The Sawyer has no extraordinary statistics to show for his six year career in National Hunt racing. Out of his 39 starts the chestnut jumper has won a relatively low eight races, placed second six times and came in third five times. However, after three exceptional race performances in a row, it seems The Sawyer has finally found his mojo.
The comeback started on Saturday 23rd January, when The Sawyer came, saw and conquered at the Victorchandler.com Handicap Chase at Ascot. He defeated a field of thirteen contenders, including favourite Pipe-trained Piraya. A week later, on 30th January, The Sawyer and jockey Nathan Sweeney repeated their success and emerged victorious from the Betfair Trophy Handicap Chase at Cheltenham. The next race the team entered was the Betfair Chase at Ascot, at Class 1 and Grade 1 the most difficult challenge The Sawyer had to face. To everyone’s great surprise, the 20/1 underdog and second oldest horse on the track placed third.

This sudden streak of success comes a year after The Sawyer last one a race. After two consecutive wins in January 2009, first at the European Operatives Harwell Trophy Handicap in Newbury, the second at the Cheltenham Betchronicle.com Trophy Chase, it seemed like the Buckler’s charge had run out of steam.

Now, as The Sawyer has proven beyond a doubt that he is still capable of running an excellent race, the only question left is where to let him loose next. Buckler is flirting with two stayers’ races, the Byrne Group Plate or the William Hill Trophy, both at Cheltenham. The Sawyer has officially returned from the forgotten, and it seems he is hell-bent on not being forgotten ever again.

Equally delighted was The Swayer’s trainer Bob Buckler, who was proud to see his charge rise from outsider status and place successfully. There are now future plans of entering The Sawyer into races at Cheltenham and Auteuil.