Mallorey had a lovely trip down to Newbury today and then came back. When they announced first thing that they were going to inspect at 9am you start getting slightly worried but we really did not think it would get abandoned. Really, really annoying as his race had cut up and there only ended up being five runners and then the Alan King horse was declared as a non runner as well. Life just can't be that easy.
It has started to snow up here but it is very wet snow if you get my meaning so hopefully we will not get the problems we had last week.
We have declared Cheshire Rose for Wolverhampton on Friday so that is one definite runner and decisions regarding Fridays other entries will be made tomorrow. It looks like the ground is going to end up being heavy everywhere which will not hinder most of the intended runners and we just hope we do not get any further abandonments.
It's amazing what a buzz it puts around the yard after having a winner on Channel 4, everybody is on a real high and in great spirits. We had so many telephone calls congratulating us and good wishes from people coming up to use the gallop who we don't even know. There was a nice write up in the Sunday Times by Andrew Longmore saying we are just beginning to emerge. Let's hope we carry on emerging, at speed if possible!
Mallorey makes his 2nd appearance in 5 days as he goes off to Newbury tomorrow, he has come out of the race really well so he may as well take his chance. The ground sounds terrible which has kept some of those entered away but he seemed to handle the conditions on Saturday so he should cope again tomorrow.
We have got a whole heap of entries at the weekend with Sandsofthecolosseum, Dinarius, Cheshire Rose, Laughing Game, Hello You, Antonius Caesar and American Cricket all entered. It's a case of going through the races at the moment and seeing which is more suitable so that is the plan for this afternoon, much more enjoyable than doing paperwork.
Saturday was a superb day with Iconoclast winning for us again! He went down to Kempton which the Jockeys had described as the worst Kempton ground they had ridden on, being very sticky and gluey. Nerves were on edge as the starter let them go but right from the start Paddy Brennan had him perfectly settled and got into a lovely jumping gallop. As they jumped the last fence before the home straight he jumped himself into the lead from the 3rd position he had held all of the way through the race and galloped home to win very impressively. John and Lorraine Barlow were on Cloud No. Nine and I don't think they have come down yet. Lorraine was so nervous before the race she could hardly speak which is very unusual but afterwards I don't think she could stop.
We were really pleased with Mallorey as well who finished 3rd and coming into the home straight looked like the winner but just maybe needed the race a bit and the conditions took there toll.
Luthien hated the ground, she is not a very big filly and I think it was just to hard going for her.
Nautipcal Approach finished 4th at Huntingdon. The conditions there were awful and it had to pass three inspections before it went ahead due to a floor threat. They took out two fences in the home straight which are by the brook that can break its banks. I think Nautical possibly needs better ground but we were keen to run him and he did not disgrace himself.
This week we are at Newbury possibly on Wednesday and Catterick, Chepstow and Wolverhampton on Friday. I did not like the forecast this morning when they said it may snow again. I think if we get any hold ups again this week I may just go slightly loopy or slightly loopier!
Finally we have got some jumps action. Hopefully Nautical Approach goes to Huntingdon in the Handicap Chase, I say hopefully as they are having a 2nd Inspection this afternoon but they sound very hopeful.
Kempton have done a wonderful job to get the Lanzarote meeting the go ahead and we have three runners down there (not in the Lanzarote though!). Luthien and Mallorey run in the 1st race, the Juvenile Hurdle, not ideal to have two runners in the same race but they are both well and both get in the race so they may as well run! Iconoclast runs in the Novice Chase, his first time back over the big fences since he had his fall at Newbury nearly two years ago. He has grown up massively since then, he has always been a brilliant jumper but used to take a very keen hold but has really settled down now and would we be very pleased with a clear run around for him.
We should have a few runners next week and just hope what was reported in the Telegraph today does not come true when it stated as soon as it thaws it will re-freeze again and last until April. Some people always look on the bright side.
Last day of the builders inside the house today, hippee!! Normality as we know it returns.
The snow which was all very nice when it arrived a week ago is now getting very boring. We have managed to keep the horses in work but we have been unable to use the hill gallop and therefore can't get a good blow into them.
One of the downside of being in such a lovely remote area is when you do get the snow you tend to get quite cut off! We did not see the post man for four days, our paperman who gets to us come hell or high water even threw in the towel for a couple of days and the only vehicles in or out was the tractor or anybody with a four wheel drive.
We did manage to get to Kempton on Saturday with Cheshire Rose who is leased out for a couple of months to a new Owner, Adam McMahon. She was not that inspiring and did not do a tremendous amount to warm the cold day. The Owner had a good day though and it was nice to have him and his family there.
Along with Southwell, Kempton have put on an extra bumper meeting this Saturday which we have given three or four an entry for. It's not ideal but if they manage to get into the races it will be good for them to have a run as it looks like it will be into next week before we have any jumps racing.
At least the Whippets are enjoying it. For animals that are usually so pathetic when it comes to the cold they really seem to be love the snow and spend all the time eating it while the horses are being fed in the morning, hence they are not really that keen on their breakfast.
Hopefully we will have some more exciting news soon and fingers crossed we may have some runners on Saturday.
Well the last week has been chaotic, frustrating but very pleasing in parts!
Friends Of Tina took the long trip down to Taunton on the 30th. We knew it was not her ideal ground but as it was more sloppy then sticky we thought she may handle it. Obviously not! She did not pick up the bridle at all and William said she hated the going so she ended up with a PU. Hopefully with all the frost when we do get back racing it will dry the ground up a bit for her.
New Years Eve saw us have three runners out. Kings Majesty went down to Lingfield. He has plenty of ability but like a lot of horses that run on the flat they do start to think a bit and he is one of those I'm afraid. It wasn't a great race and he could really have walked it but finished down the field and very disappointing for all of his Owners. He will have another run over hurdles and see if that changes his attitude but will also have an entry at the sales at the end of the month.
We also took Hello You and Bobbisox to Warwick with very different results. Hello You has had 18 months off of the track with a leg injury so it is very important their is no jar in the ground for him so the Warwick ground was ideal. His very supportive Owners were all their to watch and we really chuffed when he finished 3rd. There were definitely a few tears shed in the Winners Enclosure as their little Super Star was not only back on the track but also finished 3rd. He is a tiny horse with a tiny frame but he is very tough and a brilliant jumper and he just galloped all of the way to the line. He did have a bit of a blow afterwards and so will come on for the race but after such a layoff we had to be pleased.
Bobbisox was very disappointing and pulled up. It may be a case of the Vet giving her a Mot just to check all is in order.
New Years Day saw us initially at two meetings. Luthien set off for Fakenham at 6.15am got as far as Huntingdon when that was abandoned and so was back by 10am. American Cricket and Antonius Caesar went off to Cheltenham after the course passed two inspections. All very exciting to be going ahead until we walked the course and found it was still frozen in places.
We pulled American Cricket out straight away as he has had leg problems but thought we would leave Caesar in to see if the frost came out of the ground anymore and see what the Jockeys said. We still in two minds but after a couple of more races and the sun coming out we were quite happy to run. The only problem was that the frost had dried the ground out and what was originally soft with heavy places, was more like good ground. He travelled really well for 3/4 of the race but when they quickened away he did not have any more gears to go with them and finished up 6th out of 7. He willl now go back over fences as soon as the weather allows.
The only other runner we have this week is Cheshire Rose who goes to Southwell on Thursday, however, if we get the snow that is forecast I think the all weathers will suffer as well. We do have other entries but the outlook is bleak and as I write this the first flakes of snow are starting to fall. Through all of the frost we have not missed one day on the gallop but snow could be a different matter, horses and snow don't tend to work well together!
Hopefully you all had a good Christmas and managed to get some racing in on Boxing Day. Philippa had a great 1st Christmas but seemed to enjoy the wrapping paper and ribbons more than the actual presents that she was given but I believe this is the case generally!
We were all set to go in different directions on Boxing Day but due to so many meeting being abandoned we just ended up at Huntingdon with Nautical Approach. It was his first time over fences for us although he has run in Point To Points in Irelands. It was very tacky ground due the frost which made it all quite hard work. The race was not really run to suit him as they went off very quickly and he could not really get into his stride. He finished 5th in the end which was pleasing enough and hopefully next time he can improve on that.
Today we run Dinarius at Leicester. It is one of those nightmare situations when the lorry has left with the horse and the course are having a 2nd inspection due to frost so it may be a case of it turning around and coming home but fingers crossed that does not happen. If he has his going head on he is quite capable of winning today but that has probably put the kiss of death on it now!
The rest of the week we have entries everywhere but the forecast again is not great. Friends of Tina should go to Taunton on Wednesday but they are due a huge amount of rain and she really does not want soft ground.
Hello You has an entry at Warwick on the 31st and we are desperate to run him after Market Rasen being abandoned. American Cricket and Antonius Caesar have entries at Cheltenham an Luthien at Fakenham on New Years Day and Rif, Roseneath and Laughing Game have entries at Uttoxeter on New Years Eve. It will be interesting if the weather allows any of this to happen!
The past weeks runners have all been very frustrating to say the least. Sharp Rigging having his first run for a long time ran well but he doesn't have the speed over 2 miles that he used to have so next time we will step him up in distance and he will more than likely go chasing.
On Saturday Lilac Belle went down to Lingfield for her first ever run in a bumper. This was on the all weather track as Lingfield have been having problems with the hurdle course due the weather. We thought she would run really well as she has worked very well at home but she was quite disappointing and finished way down the field. The race really did not go in her favour as it turned into a sprint at the end and ideally soft ground would suit her so next time we will look for a stiffer track with soft ground.
On Sunday we took Roseneath to Hereford with blinkers on for the first time. When he ran at Towcester there was a question about how much effort he put in so we thought we would try blinkers. They definitely worked when we tried him at home with them on so we were really hopeful that they would do the trick in the race. He travelled really well, if not to well to start with and then when the pressure was put on there was nothing there. He has been bucking and kicking since Sunday which tells its own story. The next course of action is to try him over fences, he does jump really well so we'll see if that works.
Lemon Silk went to Plumpton on Monday and we again thought we were in with a good chance as it was not the best race in the world. He finished third but afterwards Paddy Merrigan said he definitely mae a noise so he will now have a wind operation.
We were quite pleased with the runners we had at the weekend. Adroit Approach went to Exeter on Friday in his first chase which turned out to be a very hot race. He jumped really well to finish 4th although the fog was so thick we only saw a couple of the fences.
Rif, Sandofthecolosseum and Outlaw Tom all went down to Chepstow. Rif was having his first run for us and gave us a few worrying moments just getting to the start but once there he was fine and ran a really good race to finish 3rd. Sandofthecolosseum ran another really good race to finish 2nd. He is an out and out galloper, does not have many gears but does the job. He is doing really well for his new syndicate and they all tend to have a really good lunch every time they go racing so they enjoyed themselves.
Outlaw Tom appeared very disappointing when he ran but after he pulled up he had a very nasty cut to a hind leg where another horse must have jumped into him which would not have helped. It took a few days after the race before he ate up which is very unlike him as he is usually a very good doer so the race obviously took more out of him mentally than it usually does.
Today Sharp Rigging goes to Huntingdon. He is a horse that has been plagued by injury over the past four years. He fractured his pelvis very badly and though recovered from that then had joint problems. If he runs to his ability he could easily win but he is one of those horses that it never follows the script but we will know after 1.30pm today.