Tag Archive for: David Menuisier

Migration campaign hinges on handicap mark

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David Menuisier is awaiting the handicapper’s assessment of Migration’s victory in the Lincoln at Doncaster on Saturday before considering plans for the rest of the season.

The burden of top-weight proved no barrier to success for the seven-year-old in the traditional feature on the first day of the British Flat season as he was produced with a withering late run by Benoit De La Sayette to emerge triumphant.

The win came off a mark of 107 and Menuisier will be better placed to scour the programme book for future options once the assessor has had his say on Tuesday.

“He has come out of the race well and all is good,” said the Sussex-based Frenchman.

“We’ll see what the handicapper does, but he is seven and doesn’t need to run 15 times this year.

“It’s all up in the air really. I think there’s a decent chance handicaps will be out, but I can’t completely discard races like the Hunt Cup (at Royal Ascot).”

David Menuisier at Doncaster on Saturday
David Menuisier at Doncaster on Saturday (Nigel French/PA)

While Migration’s Lincoln success came over a mile in testing conditions, he has previously won over a mile and a quarter on good ground at York, suggesting he is not reliant on soft ground.

Menuisier added: “I think he’s quite versatile. I actually thought in the past he was probably better over further than a mile, but obviously that was a career-best at the weekend.

“Maybe the handicapper was on holiday and didn’t see him! It goes without saying handicaps are going to be a long shot now and he might have to go to the next level in a Listed race or a Group Three.”

Migration provides De La Sayette with second Lincoln success

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Benoit De La Sayette produced top-weight Migration with a perfectly-timed challenge to claim his second victory in the Pertemps Network Lincoln at Doncaster.

Previously successful in the traditional feature on the first day of the British Flat season aboard Haqeeqy in 2021, De La Sayette was crowned champion apprentice last term and it is not hard to see why.

Migration, trained by David Menuisier, won valuable handicaps at Goodwood and York in the summer of 2021 but only made it to the track three times last season.

Making his first appearance since finishing fourth in a Listed event at Newmarket in October, the seven-year-old was an 18-1 chance for his Town Moor return and benefited from the coolest of cool rides from his young rider.

Entering the final furlong it looked like proven mud lover Baradar might emerge triumphant after travelling smoothly into contention, with the well supported Awaal also right in the mix.

But having raced at the rear of the field for much of the straight-mile contest, Migration powered home against the stands’ rail and had a length- and-a-quarter in hand over Awaal at the line.

De La Sayette said: “He’s a horse that likes to come from off the pace. He came from off the pace in the Balmoral on Champions Day but I could never find the gaps. He finished off that race really strong, so we thought we’d try the same tactics today.

“The Lincoln is the Lincoln and it is very hard to find the gaps, so I’m very happy I found them at the right time. He really ran on in the last furlong and hit the line strong.

“To carry top-weight in that ground, it was a great performance. I ride a lot for Mr Menuisier, we have a good connection, and he told me to just do the same as at Ascot, as he just loves to come from off the pace. Luckily he was right.

“Last year went so well for me and to win this again, two years after winning on Haqeeqy right at the start of my career, is a fairytale.”

Menuisier said: “Not many top weights who are seven win the Lincoln but he’s so lightly raced, he doesn’t have much mileage.

“He’s been giving us the right signals all the way through so we were actually quite confident. He flies on this ground, anything from good to soft to heavy is absolutely fine.

David Menuisier saddled Migration to win the Lincoln
David Menuisier saddled Migration to win the Lincoln (Simon Cooper/PA)

“We’ll have to go into Pattern races now. He’s won that off 107 with a 3lb claim, he’ll be around 110 now, so I think that’s the end of handicaps and we’ll look at black type races – hopefully he can handle it.

“We’ll be patient anyway, because he’s very good fresh. He’s already made his money for this year and next – it’s a great way to start the season.”

Joint-trainer Simon Crisford said of the runner-up Awaal: “He’s run really well, I’m very happy with him. We’ve got a lovely horse for the rest of the season ahead of us and he likes that ground.

“It’s the name of the game and you’ve got to take it (defeat) on the chin.

“We might step him up in distance.”

Of the third-placed Baradar, trainer George Boughey said: “I’m very happy, he’s run a big race and I think seven furlongs is his ideal trip.

“He bolted up here over seven on this ground. Kevin (Stott) said he just didn’t quite see it out as well as possibly stouter-bred horses.”

Menuisier looks to Wonderful Tonight to continue rise through the ranks

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David Menuisier has come a long way since starting out with four horses – and his latest stable star Wonderful Tonight could ensure things become even better by giving him further Group One glory.

With both the Pertemps St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday and the Prix Vermeille at ParisLongchamp 24 hours later under consideration for the three-year-old, it could be a weekend to savour for the Coombelands handler, whichever option he decides to pursue.

But while there may be plenty of big-race plans for Menuisier to look forward to at the moment, his career was almost over before it even started back in 2014.

He recalled: “We started in January 2014, got the licence in April, and we only had enough money to last us until June. We had one paying horse that joined us in May, the other four my parents sent over – two were Flat horses and the other two were store horses.

“We spread the word around that we were selling the store horses and somebody was really interested. They made an offer, which was about a third of what we expected, but beggars can’t be choosers, so we decided to accept the offer, but he had to pass the vet.

“Everything went quite smoothly, they just had to listen to his heart and the vet found a heart murmur, so that was the end of that as he failed the vetting.

“There was a week or 10 days left in June and we were wiped out, basically, and I was distraught, as that was our last hope to carry on.”

Just as Menuisier was preparing to concede defeat, he received a call that would change his life forever.

He said: “The very next day I got another phone call from someone that was interested and they were offering even less money, but that was irrelevant at that point.

“I accepted the offer and the other vet came down. Everything went smoothly again and there was only one thing left and it was his heart.

“He listened to it and said ‘that’s all good’ and we were shocked he managed to pass. The vet turned around and said to me ‘I know he has a murmur, but that is a good sign as it means he has a big heart!’.

“He vetted the filly as well and the next day he managed to get her sold as well. It was extraordinary and I remember like it was yesterday, as I was ready to write the letter to relinquish the barn.”

From the sale of the two horses, Menuisier was able to purchase a lead horse to accompany Slunovrat, who would go on to reward his handler’s perseverance by becoming his first winner less than two months later – but only after giving him an almighty scare.

He said: “I was running Slunovrat for the third time to get him handicapped at Kempton and he fell over right behind the horse of Amanda Perrett’s we were tracking. He was our last hope and we nearly lost him, so it shows you should never give up.

“We ran him at Newbury first time in a handicap in August and he ran a stormer to finish second, but for us it was like a win. Then I sent him to Newcastle and he managed to win there over a mile and a half. It was the best day of our lives.

“We came back the next day at two or three in the morning and Clive (Washbourn) rang later on August 26 and said ‘I was waiting for you to prove you can train a winner and now you have, I want you to buy me some horses’.”

Menuisier’s association with Washbourn has been a major part of his success, highlighted by the exploits of globetrotting Group Two winner Thundering Blue, who could enjoy his swansong in the Listed Foundation Stakes at Goodwood later this month.

Menuisier said: “He is getting on and has some serious mileage on the track – and air miles, too.

“We would like to find him a good opportunity to go out on a high before he is retired.”

With Thundering Blue nearing the end of his career, Wonderful Tonight remains at the peak of her powers – something Menuisier hopes the Le Havre filly will continue in whichever Group One she ends up contesting next weekend.

He added: “I think the main plan is to run in the Vermeille and as I’m French, it is one of those races you dream of winning all your life.

“The Leger is not the plan at this stage, but it could come into contention if it looks wet here and not so in France as she will stay.

“The Vermeille does look like a very good race as you will find a few fillies with Arc credentials in there.

“It would be a great birthday present to win either race, as I’m changing decade with my birthday on Saturday.”