Frequently asked questions

Q1. How did Material World lose her eye?
A1. Through a fungal infection – see also under ‘History’ section.

Q2. As she lost her left eye, does she run better on right handed tracks?
A2. At first we thought so, and therefore only entered her on right handed tracks for her early races.   Then she ran in a mares’ listed race at Newbury which is left handed – her fast finishing second place told us it apparently did not make any difference. She has subsequently won right handed at Wincanton and left handed at Cheltenham.

Q3. How do you train a one eyed horse to jump straight?
A3. By initially having horses jumping upsides on either side.

Q4. How does a one eyed horse know when to take off for a jump?
A4. Same as any other horse – they can focus independently with either eye unlike humans who need two eyes to judge distance accurately.

Q5. So is having only one eye a handicap for racehorse?
A5. Yes – mainly due to the fact that in order to see what’s happening on the blind side, the horse needs to turn its head which can upset the stride rhythm.

Q6. Apart from the loss of the eye, has Material World suffered any other injuries?
A6. Sadly yes – one tendon injury which kept her out of racing for 15 months and more recently a fractured pelvis at the 2007 Cheltenham Festival. This may, or the fact that Oscar Park was on her blind side in the finishing straight, have prevented her from winning that day as she was only half a length down on the winner. As a matter of interest and fact, both Oscar Park and Material World ran faster than Inglis Drever over exactly the same course on exactly the same ground conditions on the same afternoon! They would have both been placed or even won the World Hurdle in 2007. Megabucks in prize money!

Q7. Why did you select Kayf Tara to be her first sire?
A7. This selection was based on good advice from colleagues in the industry. He has exceptional proven success on the racetrack, with progeny results on the racetrack, and at the sales with his offspring fetching up to £200,000.

Q8. Given the proven value of his offspring, and the almost unique brilliant performance history of Material World, is not the foal by Kayf Tara going to be worth big money?
A8. Yes! 

Q9. What were Material World’s greatest strengths?
A9. High cruising speed, accurate jumping and outstanding courage – couple this with a dedicated trainer and a good jockey who rode to instructions and there you had a combination that has delivered excellent value to her fans. If that is passed on to her foals, we are looking to breed a Champion Hurdle winner! As the saying goes, if you want to have a winner, breed from a winner!

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