NICHE MARKET
9 b g Presenting - Juresse (IRE) (Jurado (USA)) 9-11-04
Form: P/2P41dU44P/31481-83529
Trainer: Bob Buckler
Breeder: William Flood
Owner: Graham Regan
Jockey: Harry Skelton
Niche Market passed the post first on his debut in a maiden point-to-point at Garnons in South Herefordshire in March, 2006, but was subsequently demoted to second after hanging in the closing stages. He also made an inauspicious racecourse debut for Karen Waldron that October when being pulled up in a novices’ hurdle at Worcester. Returning to the pointing sphere, Niche Market comfortably landed a maiden at Barbury Castle in January, 2007, before being bought for £20,000 by current trainer Bob Buckler at Brightwells Cheltenham April Sale four months later.
He made a pleasing start for new connections, taking second in an Exeter beginners’ chase in October, 2007, but failed win any of his seven subsequent starts, including when being demoted to the runner-up spot for a second time in his career in a novice chase at Exeter. The highlight of his first chasing season came with an excellent fourth behind Old Benny in the National Hunt Chase at the 2008 Cheltenham Festival and he returned to Prestbury Park seventh months later for his first start of the 2008/09 campaign, coming home third in a graduation chase in November, 2008.
He built on that effort the following month, gamely holding off Monkerhostin to triumph in a Listed handicap chase at Ascot but failed to live with Madison Du Berlais, Denman and Albertas Run when coming fourth in the Grade Two Levy Board Chase in February, 2009. After taking eighth on his second successive appearance in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham, Niche Market ended his season with the biggest success of his career so far when beating Church Island by two lengths in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse. Niche Market once again showed the benefit of a run this season, coming eighth on his seasonal return in a Listed handicap chase at Wincanton in November prior to posting a far better effort three weeks later to take third behind Denman and What A Friend in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury.
He returned to the Berkshire course for his next two starts with two contrasting efforts, fading to come home last in a graduation chase in December before going down by a short-head to Tricky Trickster in the Grade Two AON Chase in February. On his most recent start, Niche Market contested the William Hill Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival on March 16, when he made much of the running before fading in the closing stages to finish ninth behind Chief Dan George.
Race Record: Starts: 19; Wins: 2; 2nd: 3; 3rd: 2; Win and Place Prize Money: £227,846
Graham Regan:Born and bred in Blackrock, Co Dublin, Graham Regan grew up next to Leopardstown racecourse, which inspired his passion for racing. He moved to London in 1989 to work in the City, making his fortune from derivatives, and now divides his time between the capital and his family home in Burrow Bridge, Somerset. Regan made his first foray into racehorse ownership with trainer Paul Webber after a colleague introduced the pair, but the partnership enjoyed a less than fruitful start as Battling Buster was tailed off on his racecourse debut in a Sandown bumper in March, 2002.
Regan preferred to have horses trained nearer to his Somerset base and he sent two horses to local handler Simon Burrough, enjoying a first success when No Sam No, who triumphed in an amateur’s riders’ handicap at Worcester in August, 2004. Regan switched his horses to Bob Buckler in 2005 and the pair have gone on to great success, primarily with the 2009 Irish Grand National victor Niche Market. The nine-year-old is currently Regan’s only horse in training and he has reportedly turned down several large offers for his chaser.
John Smith’s Grand National Record: No previous runners
Bob Buckler: Born on December 10, 1954, Robert Hamilton Buckler, more commonly known as Bob, moved to Dorset in 1984, becoming resident farmer of 500-acre Melplash Court Farm near Bridport. Despite spending most of his time looking after his farm, Buckler started riding and training on the local point-to-point circuit for himself and friends, including his neighbour, subsequent Tote chairman Peter Jones. In total he rode 37 winners, with the highlight being victory on Buckhorn in a Hunters’ Chase at Ascot in April, 1990.
Buckler’s career under Rules began with ex-pointers in 1991 and he celebrated his first winner when Aviation Support won a Newton Abbott handicap chase on August 3. He saddled four winners in the 1991/92 season, but he shot to prominence with Carbonate, who landed a brace of handicap chases in January, 1993. Buckler took out his full licence in 1994 and he continued to impress with his limited number of horses, enjoying his first major success when See Enough landed the Grade Two Rendlesham Hurdle in February, 1996. Miss Diskin triumphed in a handicap chase at the 1998 Punchestown Festival and took second in the Grade Two Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase at the same course just 48 hours later.
Although enjoying numerous big-race successes from his Melplash Court Farm, Buckler’s horses spent several years suffering form viruses and in the summer of 2008 he moved his string to brand new facilities nearby at Higher Peckmoor, which he leases from Jeremy Barber (son of leading point-to-point trainer Richard). Buckler is no stranger to success over Aintree’s Grand National fences, having sent out I Hear Thunder to victory in the totepool Grand Sefton Handicap Chase in November, 2006, while he has also been victorious in the Irish Grand National with Niche Market, who took the spoils in the Fairyhouse feature in April, 2009.
Apart from Niche Market, his most notable performer this season has been The Sawyer, who won a valuable handicap chase at Ascot in January and followed up seven days later with victory in the Grade Three Silver Trophy at Cheltenham. Buckler’s daughter Carey rides in point-to-points and she won the Princess Royal Trophy, awarded to the top novice female rider, in May, 2006.
John Smith’s Grand National Record: No previous runners
Harry Skelton: Born on September 20, 1989, Harry Skelton is the son of legendary showjumper Nick, who himself almost became a jump jockey with David Nicholson before going on to represent his country in six Olympics. Not surprisingly, Harry grew up surrounded by horses and he learnt to ride on the same pony as his father, Oxo, and took part in some of the top pony showjumping competitions as a youngster.
Skelton enjoyed a summer with Reg Hollinshead when aged 13 prior to a spell at Richard Hannon’s yard after leaving school. He joined Paul Nicholls’ yard, where his older brother Dan is assistant trainer, in October, 2005, but continued to show an interest on the Flat and took part in the Bollinger series for amateur riders in the summer of 2006. After partnering a handful of Nicholls’ runners as an amateur, Skelton took the decision to turn professional on New Year’s Day, 2007, and he partnered his first winner under Rules when scoring on Temper Lad in a conditional jockeys’ selling handicap hurdle at Exeter on October 10, 2007.
His first full season as a conditional yielded 14 winners but it was a quick-fire big race double in December, 2008, that saw Skelton rise to prominence in his own right. Just days after guiding Niche Market to success in the valuable BGC Silver Cup Handicap Chase at Ascot, Skelton partnered Nozic to victory in the Grade Three Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase at Wetherby. A superb campaign reached further heights in April, 2009, as Skelton once again linked up with Niche Market to triumph in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse. Skelton has already surpassed last season’s tally of 27 winners this term and his biggest victory of the campaign so far has been on the Nicholls-trained Beshabar, who romped to an eight-length success in the Grade Three Heroes Handicap Hurdle at Sandown in February.
John Smith’s Grand National Record: No previous rides
