First of Many

Sat 03 Jan 2026

Winner 1 of 2026: IKARAK, trained by Olly Murphy and ridden by Sean Bowen. The ‘Golf Inn Prestwick For The Ayr Stayers Trophy Handicap Hurdle (Challenger Stayers Hdl Series Qual)’ over 3m ½f at Ayr.

IKARAK has established himself as a consistent and competitive hurdler in our silks and under the diligence of Olly Murphy. Under a strong Sean Bowen drive, our now 8-year-old gelding powered home to land the feature contest at Ayr Racecourse. He pinged the final two hurdles and kept on well to see off the eventual second horse by 1 ¾ lengths, to give MPR the first success of 2026 and Sean Bowen his 170th victory of the National Hunt Season.

Our son of Karaktar is now an 8-time winner!

Watch the full race replay here: https://www.racingtv.com/watch/replays/2026-01-02/ayr/1530

Ikarak received a Timeform Rating of 132: "Wasted no time getting back to winning ways, taking a while to find top gear but looking good value for a career-best effort, making it 4 wins from 8 starts for current yard, this his eighth success overall; mid-division, outpaced approaching straight, rapid headway after three out, led two out, always holding on."

 Syndicate Manager Tim Palin: "Well done, everyone, and brilliant to see so many owners up at Ayr. It's a long way - but well worth the journey—another strong performance from your horse, who is in fine shape this winter. Not many horses win two competitive handicaps in a season."

Follow the link below for the official winning photos:

https://www.grossick.co.uk/p/80532khg/C386156458/x7-ikarak