It was great to see Grand Traverse bounce back to winning ways at Doncaster recently.
The popular five-year-old has had his share of training problems since making a sparkling debut for his horse racing syndicate last March, when he won in commanding fashion at Newcastle.
Nursed back to peak fitness and condition by Archie and his expert team, Grand Traverse had shaped well on first run of the season and showed himself to be all the better for that run when running out a taking winner of the Class 4 Handicap at Doncaster last Saturday.
Travelling well from an early stage under Hollie Doyle, Grand Traverse made his move travelling really well and soon went to the front once Hollie asked him to go about his business.
Approaching the closing stages, Hollie asked her mount to hang tough, and he did just that to hold on a little more convincingly than the winning margin of a neck suggested at the line.
A minor raise from the official handicapper should leave Grand Traverse on a mark he can continue to flourish from as he moves forward this season. Trainer Archie Watson is already planning a return to Town Moor for him next.
With Grand back to winning way for his owners and Archie Watson, it serves as a timely reminder of the skill and passion the team at Saxon Gate consistently put into the care of their horses, which so often yields excellent results for our horse racing syndicates.
It will be fascinating to see how Grand Traverse progresses from here now, a horse who once had the Wokingham at Royal Ascot amongst his future entries, there’s every chance he can increase his rating beyond his current mark of 87.
If doing so, he’ll hopefully be able to provide his owners with plenty more fun this season and beyond. Until then his owners and the Hambleton team can enjoy looking back on our latest success.
