We have a hectic few days ahead with runners in all different directions. Today Adroit Approach runs in his first chase down at Exeter. It is quite a hot race but he ran really well at Cheltenham and has schooled very well at home so he should run a nice race.
Dinarius goes down to Sandown in a race he could easily win if he is on a going day. He has got top weight but he looks amazing at the moment so fingers crossed.
Tomorrow Outlaw Tom, Sandofthecolosseum and Rif go to Chepstow. It is already heavy ground down there but all three should handle it. Rif is having his first run for us so a bit of a learning curve, Tom should love the conditions and he has really improved since last season and Sandofthecolosseum is having his second run and should have come on since last time.
Nautical Approach runs on Sunday at Warwick, he again has top weight but the track should suit and he is dropped back to 2 miles.
This week has been a week of placed horses but on the whole they have all ran well. Regional Counsel went to Kempton on Monday and ran a really good race to finish in 4th place. He is proving to be a lot better over hurdles than on the flat and we were very pleased with him.
Tuesday saw Lemon Silk go down to Lingfield. We changed tactics this time and kept him covered up. He settled much better and it looked like it was just a case of pressing the button but when push came to shove he was not that keen on the idea and finished 3rd. He is very frustrating as he does have a lot of ability but likes to keep it to himself. We may try some headgear on him but as he runs very freely anyway it something we will have to think carefully about.
American Cricket went to Uttoxeter on Thursday. He is a horse that has had 2 years off of the track and we knew that he would come on for the race. Denis O'Regan gave him a superb ride and settled him really well as he can be very keen. He finished 3rd and we were very happy with him.
This morning we took 4 horses galloping at Towcester. We had to be there at 7.30am and as we loaded them up it was hammering it down but it managed to stop before we got there. We took Sharp Rigging, HelloYou, Lilac Belle and an un-named 3 year old by Pilsudski. Rigging and Hello You galloped together and worked very nicely. The other two are due to have their racing debut in the next month in bumpers and we were really pleased with how mentally mature they were. The more they can see of life before they get on the track the better and hopefully this should put them spot on.
What a superb performance Denman put up yesterday. To carry that amount of weight and win in the style he is just a horse of a lifetime and wouldn't we all love to have a horse like that in the yard.
Desert Pearl ran a lot better race on Saturday and we were really pleased that she did not hang. She still has an awful lot of maturing to do and being by Silver Patriarch she will not being completely 'grown up' until she is six. We will give her one more run and then she may have a short break and come back fr a Spring campaign.
Laughing Game pulled far to hard for her own good and basically exhausted herself. She is a big strong filly and she is quite difficult to settle and she will be a lot better over fences but we were pleased enough with her.
Yesterday we ran Roseneath at Towcester and we did think that he would run a nice race. He had ground very similar to Carlisle and he has been in really good form so there were no excuses. He was in a really good position all the way around but lost his place coming up the hill and finished mid division. He did not blow very hard when he pulled up and it does leave the question of how hard he tried. We may try him in visors or blinkers next time.
Today we run Regional Counsel at Kempton and hope he has better luck in running than last time. Tomorrow Lemon Silk goes to Lingfield. There is only 6 in the race due to the ground being heavy which should suit him perfectly.
Today we run Desert Pearl and Laughing Game at Huntingdon. This week we are trying Desert Pearl in the opposite direction to see if this sorts out the problems we had last week. We have been cantering her around the grass gallops at home this week which is a circular 7 furlongs and she was slightly better on her right rein than her left so it will be interesting to see what happens today.
Laughing Game has her first run of the season today. She is a big filly and would not want the ground any faster than good so we are hoping the wind does not dry it out to much. Hopefully she will run well for her owners Michael Watt and Rosemary Fenwick as both have not been in the best of health recently and this would them a much needed boost.
Tomorrow is our local track of Towcester with Roseneath. He came out of the Carlisle race really well and the ground conditions and course should hopefully suit him down to the ground. Tom Scu takes the ride tomorrow as William is going up to Aintree so in the nicest possible way lets hope he misses a winner!
On the home front the builders are still here. The actual building work is done and now they are onto plastering, floors etc. We seem to have a constant flow of people coming through the kitchen and up the stairs, we have to keep reminding ourselves that it will be lovely when done as another layer of builders dust covers the furniture.
After managing to wreck the Kitchen and Office on a daily basis, Gin and Tonic now have a cage/kennel which when they are home alone are popped into with the door shut. It seems to have done the trick and the stress levels have certainly dropped in that direction anyway.
Just to add to the work load Sally has expanded her transport business just to make things a little more hectic. Another local Racehorse Transporter has given up so Sally has taken on his business. We are very well positioned with four or five other Trainers in the area so it has worked really well and all seems to flowing along nicely, at the moment!
It has certainly been a weekend of mixed fortunes. Saturday we were at three different meeting with about the sames result at all of them. Desert Pearl went up to Uttoxeter for her first run over hurdles. For some unbeknown reason we had a very serious steering problem. She would not have blown a candle out when she pulled up and has come out of the race fine. We will run her again quite quickly and go to a track which races the other way around!
Dinarius was disappointing at Cheltenham. Last time out he won and the race at Cheltenham suited him down to the ground. As soon as they jumped off we knew the pace was to slow, he really needs a fast run race. He came to the bottom of the hill and it looked like he was about to repeat his Carlisle run but this time he just could not quicken on that ground.
Yesterday was a much better day at the office. Adroit Approach made his season reappearance. We thought before the race if he finished in the first 6 then we would be very pleased. He ran in the same race last year and was 6th and this year it was a much hotter race. After all of the rain the ground had started to dry out and was proving to be very hard work for all of the runners. At the top of the hill William seemed to be scrubbing him along but he came back on the bridle and ran an absolute stormer to finished 3rd. William rode a perfect race on him and the Owners were absolutely delighted. He is owned by the Patient Partnership who are superb Owners and we are so pleased that their patience has paid off!
Sound Accord went down to Fontwell for the Sussex National. He is a lovely horse and was having his first run for us. The ground again was terrible but rather than sticky it was quite sloppy so they were going through it. Sound Accord does not have many gears and is an out and out galloper. He ran a very creditable race to finish 6th and had quite a blow afterwards so will come on for the race. His aim is the Welsh National so it was a very pleasing run and good preparation for that.
Tomorrow sees Luthien having her first run over hurdles at Fakenham and is joined by Regional Counsel who goes up there also for a run in a handicap hurdle.
Warwick saw Sandofthecolosseum have his first run for us and the reappearance of Lemon Silk after his summer break. We were really pleased with Sandofthecolosseum with his 6th place. He will want further than his 2m 5f, he just keeps galloping and would not have many gears but it was a very pleasing first run. All of the Old Relics Partnership met for lunch and an enjoyable day was had by all.
We tried different tactics with Lemon Silk who usually gets held up and sometimes runs with not much vigor but it seems the break has done him the world of good. He pulled like an absolute train and as usually happens when they run like that he ran out of steam and then fell at the last when two horse came across him. We are hoping that as things usually come in threes that is our 3rd fall and last! Lemon was fine and got up and galloped home.
Tonight we run Luthien and Satin Princess at Wolverhampton. It has been very difficult to get them into races so its really good they both get a run.
The forecast for the weekend is terrible and we have got a couple of busy days ahead. Tomorrow Desert Pearl runs for the 1st time over hurdles at Uttoxeter, Dinarius heads for Cheltenham and Cheshire Rose goes to Wolverhampton. On Sunday Adroit Approach heads to Cheltenham and Sound Accord goes to Fontwell for the Sussex National. They are all in good form and all quite capable of being placed if not winning. Fingers crossed for a successful weekend!
Our last two runners have not turned out quite as expected. Iconoclast went down to Fontwell Park on Friday and we were very hopeful that he would get placed even if he did not win. He was bang there coming around the last turn and his legs just went from underneath him. Those sought of falls are always the worst as you are not expecting them. Luckily both horse and jockey were fine if a bit stiff and live to fight another day.
Yesterday Friends Of Tina went up to Hereford for her first run of the season. It was her first time over fences but she is such a good jumper at home the last thing we thought she would do was fall. She was travelling really well until she just got in to close to one and down she came. She is fine this morning and we will give her a couple of weeks and maybe give her a race back over hurdles as a confidence giver.
Tomorrow Bobbisox goes to Lingfield, first time over hurdles but she schools very well at home so she should put up a good performance. Sandofthecolosseum goes to Warwick on Wednesday, he has run in two point to points in Ireland so hurdles at Warwick should be like a walk in the park. Adroit Approach has an entry at Bangor, first time over fences also on Wednesday but he may go to Cheltenham on Sunday, not completely decided yet!
Today Iconoclast runs down at Fontwell Park. This will be his first run back for a year due to niggling problems last season. He is in really good form and after the horses at the weekend running well we would be hopeful of a good run. He can tend to run a bit free but he has got better with each race and hope that continues today. Hopefully we can get to his race before the rain comes as the forecast is not great this afternoon.
Originally Friends Of Tina was going to Fontwell as well but she has been re-routed to Hereford on Sunday purely because we think the track will suit her a lot better. It will be her first run over fences and she is such a naturally good jumper it should be a very exciting run.
Yesterday, Ellie, one of the girls in the yard rode in a charity race at Towcester. She was full of excitment up until yesterday morning when reality hit and the nerves set in. Originally the race was going to be 1mile 5furlongs and she was going to take All For A Star but they changed it to 7furlongs. With not that many flat horses to choose from we brought Hiawatha out of retirement. He has not raced for 18 months due to a slight leg injury but has been back in work for about 6 months. He will never race again under rules but he has been such a good servant to us when he was in the racing club and brought us so many new owners he has got a home for life here. His occupation at the moment is giving the babies leads over the schooling fences and being a general schoolmaster.
Needless to say Hiawatha was in his element. He loves life and all of the attention and looked after Ellie very well. She came fouth in the end and was very impressive when riding a finish. She was still shaking when she came in but had the time of her life. She announced this morning that she has found another race at Newbury in 3 months time for her and Hiawatha. This time over 1mile 5f, not quite his trip but he will just have to be adaptable!
Philippa had her first trip to a race meeting and was leading the support for Ellie at Towcester. She was very well behaved, well she was actually asleep for most of it but she has got to start somewhere. She is still 100 times better behaved than the whippets who have managed to eat the inside out of a shoe and rip a cheque book to pieces before 9am this morning. Well at least its a good excuse not to write any cheques out!
Yesterday was fantastic for Alex Hales Racing having our first winner from Trafford Bridge Stables. It was a long trek up to Carlisle and the weather was awful but it was all very well worth it.
Roseneath was our first runner. He has improved twofold since last year and we were really hopeful of a good run. With the conditions and the change in the ground it was a case of hunting him round, keeping handy and being there at the end. Coming up the hill we thought he was beaten but he got a second wind and jumping the last he was third and just got second on the line. If it had been a bit further he may well of got that No. 1 spot, though very easy to say now! We are really chuffed for the Owners, a couple of them have only recently joined the syndciate and also for John Cleary who has been a great supporter of ours for a long time and though only became involved in Roseneath in the Summer has always had a lot of faith in him from the first time he saw him.
Next came Dinarius who can be a very quirky and always has to be led to the start which for his lass yesterday was lovely in torrential rain and the start being the furthest point from the stands. Always a tense moment to see if he will jump off and this time he obliged with out to much of an argument. The owner wanted the colourful Paddy Merrigan to ride him as he has won on one of his horses before. All credit goes to the jockey who got Dinarius settled and though at one point coming into the home turn we thought he had got him to far off of the main bunch of horses he was very cool and pressed the button just at the right time to go and win very easily.
The interview with the racing post afterwards was interesting with Paddy describing himself as a raging volcano about to erupt and though it was Carlisle it felt like winning the Gold Cup, obviously very excited about his first winner back!
Antonius Caesar ran in the big handicap chase at 3.15pm but never really travelled. Christian Williams rode him and ended up pulling him up. Nothing has come to light yet, whether it was ground or something else but he did finish a little stiff and was quite sore in his back this morning so we will get our physio to have a look and go from there.
Last weekend the three horses we ran were all disappointing and we have since decided to retire two of them.
Saintsaire who was having his first run back of the season at Aintree and always runs well fresh has seemed to have fallen out of love with the game. He jumped very well and has been very full of himself at home did not travel with any sparkle. He was like a person who had been doing the same job for 25 years on a Monday morning and not really want to be there. He has had a very good career and after discussing with the syndicate there was a majority decision to retire him. We will find him a nice home as either a hack or maybe a fun Point to Point horse for somebody.
We also ran Regional Counsel who although he is half of the age of Saintsaire he appeared to run with the same attitude. We will give him the benefit of the doubt and give him another run and see where we go from there.
Sunday saw us at Towcester with All For A Star. It was his first run back after a wind operation and we were not quite sure how he would run. He did lead for 3/4 of the race but then went out like a light. When he pulled up he had bled which was why he had stopped so quickly. He is a lovely horse and will make a lovely fun horse for somebody but is just not a racehorse.
This week we had plans for Haydock, Uttoxeter and Carlisle but the only one that looks feasible is Carlisle. Adroit Approach was due to go to Haydock but with the ground as good, good to firm in places and after speaking to the clerk of the course we just did not want to risk him. Looking at the number of runs it seems a lot of other people were of the same view.
Uttoxeter is good at the moment but the problem we have is that we have been unable to school on the grass because of the ground and for a first run over hurdles we would want to have got enough schooling in, so Sandofthecolosseum may not get his run this week(unless there is a deluge).
Sunday looks a lot more hopeful and we take three runners up to Carlisle who all have live chances. Antonius Caesar is going back to see if he can repeat his win earlier in the year up there. Dinarius is in really good form and has been ready to run for the last couple of weeks and Roseneath who has really come into himself this year will be having his first run for his new owners The Strathclyders.