New opportunity for Crawford Trainer Stuart Crawford is thrilled to have been given the opportunity to train a horse for leading owner Roger Brookhouse after being sent exciting filly Montana Belle. Brookhouse has horses trained by the likes of David Pipe, Philip Hobbs and Tom George in Britain, but the only horse he has previously had based in Ireland is Sadler's Risk, who is in the care of Henry de Bromhead. Montana Belle won a junior bumper at Newbury in December, when trained by John Butler, before being snapped up by Brookhouse for £170,000 at Cheltenham's Brightwells Sales the following month, and it is a measure of Crawford's growing reputation that Brookhouse has decided to send him such an expensive purchase. "It's the first horse we've had for him and we very much appreciate that he sent us one," said Crawford, who sold the smart mare Legacy Gold to Brookhouse last year. "We're very excited to get the filly and hopefully we can get a wee bit of luck with her." Montana Belle could now run in the Irish TBA Fillies Scheme Premier Bumper at Punchestown on May 2. County Antrim-based Crawford said: "The plan was always to go to Punchestown for the fillies' race there and if she runs anywhere I'd say that's where it'll be. "She has a cracking pedigree and she's an even better stamp of a mare."
