THE PINE MARTIN. 31 May 2010. Kalanisi-Regal Holly. Owner-The Rat Pack Racing Club.
For a 10 year old The Pine Martin is fairly lightly raced, having ran on 24 occasions to date. all over hurdles, racing 19 times for his first yard in Ireland, and just the five times for us to date.
The Pine Martin is a half brother to the Grade 3, J.P. McManus owned Dressedtothenines, who finished her racing career with a Racing Post Rating best of 152. His dam Regal Holly was the winner of eight races between 2000-2003.
It took a long time for The Pine Martin to show any semblance of form when racing from the yard of Denis Gerard Hogan in County Tipperary.He made his racecourse debut at Limerick on December 29th, 2014, tailing off, and finishing 13th, of the 15 runners.The closest he came in seven attempts, over the next 11 months, including his handicap debut from a mark of 90, was when beaten 34 lengths at Tipperary.His best effort while racing in Ireland came on his eighth start, in November 2015 at Thurles, where he finished forth of the 18 runners, beaten by six lengths. He raced exclusively in handicap hurdles for the remainder of his time in Ireland, placing twice more, but never finishing closer than a 15 length forth place at Thules in February 2016, He finished his career with the Hogan yard at Fairyhouse in January 2017.
The change of scenery must have done him good, because on his stable debut for us in May 2017 at Hexham, from a mark of 85, he won with a bit to spare, under Catherine Walton. He was back at Hexham 11 days later, and from a 8lb higher mark, with Finn O'Toole now riding, he finished a very commendable second, in a slightly better race. Unfortunately The Pine Martin succumbed to injury, and also had to have wind surgery, keeping him off the track for the next two and a half years.
When he returned at Newcastle in December 2019, it was hardly surprising that he weakened from three out, but after being given seven weeks to make sure he wouldn't be a victim of the bounce factor, he returned at Newcastle in late January, staying on in an eye catching manner to finish third, beaten 13 lengths on his first try for us over two miles, and six furlongs.He has raced just once more, at Carlisle in March, under Emma Smith-Chaston,and although he ran very well to finish third, beaten just under eight lengths, over two miles, and three furlongs, the feeling is that a longer trip is probably what he needs now.