but I wouldn’t swap him for anything else.”
Jockey Dylan Johnston is hopeful the horse can produce his best fresh.
“He has a slightly different profile to our previous two winners of the race,” said Johnston.
“They were a little more proven and higher rated. They looked like proper two-mile hurdlers.
“Doctor Blue won a bumper and a good novice at Ascot, but his form tailed off towards the end of last season.
“His first run of the season has been good each year and I’d be confident Sam will have him in the right place for the big day.
“He’s in good form. There’s still a little bit of water to go under the bridge between now and Chepstow, but he’s been doing everything as we’d like.
“We haven’t pushed any major buttons just yet, but it will start to get important now.”
Johnston also admits the prospect of winning the Welsh Champion Hurdle for a third consecutive season for owner Dai Walters would carry added significance.
“The last few years it’s been held between Chepstow and Ffos Las,” he said.
“It’s important for us with Mr Walters. He’s Welsh through and through and it’s been great the last few years winning the Welsh Champion Hurdle for him.
“If someone had said to me a few years ago that I’d now be going to try and win it for a third time, I’d have snatched their hand off.
“Hopefully, we can get it done.”
Preparing horses for the start of the jumps season has been complicated by the unusually dry conditions, with Thomas forced to alter Doctor Blue’s preparation.
“Off the back of winning it for the last two years, it is really important for us to try and start the season off with a bang,” he said.
“This has been the target for a long time. We haven’t been able to get on the grass like we did last season.
“We’ve had to think outside the box a bit and take him away galloping. Hopefully we’ve done everything we can. We’ve still got a few weeks to go yet.”
