Paper Promise

Paper Promise : 2012 chestnut mare
Owner : Ellistrin Partnership

Pedigree

                                                                      Spectrum
                                        Gamut
                                                                      Greektown
Paper Promise (IRE)
2012 chestnut mare
                                                                      Old Vic
                                        Rose Vic
                                                                      Greek Melody

The family

Paper Promise is the second produce out of the unraced mare Rose Vic, a daughter of the excellent NH sire Old Vic, and a full sister to Paper Roses also in training at Dodlands Steading who has been bumper and hurdle placed several times from 2015 to date.
Rose Vic also has bumper/hurdle/chase winner Way Out West (b 2013 by Westerner), a filly (b 2014) also by Westerner and colts (b 2017 & 2018) by Jet Away. In August '19, her 3yr-old half-sister by Califet was purchased to also join Dodlands and is in training for 2020-21 season.
The grand dam, Greek Melody, was placed in 4 bumpers before prevailing in a similar event over 2½ miles at Dundalk in the mid 90s. She followed that up with a 3rd place again over 2½ miles in her sole hurdle race. As a broodmare, she has bred 3 winners who all achieved black type - the mare Best Wait (placed in a Royal Bond), Grade 3 placed Spartan Angel and Grade 1 placed Arrive Sir Clive.
The 3rd dam Kazama, placed in France, has proved an excellent broodmare, with 7 individual winners from 8 foals. Best being 6-time winner Kiora, Group 3 placed on the level, Listed placed over hurdles.

About the sire

Gamut (bay horse, born 1999) raced in each of 5 seasons from 2 to 6 when trained by Sir Michael Stoute in the early 2000s. He won 6 races, and was ridden by Keiron Fallon in each of those victories.
And he showed himself as a top class racehorse, with all those wins coming at around 12f, including the Group 1 Grand prix de Saint-Cloud as a 5yr old.

At stud, Gamut was initially marketed as a dual purpose sire while standing at Sunnyhill Stud in Ireland before moving on to Rosshill Farm stud (Co. Galway) in 2014, where his progeny have been almost totally NH focused (Stud fee €3-4k).
Road to Riches (b 2007) is from Gamut's first crop and a top class chaser (a dual Grade 1 winner), as Gamut has built a reputation as a sire of strong gallopers. Road to Respect, from his 4th crop, a dual Grade 1 winning chaser is another top class jumper.
In addition, Joshua Lane finished 3rd in the 2014 Festival Bumper whilst Any Drama and Springtown Lake are classy horses in recent times.

Form Summary

Season 2020-21 outlook
Paper Promise started last season as a very promising, progressive hurdling mare. She would have been top of our list of 'sure-fire winner' in the yard.
Nothing went right for the mare, as although travelling well in her races, she found nil when the pace quickened from 2 or 3 out. She may have had a low-grade virus which affected some inmates, and we never got a chance to test her out in April. Oh well......

For the forthcoming season, it's as you were. Now on a very favourable mark of OR102, you'd have to think that a 0-105 handicap hurdle over 2 - 2½ miles would be well within the scope of this triple winner.
We do rate Paper Promise highly but she has it all to prove given her form last season.

Well, we can but try.....

Previously....
Such was the regard in which we held our filly Paper Roses (b 2011), one of our acquisitions at Tatts Ire NH Store Sales in 2014, that we kept in touch with breeder Niall Delany as Paper Roses was the first produce of the dam Rose Vic. He consigned a full sister to Paper Roses to the 2016 sales renewal.
We liked the look of this filly - who, unusually for NH Store sales these days, was a 4yr old at the time - although she bore no resemblance at all to Paper Roses even though she is her full sister! A bit bigger in conformation, athletic but unfurnished, which probably explains why we were able to bring her home for €1.6k. But we did have inside knowledge in that her sister had displayed quite an engine, and we were delighted to have Paper Promise.

Being that little bit older than her fellow sales purchases of 2016, 'Brooke' did come back into training early in 2017 and made her bumper debut down the road at Kelso in late May. She ran a race of immense potential, travelling on the bit to the home straight where she set off in pursuit of the clear leader (and eventual winner), the flat-bred Heartasia. 8 lengths in it on the line but a fine 2nd place on debut!

Season 2017-18 was tremendous for the mare, 2 bumper wins and finishing off with a fine run in the Grade 2 Mares' bumper at Aintree, finishing 7th.

For season 2018-19, we gave her the time required and she ran a couple of nice races in February/March, winning the second of those at Newcastle where Craig Nichol, deputising for the injured Callum, galvanised the mare from the last to snatch victory close home.
2019-20 could not come quick enough.......

Season		win	2nd	3rd	4th	other
2017-18	NH Flat	2	1			1
2018-19	Hurdles	1				2
2019-20	Hurdles				2	2
2020-21	Hurdles				1	2

Current Season Form

18 January 21 Ayr : 2m 5½f Mares Handicap Hurdle (Class 5 0-100) OR 95 heavy 10 ran (C Nichol) - pulled up

Watied with in rear, gradually lost touch after 4 out, tailed off when pulled up before 3 out

We decided to retire Paper Promise following this race and she will continue her equine career as a broodmare.

21 December 20 Musselburgh : 1m7½f mares handicap hurdle (Class 5 0-105) OR 100 good to soft 12 ran (C Nichol) - 8th (beaten 30l)

Never better than mid-division, ridden 3 out, not fluent 2 out, soon weakened

Paper Promise didn't run as well as we'd hoped here. Craig reported that he felt that she wouldn't let herself down on the ground and although the going was good to soft, this was the fastest surface she has encountered for come time.

6 December 20 Kelso : 2m Handicap Hurdle (Class 4 0-115) OR 104 Soft 14 ran (Tom Buckley) - 4th (beaten 14¾l)

Reluctant to start and soon behind, good headway to join leaders on outer after 2nd, led 2 out, soon ridden and one pace.

Paper Promise was unusually mulish at the start and had to put in a fair deal of effort to join the leading group early. Every chance 2 out but earlier exertions took their toll.

Previous Season Form

26 February 20 Musselburgh : 2m 4f mares handicap hurdle (Class 4 0-120) OR 104 soft 9 ran (C Whillans (3)) - 5th (beaten 14½l)

Held up, headway to track leaders appr 4 out, ridden approaching 3 out, gradually weakened

Paper Promise wore a first time tongue tie to aid her in the finish but this was another below par effort given her ability.

28 January 20 Newcastle : 2m mares handicap hurdle (Class 4 0-120) OR 106 soft 9 ran (C Whillans (3)) - 4th (beaten 16¾l)

Prominent, led approaching 4 out till headed after 3 out, still every chance after 2 out, weakened last

We'd hoped for a bit better but she didn't seem to see out the race.

21 December 19 Newcastle : 2m 4½f mares handicap hurdle (Class 4 0-120) OR 108 soft 7 ran (C Whillans (3)) - 4th (beaten 18¾l)

Keen, waited with tracking leader, not able to challenge and weakened after 2 out

After a promising first run of the season, we had hoped for a little better from Paper Promise. Maybe this race had come too soon (13 days) or perhaps she doesn't quite stay 2½ miles. Phil Kirby's lightly weighted winner Theflickeringlight would have been hard to beat either way.

8 December 19 Kelso : 2m Handicap Hurdle (Class 4 0-110) OR 109 Soft 14 ran (C Whillans (3)) - 6th (beaten 11¼l)

Mid division, ridden and outpaced 3 out, kept on after 2 out but never reached leaders.

First run of the season for the mare as she had been held up in her autumn prep by a couple of minor issues. As such this was a pleasing run, and Callum reported that she kept on nicely when getting her second wind in the home straight.

16 March 19 Newcastle : 2m ½f Mares Novices' Hurdle (Class 4) heavy 7 ran (C Nichol) - won (by ¾l)

Led, challenged and ridden 2 out, headed approaching last, 3 lengths down when stayed opn strongly to lead near finish

Very testing conditions and this did look like a two horse race beforehand and so it panned out. Runner up Darling du Large travelled alarmingly well throughout and when she went clear after the last, that looked it. But Craig asked Paper Promise to dig deep and she got back up to win.

6 February 19 Ayr : 2m Novices Hurdle (Class 4) soft 14 ran (C Whillans(3) - 6th (beaten 9¼l)

Trckd ldr, every chance 2 out, ridden and one paced.

Paper Promise jumped well and was in with a chance of a place at least but had no extra from the second last. She may have been just short of a gallop, so this race will bring her on a fair bit.

2 December Carlisle : 2m 4f Novices hurdle (Class 4) heavy 10 ran (C Whillans (3)) - 5th (beaten 30l)

Slowly into stride and in rear early, effort 4 out, weakened after 3 out

Although Paper Promise jumped very well on her hurdling debut, overall she ran as if she needed the race on her first run for 8 months.

13 April Aintree : 2m 1f Mares Only NH Flat (Grade 2, Class 1) soft 20 ran (C Whillans) - 7th (beaten 6l)

Travelled well in mid division, not clear run 3f out, staying on when checked 2f out, ran on well near finish

Aintree's Nickel Coin Mares' bumper. She may have only been 7th, but this was a cracking run by Paper Promise. The pace was not as strong as we'd liked and when the leader finally quickened, Paper Promise found herself short of room. Still, once in the clear she stayed on really well into 7th.

20 February 18 Wetherby 2m NH Flat Class 5 Heavy 7 ran (C Whillans (3)) - won by ½l

Tracked leaders going well, smooth headway to lead 4f out, ridden 3f out, joined 2f out, driven to lead again 1f out, stayed on well

Paper Promise came clear in the final 2f with the odds on favourite (Olly Murphy's It's O Kay) and kept on bravely inside the final furlong, under a largely hands and heels ride from Callum. That puts us on a record of 4-10 from 5 horses in bumpers this season!

3 January 18 Musselburgh 1m 7½f NH Flat Class 5 Good to soft 9 ran (C Whillans (3)) - won by 7l

Tracked leaders going well, led on bit 3f out, shaken up and clear 2f out, comfortably

Paper Promise confirmed the form of her debut run in May and her recent work on the gallops with a convincing victory at Musselburgh. Always travelling well, she only had to be shaken up in the home straight by Callum to assert and put the race to bed 2f out. Probably hurdling next.

28 May 17 Kelso 2m NH Flat Class 4 Good 13 ran (C Whillans (3)) - 2nd beaten 8l

Held up in rear, good headway to join leaders 3f out, chased winner and every chance 2f, stayed on but not pace of winner final furlong.

Paper Promise has run an excellent race on debut, a bit green initially but soon warming to the race and travelling well at halfway. She made progress on the bit turning out of the back straight but couldn't match the pace of previous winner Heartasia. She finished 5 lengths clear of the 3rd.