Deborah Faulkner is excited to see what the future holds for Golden Rules following his near-miss in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle.
The six-year-old was making just his second start for the Welsh handler when sent off the 9-2 joint-favourite at Gosforth Park and found just Richard Hughes’ Calling The Wind too good as he picked up a brave silver medal following a luckless run in the hands of Oisin Murphy.
The gelded son of Golden Horn is now set for a quiet week as connections plot their next move and his efforts in the north east have seen him handed a 3lb rise from the handicapper, now rated 97.
“We were over the moon, we all were,” said Faulkner.
“He didn’t have a great passage through, but there you go. Another day another dollar, but I guess they all say that.
“We have a couple of entries in mind, but we’ll see how he comes out of this. He hasn’t done anything since and he will have a little bit of a break now for a week or two before we make some definite plans.
“I don’t mind turf, providing we have a bit of cut in the ground, but we certainly wouldn’t want to be running him with firm in it.
“He’s just gone up 3lb to 97, so I would like to think he can progress from there. I don’t see why not. Keeping him in one piece now is the priority. Hopefully there is plenty to look forward to.”
Golden Rules’ owner Gareth Cheshire became a social media star in the days leading up to the race following a bullish television interview and Faulkner is hoping the publicity garnered from the Newcastle run can help put her stable on the map.
“It would be nice if we can get some owners through it and it just goes to show we can train these horses,” she added.
“We’ve got fantastic facilities and a swimming pool, which Golden Rules spends a lot of time in and has massively helped him with his fitness. He’s a big horse and if you keep galloping horses like that, then you invariably get problems. It has helped him no end.
“We would like to think something positive will come from this, but I guess although we’ve proven it, we need to show people it wasn’t a fluke.
“Gareth is waiting for I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here to ring him up now – or Naked Attraction!”
