'He's been a fairytale' - The Craftymaster going great guns for connections and his own sire

A trip to March Hare Stud four years ago did not at first look like paying too many dividends for co-owner Steve Barton, but in the past four months the racehorse he ended up with that day has undergone a remarkable transformation.

Step forward The Craftymaster. A son of Rosie and Luke Gedge-Gibson's stallion Master Carpenter, he beat only two rivals home in his first three outings, finishing last of 12 at 200-1 at Windsor on his third run, before showing a little more promise on his fourth and final start for Roger Teal, coming eighth of 13 at Bath last July.

Switched to Tony Carroll and running off a mark of 48 initially for his new yard in October, The Craftymaster wasn't far away from making a winning start as he was beaten just three-quarters of a length at Wolverhampton, where he was upped considerably in trip to two miles.

A fluke? Absolutely not, as following another runner-up effort at the same track, he has proceeded to win his last five races and climb to an official rating of 64.

William Carson has been aboard for the nap hand of wins, three at Wolverhampton and the last two at Lingfield.

Barton, who is retired having owned an engineering business that did special effects, said: "I went with Anne Cowley to March Hare Stud in 2020 and I saw some foals and pointed at any one and said, 'How much would that cost?' 

"Rosie told me and then later called and said she'd discount the horse, so I spoke to three friends who had never had a horse before and we bought him.

Steve Barton (right) with The Craftymaster at Lingfield this year Credit: Mark Cranham

"The plan was to send him to Roger Teal's in Lambourn as it was closer than Tony in Worcestershire. The horse first went to pre-trainer Matt Hampton, near Bath. It took a long time, about a year and a half, before he went to Roger's. 

"Roger went by the breeding of Master Carpenter and ran him over seven furlongs and a mile and a quarter, and he just didn't show anything."

Such was the initial despondence that the other three partners in the horse did not want to continue. Barton, who had been involved in racehorse ownership before, subsequently contacted Hampton about finding the chestnut a retirement home, but it wasn't long before Carroll intervened and fortunes turned around. 

Barton said: "The other three felt like they wanted to call it a day, so I rang Matt and asked if he could find Crafty a home. A month later I rang to ask how he was getting on, and he said a couple of people were interested. 

"I then rang Tony up for some badges for Newbury and he asked how the horse was getting along. I said it was just me as the others had dropped out and I was looking to retire him. 

"Tony said he could find a home for him or race him, and I said if you could do anything with him in three months then I'd see.

Master Carpenter (right) was a talented and tough sort on the trackCredit: Louise Pollard

"Tony took him and put him in a field for a month and when we went to see him we couldn't believe how much he'd grown. 

"At Lingfield for his most recent win, Tony said on the television the horse was a late developer and he just stays forever. Crafty's been a fairytale really as he was about three weeks away from being retired from racing."

Happily, there is now plenty to think about as far as future targets are concerned, with Barton and fellow co-owners Carroll, Roger Miles and Tony Stamp aware of some lucrative prizes on the all-weather. 

Barton continued: "There's this Arc bonus around and there's a mile and a half race we're looking at as we're trying to get one more race into him this month. 

"We're not going to go chasing around too much as we want to give him a rest, and he'll then go to the turf. We were thinking about sending him jumping but the weather has been so atrocious and Tony didn't think it would do him any good."

While The Craftymaster has been operating at Class 5 and 6 level on the all-weather, his sire Master Carpenter had just one of his 53 races on an artificial surface and was a stakes winner and seven-time scorer on turf.

He was trained by Rod Millman throughout his career, his highlights coming when winning the Group 3 Prix Daphnis at Chantilly, the Listed Heron Stakes at Sandown and the valuable John Smith's Cup at York.

As well as winning the Heron and Prix Daphnis at three, he finished third in the Greenham Stakes, Classic Trial at Sandown and Prix Eugene Adam. The durable chestnut was also second in the Rose of Lancaster Stakes at four and third to Cannock Chase the following year in the Huxley Stakes. 

He won at least once in five of his six campaigns, his final victory coming on his penultimate run when a seven-year-old.

Having retired to stud for 2019 at an opening fee of £2,000, the now 13-year-old has showed himself more than capable of producing winners. On the Racing Post database, he has sired four winners from nine individual runners, including three multiple scorers. In addition to The Craftymaster, there is David's Diva – who seeks a four-timer at Southwell on Tuesday – and Princess Naomi, both trained by Millman. 

Barton said of the stallion: "He's got a good strike-rate, David's Diva won the other day, bringing up the hat-trick, and she's another nice one by Master Carpenter."

Off the back of such results, March Hare has decided to offer free nominations to the first five breeders who book their mares in if The Craftymaster continues his winning run. 

March Hare's other established sire, Charming Thought, has enjoyed a decent time too. The son of Oasis Dream's leading progeny include 2023 Santa Anita Grade 3 scorer Amy C and Killarney Listed winner Charterhouse.

Read more

‘It’s about leaving something self-preserving’ - Cambridge University Horse Racing Society hitting full stride 

Juddmonte announce mating plans for star-studded broodmare band