SILVER TASSIE. 25 April 2008 Shantou-Silver Castor. Owner-R.M.Howard.
Silver Tassie has raced 30 times for us, but prior to arriving in the Autumn of 2015, had already raced on 24 occasions for the Noel Meade yard in Ireland.
He made his debut on October 12th, 2012 at Gowan Park in a bumper, finishing third, and in what turned out to be a very unusual coincidence, the horses who finished first and second, Pay The King, and Minella Hero, would also race from the Micky Hammond yard in later years. He used up his full quota of four bumper runs,with a second at Down Royal being his best effort.
Silver Tassie made his hurdles debut in May 2013, and got off the mark at Downpatrick in July, and then followed up under a penalty at Clonmel in October. He was stepped in to Grade 3 company for his next two races, just falling short of what was required, finishing forth on both occasions.
He made his chase debut after his Summer break in September 2014, winning by 24 lengths at Kilbeggan, and then it was a return to Grade 3 company at Tipperary, but this time over fences, where he finished a respectable second, earning a rating of 135. His next run at Cork was a solid third placing again in Graded company, but then his jumping let him down badly in his next three runs, failing to complete on each occasion. His final three runs for the Noel Meade yard in the Summer of 2015, saw him struggle to get competitive in each of those races.
Silver Tassie made his debut for us at Kelso in December 2015, finishing a respectable third of the six runners. In January at Ayr he had just taken up the running coming to the last when unseating Fin O'Toole, from a mark of 130, his last three runs before his Summer break saw him place each time, but he was in the handicappers grip.from a mark of 135. On his return in November for the 2016-2017 season, he was slow to come to hand, but did eventually get off the mark in March at Ayr, just having to be pushed clear in the heavy ground by Joe Colliver. He was back at Ayr two weeks later, staying on in to third, but on his following start pulled up at Perth, after bleeding from the nose.After a six month break he was back on the track at Carlisle, and once again he took a number of races to find his form. He finished second at Newcastle in February 2018, before having a tilt at the 'Eider Chase,' where he failed to complete in very heavy ground.He ran three more times that season, running creditably and placing on each occasion, but the handicapper never relented.
In November 2018, after another six months break, he returned to finish second at Ayr, and also managed two third placings, at Carlisle, and Cartmell, in March, and May, of 2019. As his twelfth year approached the handicapper finally began to relent, and Silver Tassie from his new mark of 122,finished third at Wetherby on three consecutive occasions, before his latest run at Catterick in January where he unseated at the 13th.
Silver Tassie is a very genuine, he acts on any surface, but probably prefers heavy ground, and stays forever. In his prime he just fell short of being a very serious horse, unfortunately as is the case with consistent types, they will always be in the grip of the handicapper.,