Steeplechase winner Kumbeshwar may be only four but he has already led a very active life, winning seven of his 28 starts, and in so doing he has joined an elite band of racehorses who have won on the Flat and over hurdles and fences.
The versatile Kumbeshwar
The first-crop son of King George winner Doyen became the first ever winner for his sire on September 12, 2009 over seven furlongs at Chester on his third start when in training with David Evans. He won again at two over the same distance at Catterick in November and then notched a hat-trick of wins at three on the fibresand at Southwell.
Kumbeshwar’s form at up to a mile and a half made him of obvious interest to the jumps fraternity and he was sold by his breeder Graham Amey following his final flat victory to race in the colours of the McNeill family and Nigel Bunter from the stable of Alan King on Bunter’s Barbury Castle estate.
He won a juvenile hurdle on his next start at Sandown and notched a string of impressive runs in defeat when running placed four times in Graded level, including finishing runner-up to Zarkandar in the Grade 1 Matalan Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree.
Making his steeplechasing debut on November 30, Kumbeshwar ran out the eight-length winner of the two-mile novices’ chase at Hereford and may now head to the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham Festival, where he finished second in last season’s Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.
Graham Amey’s use of first-season stallions with Kumbeshwar’s dam Camp Fire, by Lahib, paid dividends again this season when her two-year-old Cockney Fire became the first winner for National Stud resident Cockney Rebel.
