'He could be anything' - Rafferty's Return shining after the toughest of starts

The tale of Rafferty's Return can be considered an excellent example of triumph over adversity and particularly for breeder Paul Barrett, who took every measure possible to save the talented gelding from a life-threatening condition as a foal.

Rafferty's Return has made an ultra smooth start to his career under rules, winning by four and a half lengths on his hurdling debut at Newcastle this month, although things were anything but straightforward when the son of Schiaparelli was born on April 30, 2015 to Duchess Theatre.

Having been unable to stand, he was diagnosed as 'windswept', an abnormality in foals where limbs are slanted in one direction in one limb and in the opposite direction in the other.

Barrett recalled: "He was born very badly windswept, and it took a long time just to get him standing. In his case it was the back legs, it's almost like the horse is standing in a gale, the two legs are swept in.

"The farrier had to do a lot of work, he had to put plates on his back legs just to raise a leg so he wasn't dragging his fetlock on the floor."

The condition proved so serious that Barrett - a beef and arable farmer based near Leominster in Herefordshire - and his vet, the late Brendan Paterson, were considering euthanasia and the family spent many days keeping watch.

He said: "The vet was coming every other day to make a decision as to whether he should be put down or not, because he was in quite a bad way.

"I'm a farmer by trade, so I'm used to animals and there's no point letting an animal suffer, but we kept on."

The difficulties did not end there, however, as Rafferty's Return was then deemed unraceable by the vet at the Goffs UK Doncaster Spring Store Sale in 2018, meaning he went unsold.

Barrett said: "As a three-year-old I took him to Doncaster as a store and the vet said, in his opinion, this horse wasn't fit to be a racehorse due to wind problems and a dissymmetry of his pelvis.

"I therefore sold him privately and since then he's gone on to run well in two bumpers and win first time out in a novice hurdle for Rebecca Menzies."

The future now looks far brighter for Rafferty's Return, who was given a Racing Post Rating of 122 for his easy success at Newcastle under Sean Quinlan, and Barrett is more than content watching his former charge flourish under Menzies' care and in the silks of John Wade.

He said: "By sheer luck he's found himself with a very good trainer in Rebecca and a good owner in John Wade. They're just taking their time with him as he's 17.2 hands and they see a lot of potential for the future; they think he's quite special.

"I get a great kick out of watching the horse I've bred win because of his backstory. It was a lot of hard work and I'm indebted to my vet. I'd say the horse has a lot of potential as a three-mile chaser, he could be anything really."

Barrett refers to himself as a stockman rather than a horseman and considers the thoroughbreds as just "a hobby".

Aside from Duchess Theatre, a placed daughter of King's Theatre from the family of top-class miler Zilzal, he also has Don And Gerry, a terrifically consistent hurdling daughter of Vestris Abu who he picked up for just £2,200 from the Ascot Autumn Sale in 2009.

She has in turn produced the useful and versatile Passing Glance gelding Flashing Glance, who won a Class 2 handicap hurdle for Tom Lacey and a partnership including his breeder on his most recent start last month.

Paul Barrett with Rafferty's Return before a date at the salesCredit: Paul Barrett

Barrett also has several more of Don And Gerry's progeny by Yorton Farm Stud's Pether's Moon, who he noted had sired a first British winner over the weekend through the Toby Lawes-trained Taunton bumper winner Realta Royale.

It all means that Barrett, who had never owned broodmares before his current two and had become increasingly interested in racing after having ownership shares in a few fairly ordinary performers over the years, can boast an excellent strike-rate.

He continued: "It has to be a passion, I don't do this to make a fortune.

"I've got six or eight horses around the place now with the youngsters but just the two mares, the other has produced Flashing Glance, who has won seven races now including most recently at Hereford."

While connections plot the next move for Rafferty's Return, Barrett's attentions turn to mating plans for the new year. A full-sibling can be expected in 2023 as Duchess Theatre will return to Overbury Stud resident Schiaparelli, while Don And Gerry is set to be covered by Masterstroke at Yorton Farm Stud.

Their owner added: "Duchess Theatre is going to return to Schiaparelli in about March time, while Don And Gerry will go to Masterstroke. This will be her last foal as she's 21, but Duchess Theatre has plenty ahead of her at 14."

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