Two new faces

Newmarket has been a lively place this week as the annual end of season sales at Tattersalls auction house got under way. Unlike the January clothes sales that you would be familiar with, this horse sale unfortunately didn't see many discounts as some of the best racehorses in the country went under the hammer.Despite the high prices, I didn't come away empty handed and managed to pick up two very nice fillies.

The first is called Sail Home (left). She was from the Juddmonte consignment and was previously trained in France. She has has three respectable maiden runs and now has a handicap mark. Her stroy so far is indentical to the one of Spruce, a horse we bought last year and then he won four races in a row for us. It is hard to imagine that she is a fily because she has really big shoulders and backend. She is for sale as a whole at £5000 or in 12th shares. There's more info on my website or just get in touch with me if you are interested.

The second filly I bought is called Entrance (right). She is from Ed Dunlop's yard and my contacts there suggested she would be a great value for money buy. She only ran last Saturday so is super-fit and I'm looking to run her in the middle of November. She is the replacement for Marafong in the Hoofbeats Racing Club and a 20th share will be £1200 which is a one-off payment for the year as it includes all the training fees. She looks the right type to be busy and successful over the winter.

Although another horse (Sancho Panza) joined the winter holiday list this week due to a lack of opportunities for him in the coming months, I've still got loads to run in the coming days. Baggsy goes back over hurdles tomorrow at Plumpton and if she can build on her debut over obstacles, I hope that she is in with a squeak (and somebody will claim her!).

On Wednesday, Ocean Rosie goes to Kempton and King Columbo to Nottingham. They've both proven that thwey have ability but they both seem to be a bit off the boil at the monute. It wouldn't surprise me though if one of them came home with a place.

I'm looking forward to Blackmore the following day though. He has had three runs in maidens and the handicapper has given him a really competitive mark of 60. The race doesn't look particularly strong and he galloped impressively yesterday morning. He has shown signs of temperament at the racecourse but he seems to be a lot more straightforward nowadays and I think he has a great chance.

The same applies to Khajaaly at Wolverhampton on Friday night. We've given him a short break and he is a completely different horse. The last two days, his rider on the gallops has struggled to hold him in a canter and he wasn't like that before. The holiday has renewd his enthuisiasm for the game and I hope it refelcts in his performance on the racecourse.

Beseech will be accompanying Khajaaly to Dunstall Park and she's just having her third run to qualify for handicaps and then she will do a lot better.

Four is the magic number.

I can't ever remember a time of having so many fourth placings - all my runners seem to be filling the fourth past the post spot at the minute. I suppose it could be worse, they could be coming last which would be a nightmare, and fourth isn't too bad as owners get some prize money and at most racecourses there's a fourth spot in the winners enclosure.

The horses are well though and a winner seems to be just around the corner. Baggsy and Exopuntia both ran up to form at Yarmouth on Tuesday and both came (you guessed it) 4th. Ocean Rosie let the side down though with a mulish run. She is running out of chances and might be heading to the sales if she doesn't start trying a bit harder.
Meadow came fourth at Brighton two days later and Always De One came...third! It was a great run from 'Always' who isn't the most tenacious but she ran on well and will come on for the run as it was her first racecourse visit in four months.

This week we have a load of runners, all of whom I hope can finish fourth or better.
My daughter Shelley gets the leg-up on King Columbo at Nottingham on Wednesday. He's going over a bit further than usual but if Shelley can get him settled, he should stay the trip. Also at Nottingham is Blackmore and Sancho Panza in the two mile race. They probably both won't run together as one likes it firm and the other soft but, whoever goes, they should go close.
Also on Wednesday are Emmeline Pankhurst and Bushy Dell at Kempton. Bushy needed the run last time and I'm hopeful of a massive run from her this time over a course and distance that she has won over. Emmeline is one to consider as well, judged on her last run.
The following day, we have Ocean Countess at Wolverhampton. She is a Brighton specialist but, as a result, she is rated almost a stone lower on the all-weather so you'd be a fool not to have a go. Whether she is up to it, we will soon find out.

Luckily there were no disasters to report from the yard this week, all went to plan with everything running smoothly. My apprentice, Adam Beschizza, is still in with a shout for this season's apprentice championship. He is currently in second place in the table, five winners behind the leader Martin Lane, and with only two weeks of the season left, anything could happen. It would be a phenomenal achievement if he could do it in his first year with a licence and I'll be trying my hardest to put him on some winners.

Out with the old, in with the new.

Life in a racing yard is like one big carousel - horses and staff come and go, leaving a legacy behind with them, some more than others. There was a big hole left in the yard this week with the death of my favourite horse, Don't Drop Bombs.

You probably have not heard of 'Bomber' (pictured winning with me on) before because it had been nearly 11 years since he last graced a racecourse but back in his heyday, I won on him 7 times and he had well over 100 lifetime runs, being placed 50% of the time. He was never rated very high but he was consistent at a low level and specialised on the old all-weather surface that Lingfield used to have - more like an American 'dirt' track - very sloppy when it rained. Since his retirement, he had been at the yard, first teaching all the kids how to ride (and he took some riding because he was very strong) and then as a companion to the younger horses in the field. He died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 21 on Tuesday night and I don't think he could have been happier.

There was little time to reflect on the loss though as we had another new arrival into the yard. Our first yearling (pictured having a snooze) of the season came in and he's a massive son of the top-class sprinter Red Clubs. He's very laid back and has a nice temperament. I was hoping to syndicate him and might have sold him already but I will keep you informed. He'll be sent away to be broken-in professionally as he has never had a saddle on his back or anything like that yet and then we will have him back before Christmas to get him into proper work.

The runners last week put in some really pleasing performances, despite not winning. Sancho Panza continues to improve during his reinvention as a stayer by finishing an unlucky second and I'll be trying to get him out again quickly before the end of the turf season next month.

Marafong ran his usual race to finish fourth at Leicester and he remarkably got claimed after the race by Brian Baugh. It was sad to lose him as he is such a character to have in the yard but he was running in a claiming race and that's the risk you face. Also, it was quite good business as he went for £3000 and you would struggle to get that for him at a public auction. His new connections are sending him hurdling. Good luck to them.

The mass of runners on Thursday didn't disappoint either. Blackmore ran a striking race on his third run and looks a certainty for handicaps over 1m6f+. Beseech travelled well in the same race but didn't quite stay the trip. Little Meadow is a really consistent horse and she got in the money again by coming fourth over a mile which is just a bit too short for her. Ocean Countess has lost her form a bit now but she ran respectably and Generous Genella was just running to get handicapped at Kempton and now she is on a holiday for the winter. I really like her and think she will be a great thing for handicaps next season when she has strengthened up a bit.

We've quite a few going to the races this week as well. Exopuntia goes to her beloved Yarmouth along with Baggsy and Ocean Rosie. They are in pretty poor races so should all go with a good place chance. I've got Sancho Panza in at Ffos Las as well but he won't be going as the ground is remarkably described as good to firm which wouldn't suit him. And then it's back to Brighton on Thursday with Little Meadow and Always De One. 'Always' is having her first run back after a break and this is probably the time to catch her as she is fit and fresh after her holiday. I own her myself and I hope she can win a seller and move on.

Substitution time

We had a new recruit join the yard this week. After Dashing Patriarch unfortunately suffered a tendon injury which will keep him out of action for a year, his owner replaced him with another of his horses which had been on a holiday. Say hello to Hartland Point (right. And yes, we've finally worked out how to upload pictures!).

He has only had one run in a bumper but he looks big enough to try hurdles next time. He's not very fit at the moment so probably will not be running before Christmas.

Bushy Dell ran a blinder of a race on Saturday night at Wolverhampton. She had not run for well over 200 days but ran a gutsy race as usual to finish 4th. She had a long blow after the race so we hope that next time she will go even closer.

Pyjoma's debut at Pontefract on Monday was also very pleasing. Luckily, she did not get as worked up before the race as we thought she might and, despite running green early on, she ran on well towards the finish. Hopefully she can build on this next time.

A lot of the horses are starting to lose their summer coats now it is starting to get colder and the clippers have been in action. I do all the clipping myself but poor Oscar (left), our Norfolk Terrier, received a horrendous haircut from Ross and since then the dog has been pretty miserable!

Hopefully I won't be so unhappy by the end of the week as we have got loads of runners.

Sancho Panza goes back to the place of his first win, Windsor, and I think he can maintain his 100% record. The ground and distance are in his favour so he should run a big race.

Brighton is my favourite racecourse and I love having runners there and four of mine go there on Thursday. Beseech and Blackmore run against each other in the maiden and I can't say which one will beat the other. We worked the pair together on Saturday with the same weights that they will carry in the race and they both finished upsides, going as well as each other. They are nice horses but handicaps are where they will win. Also at the seaside venue are Ocean Countess and Little Meadow who both love the track and have a great chance.

Another one to run on Thursday is Generous Genella. As you may know, she has lots of ability but hasn't shown it on her two runs so far. My gut feeling is is that she will be a better three year old and we will just use this run to get her handicap mark before a winter break and a successful 2011 campaign.

Can't get in.

A lot of false dawns arose this week with plenty of runners forecast and few horses actually going to the races.
Firstly, we never went to Nottingham on Wednesday as King Columbo had a slightly tight muscle in his back and our physio said he would not be 100% for the run. Pyjoma was in A1 form but she didn't get in her maiden. She had never run before and horses making their debuts like her are given preference to get into an over-subscribed race but because there were so many first-timers like her, she was low in the ballot.
There has been a hell of a lot of entries all over the country in the past week. As the season comes to a close, trainers are desperate to run their horses and hence you get many races with well over 50 horses entered.

Sancho Panza and Always De One suffered a similar fate at Warwick as they were low in the weights and had little chance of getting in the race. It is frustrating because Sancho is in incredibly good form - he has been 1st and 2nd on his last two runs - and he loves the soft ground that is predominant at the minute but he just cannot get in a race.
Despite not running this week, Always De One made a name for herself by burying my daughter Shelley. As the pair were going up the canter, Always spooked at something and Shelley had little chance of staying aboard. She was laying on the ground for a while as the horse cantered on and claims she 'popped her shoulder back in' so the jury is out as to whether Shelley did dislocate her shoulder or not but either way, both horse and rider are fine now with the latter sporting a black eye to school.

Pyjoma managed to get a race today (Monday) at Pontefract. We hadn't got her fully race-ready at home because she is a very short-tempered filly and one could wind her up too much but she ran a nice race to finish in midfield and she will do a lot better next time. Night Orbit also ran there just because there were few entries in his race and he picked up £800 for coming 4th of 4th. Easy money if you can find it.

It looks set to be a quiet week. Spirit of Sharjah is in at York on Friday but won't want the ground too soft and Ocean Rosie should run at Wolverhampton the following day. Also in on Saturday is Bushy Dell. She is a really likable filly who tries her heart out and has won three races. She has had some time off because we had her operated on for a form of skin cancer. It is not a terrible thing or anything but it was uncomfortable for her and I'm pleased to say she is back to her best now and will be winning more races soon.