Two winners in the past three weeks have confirmed Peter Hiatt is still a force to be reckoned with in the training ranks... if he is given the ammunition.
The 73-year-old handler might be one of the sport’s more senior operators, but that doesn’t stop him being still being firmly ‘hands on’ at his base at Hook Norton, near Banbury.
Hiatt drove the horse-box to Windsor on Monday night and although Roxy Lane found the ground a touch firm in the 1m 2f maiden and failed to trouble the judge, he is now eligible for handicaps where he will probably drop back to 1m.
Meawhile, Hiatt is hopeful of striking once more at Bath today (THURS) where he runs Another Squeeze and Special Report.
Hiatt said: “The horse had the cough for a couple of months and were below par even though it didn’t show anything on the scope. You have to give them time and they seem to have come right again now.”
The yard has been on the mark recently with Flag Of Glory in a 1m 2f lady amateur riders’ contest where he was ridden by Michelle Edden, the daughter of owner Nick, before Shirataki scored at Newbury last Friday.
Candid in his admission of the current dearth of numbers at Six Ash Farm, Hiatt said: “We have about 14/15 in but at this time of year could probably do with three or four more horses.”
Another Squeeze is out of Hiatt’s old favourite Tight Squeeze, who won 14 races between 2002-2005, but while she has been largely disappointing, Special Report was second at Nottingham in a 1m handicap last Friday under emerging talent Shelley Birkett, the 7lbs claimer who is the daughter of trainer Julia Feilden.
Hiatt said: “We won’t get 25/1 again about that one bit the horse should almost win.”
Also in the Hiatt ranks for the summer months are The Westwalian, Al Meezan and Waahej, who could all be capable of winning races, the latter in particular likely to benefit with a little cut in the ground and a longer trip than Saturday’s 1m 2f outing at Lingfield.