Not So Sleepy
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Not So Sleepy (foaled 18 April 2012) is a retired British
Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
racehorse who competed in
National Hunt National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches. In ...
and flat races. In 2019 and 2020 he won the Grade 3 Betfair Exchange Trophy Handicap Hurdle and in 2021 he tied with Epatante in a
dead heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...
in the Grade 1
Fighting Fifth Hurdle The Fighting Fifth Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt racing, National Hunt Hurdling (horse race), hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years or older. It is r ...
, before winning the race outright in 2023.


Background

Not So Sleepy is a
chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...
gelding with a white blaze. His sire, Beat Hollow, won four Group/Grade 1 races in Europe and the United States. His unraced dam, Papillon De Bronze, is a daughter of Marju, winner of the Group 1
St James's Palace Stakes The St James's Palace Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts. It is run at Ascot Racecourse, Ascot ...
. He was bred by Lord Blyth and remained in ownership of the Blyth family, going into training with Hughie Morrison at
East Ilsley East Ilsley is a village and civil parish in the Berkshire Downs in West Berkshire, north of Newbury. The village is centred immediately east of the A34 dual carriageway which passes the length of the village from north to south. It has the v ...
in
West Berkshire West Berkshire is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. It is administered from Newbury by West Berkshire Council. History The district of Newbury was formed on 1 April 1974, as a merger of the borough of Newbur ...
. He is ridden out by his groom Selvaraj Rasiah.


Racing career

Not So Sleepy raced twice as a two-year-old in 2014, winning a maiden stakes at
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
on his first racecourse appearance. As a three-year-old, he raced three times in England and three times in France, winning the Dee Stakes and finishing third in the Prix du Prince d'Orange at Longchamp. In 2016 he raced seven times, with his best result being third place in a handicap at Newbury. He achieved his third win in June 2017 in a handicap at
Epsom Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ...
. In 2018 he raced thirteen times without a win, although he finished second in four races and third in two races. In January 2019, the seven-year-old gelding raced for the first time over hurdles, winning a novice event at
Wincanton Wincanton ( or ) is a town and electoral ward in Somerset, southwest England. The town lies off the A303 road, a main route between London and South West England, and has some light industry. In the 2021 census the civil parish had a populatio ...
on his second start. He has been ridden in all his races over jumps by Jonathan Burke. During the summer he returned to the flat without a win. In October he ran in the
Cesarewitch Handicap The Cesarewitch Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newmarket over a distance of 2 miles and 2 furlongs (3,621 met ...
at Newmarket for the first time and came fourth. In November 2019 he won a handicap hurdle at
Ascot Ascot, Ascott or Askot may refer to: Places Australia * Ascot, Queensland, suburb of Brisbane * Ascot, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a locality * Ascot Park, South Australia, suburb of Adelaide * Ascot (Ballarat), town near Ballarat in Victoria ...
. He returned to Ascot in December for his next race, the Grade 3 Betfair Exchange Trophy Handicap Hurdle, where he started as joint favourite for only the second time in his career. After leading throughout the race, he won easily by nine lengths. Not So Sleepy made his first appearance at the Cheltenham Festival in March 2020, where he was pulled up before the last in the Grade 1
Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt racing, National Hunt Hurdling (horse race), hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years ...
, which was won by Epatante. In the autumn he won a handicap at
Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. It lies to the east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the ...
before achieving another fourth place in the Cesarewitch. Not So Sleepy, who is known for his quirks, then made a disastrous appearance in the
Fighting Fifth Hurdle The Fighting Fifth Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt racing, National Hunt Hurdling (horse race), hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years or older. It is r ...
at
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
. Ridden by Paddy Brennan for the first time, he jumped off into the lead only to swerve at the first hurdle, unseating his rider. Running loose, he then swerved again at the second and carried out the third favourite Silver Streak. The race was won by favourite Epatante. In December he won the Betfair Exchange Trophy Handicap Hurdle for the second time, on this occasion ridden by Tom O'Brien as his regular jockey, Jonathan Burke, was injured. The Cheltenham Festival 2021 saw Not So Sleepy start as 125/1 outsider in a field of ten for the Champion Hurdle. He came fifth, thirteen lengths behind the winner,
Honeysuckle Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or Vine#Twining vines, twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae. The genus includes 158 species native to northern latitudes in North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. Widely kno ...
. In April 2021, he made his only appearance at
Aintree Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, northeast of Liverpool city centre. In 2011 the parish had a p ...
, coming seventh in a field of eleven in the Aintree Hurdle. The highlight of Not So Sleepy's 2021/22 National Hunt season was a dead heat with Epatante in the 2021 Fighting Fifth Hurdle. His 2022 Cheltenham Festival appearance was a repeat of the previous year, starting at 125/1 in the Champion Hurdle and beaten in fifth place by favourite Honeysuckle. In the autumn of 2022 there was a third place in the Cesarewitch, before Not So Sleepy came third behind Constitution Hill in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle. His appearance at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival again ended in fifth place in the Champion Hurdle, this time starting at odds of 150/1 and finishing 32 lengths behind the favourite, Constitution Hill. The eleven-year-old began the 2023/24 season with a return to the winner's enclosure for the first time in two years, winning the Autumn Cup Handicap on the flat at Newbury with jockey
Oisin Murphy Oisin Murphy (born 6 September 1995) is an Irish jockey based in the United Kingdom who competes in flat racing. He has won two British Classics and a number of Group 1 races. He has been British Champion Jockey in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024 ...
. This was followed by another appearance in the Cesarewitch, when he came seventh in a field of 31. At the beginning of December he was due to run in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, but the race was postponed due to snow and eventually took place at
Sandown Park Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse racin ...
a week later on 9 December. With the withdrawal of fancied runners Constitution Hill and Shishkin due to the heavy ground, Not So Sleepy started the outsider in a field of four at odds of 9/1. Jockey Sean Bowen kept him tucked in behind the leader, Goshen, until the second last hurdle, when he went clear and kept on to win comfortably by 8 lengths from the mare Love Envoi, becoming the oldest winner of the race in its 54-year history.


References

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External links


Zoey Bird visits Not So Sleepy at Hugh Morrison's yard for At the Races
2012 racehorse births National Hunt racehorses Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom