LEXINGTON, KY-With the breeze-up sales having been thrown into turmoil in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic this spring, Yorkshire trainer Nigel Tinkler found himself with an important decision in his hands. Breeze-up consignors Roger Marley and John Cullinan, like others in the sector, had begun offering some of their pinhooks privately in an effort to soften the financial blows of the global economic crisis, and Tinkler was offered his choice of colts by Kodiac (GB) and Dandy Man (Ire) for his clients Martin and Lisa Webb.
“We had the choice of two horses and I actually rode them myself, and the Kodiac gave me a good feel so we made the purchase,” explained Tinkler, a former jockey who took out his trainers license in 1982. The Kodiac colt, bred by Derek and Gay Veitch’s Ringfort Stud and bought by Marley and Cullinan for 50,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 1 last year, is now named Ubettabelieveit (Ire), and on Friday he will become the first Breeders’ Cup starter for both Tinkler and the Webbs when he lines up in the five furlong GII Juvenile Turf Sprint.
“If it hadn’t been for Covid we probably wouldn’t have been able to afford him and he’d have made a lot more money at the bloodstock sales,” Tinkler reflected.
Martin Webb, who is visiting Kentucky for the first time this week with his wife Lisa, added, “Nigel picked this horse; there were four horses and two of them sold. There were two left, a Dandy Man and a Kodiac, and I said to Nigel, ‘you ride them and tell me what you like. I want your opinion.’ He got off the Kodiac and said, ‘this is the horse.'”
Tinkler’s premonition, over the last five months, has proven to be spot on. Ubettabelieveit finished fourth on debut at Doncaster over good to soft ground, but has won three of his four subsequent outings over better surfaces. He broke his maiden two weeks later in a Doncaster novice race under Oisin Murphy before taking the Listed National S. at Sandown under the same rider. He was disappointingly eased down to be last of nine when tackling six furlongs for the first time in the G2 Gimcrack S. at York on Aug. 21 after traveling freely early on, but put that blip behind him when reunited with Scott and dropped back down to five for the G2 Flying Childers S. at Doncaster on Sept. 11, winning by a head at 40-1 and giving his trainer his first Group 2 winner on the flat. Lisa Webb said they hadn’t even reached the winner’s enclosure that day before the Breeders’ Cup plan began to come to life. Tinkler said, “we got a text message from Max Pimlott, who works for the International Racing Bureau, to say the horse would definitely get an invite to come here. We could have run him in Newmarket in the [G3] Cornwallis [on Oct. 9] but we chose to take the chance and come here.”
“I’ve been training just under 40 years and it’s great to come here,” Tinkler added. “It’s sad there’s not a lot of people here but I’m still thrilled to be here. We’ve been very well looked after; we’ve been around to quite a few of the stud farms and found it very interesting. The place is just out of this world.”
The circumstances that saw Tinkler and the Webbs-who live in Cheshire and are in the business of road painting–develop a working relationship as well as a friendship were nearly as serendipitous as the ones that saw them wind up with Ubettabelieveit. About six years ago, the Webbs were at a charity dinner where a stable tour was among the auction items. With Martin having had a longtime interest in the game, the Webbs bid on and won the item. The tour was not for Tinkler’s yard, but when the trainer involved was unable to fulfill the engagement the event organizer connected the Webbs with another trainer he knew: Tinkler.
“They’ve been owners with me for five or six years now and we’ve been very fortunate,” Tinkler said. “We’ve had some nice horses, horses that have won at Ascot and Chester; they’ve been very lucky. They’re a lovely couple, they support me 100% and I support them and it’s great we’ve got this relationship.”
“Nigel and his wife, Kim, were both jockeys and Nigel’s father Colin was a trainer and a jockey, so it’s in their blood, as they say, and they live and breathe horses,” Lisa Webb said. “There are a lot of trainers we could have chosen, but with Nigel and Kim, we’re great friends. We’ve had some good times, we’ve been to Italy, to the Palio, with them.”
Martin added, “we’ve been very lucky, to be fair. Some people have these horses for years without having any joy. We’ve basically put all our faith in Nigel, and we can’t knock him; Northern trainers don’t seem to carry the same esteem as the Southern ones in the UK, but he’s done us proud.”
The Webbs and Tinkler are also keeping the faith in Ubettabelieveit’s young rider Rowan Scott, who got the ride back on the horse in the Flying Childers while Oisin Murphy was sitting out a suspension.
“Rowan gave the horse such a great ride [in the Flying Childers], so he deserves the ride here,” Martin said. “We want to support these people coming through. We could have had the pick of the jockeys; Hollie Doyle has won twice for us, Tom Eaves who is here riding Glass Slippers, he’s won for us. But Rowan deserves the ride. It’s a great opportunity for him and he’ll do exactly what you ask him to do. It’s not just another ride to him; he’ll give it everything.”
Tinkler said he thinks Ubettabelieve it has improved since his last run, and that he relies on the horse to tell him what he wants to do.
“He hasn’t had many races this year,” Tinkler said. “Our season basically finishes on Nov. 5; if it had continued a bit longer in England he might have had another run, but on the other hand he really needs good ground. He flew over last Friday and he’s been in tip-top form. He’s grown up a bit since the Flying Childers; he’s grown in height, but he’s also grown mentally. He’s a complete professional now. People have said, ‘what are you going to do with him?’ And I’ve said, ‘I’ll let him tell me what to do with him.’ He’s actually helped me to train him.
“He worked on the turf course [on Wednesday] and went around the bend really well, better than we actually expected, so we’re really looking forward to it. We’ve got a great draw in stall six; the favourite [Wesley Ward’s Golden Pal] has drawn 14 but he’s a very good horse and he’ll still take all the beating. But it gives us a little more of a chance him being drawn out there.”
In the meantime, the Webbs seem set to have plenty more fun in the racing game. Martin spoke of how they just recently retired the very first horse they bought and have kept him, and how they are following another of their former fillies in her new career as a polo horse. Still in their racing stable are the likes of Kaeso (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}), a winner of eight races who ran at Royal Ascot this year; and the 2-year-old gelding Isla Kai (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}), who is named for their grandchildren and who won a Redcar maiden at second asking in September. The Webbs bought two yearlings this fall, including Isla Kai’s half-brother by Fast Company (Ire).
The Webbs said they are enjoying themselves so much on their first Breeders’ Cup visit that they’re already looking ahead to 2021.
“For us in England, Royal Ascot is our big meeting, but now the world is our oyster,” Lisa said. “The Breeders’ Cup is at Del Mar next year, so we need a horse to take there, too.”
Martin acknowledged that, as of Thursday morning, the pre-race excitement had already taken hold.
“I normally get nervous on the morning of the race, getting a few butterflies and that, but I’m already getting it now,” he said. “It’s that sort of occasion.”
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