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From 3,200gns purchase to bidding for a little piece of racing history, Aisling Oscar has had quite the winter.
It was only in the Tattersalls September Online Sale on the 17th of that month that the gelding was picked out by bloodstock agent Dan Astbury as one of the seven friends that make up ownership group Barry And The Chuckles.
Fast Forward less than five months and the son of Rajasinghe is aiming for his eighth consecutive handicap victory for Adrian Keatley’s Malton yard, a feat which will equal the modern-day record of the Reg Akehurst-trained Ballynakelly between 1995 and 1996.
Aisling Oscar has risen 25lb in the ratings since moving across the Irish Sea from Craig O’Neill, whom he had provided with a couple of good days before his form tailed off. This Alan Shearer of the Tapeta has, however, scored all seven so far at Newcastle and must now head to Southwell on Thursday evening (7.00) for the record-equalling bid.
“I was just going through the sale and looking for a horse for a group of friends; it’s amazing how it’s worked out,” said Astbury.
“I watched all his form and knew a bit about him in Ireland, so we just went from there. He was just a chancy horse. He’d always been trained in the same place and maybe the races were a bit more competitive than they can be in England.
“He was a full-brother to a decent horse [Waiting All Night] who had a peak rating of 100 and that gave me plenty of hope there was a bit of hidden potential in there. Rajasinghe is also an underrated stallion who deserves more credit than he gets.”
Aisling Oscar has been just one of the horses to have thrived in the care of Keatley, a Classic-winning trainer who has become a force across the spectrum, from National Hunt racing to fielding Flat runners in the Middle East.
Astbury says their relationship has been going from strength to strength.
“Adrian and I have had a bit of success together – the first five we bought all won two or more races, so then we bought the yearlings last season and hopefully we’ve got some lovely ones from there,” he said.
“He’s an unbelievable trainer, all the credit goes to him and his team. The improvement in the horse, just even physically . . . What he’s done with him is amazing.”
Astbury, 30, is one of the new generation of agents but not a great publicity seeker. He worked all the way up from a stable lad to assistant trainer at Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s Cheshire yard and, having followed the pair around the sales and showed an interest, he would eventually gain responsibility for buying their horses.
He turned freelance nearly four years ago and has quietly picked up a range of different clients, recorded as doing recent business for the likes of Mickey Bowen, Jack Jones and James Owen.
Purchases flying high lately include Meetmebythesea, the up-and-coming chaser owned by JP McManus with Ben Pauling, and Keatley’s prolific juvenile hurdler Indian River.
Dan Astbury has been having a successful time under both codesCredit: Debbie Burt
“I’ve got more of a jumps background and I think I’m on 96 winners since the start of the jumps season,” said Astbury. “We got 105 last year and hopefully can get to 120 or so this time. Hopefully, we might get to Cheltenham with six or seven good chances.”
Finding a bargain like Aisling Oscar on the Flat will surely do Astbury no professional harm either, particularly as his prize-money has been supplemented by a £20,000 bonus from Arena Racing Company in December, and perhaps even another windfall should he continue accumulating points and manage to become the all-weather horse of the year. However, Astbury is mainly just enjoying the ride as an owner and racing fan who is enthusiastic about the run continuing.
He said: “We haven’t been able to watch him much because we’re all very busy, no-one seems to have been there together on the same day. It’s been an unbelievable story and we’re hoping that most of us will be able to get to Southwell.
“Hopefully, he should have a big chance again. His last seven wins have come at Newcastle and the change in track is the only slight question mark.
“They put him up to 71 and all of the races at Newcastle were 0-70s; there was a 0-85 that he couldn’t get in, but we feel Southwell should suit in that it’s got as long a straight as there is, apart from at Newcastle.”
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