Too much rain carries on our drought

 Its been the wettest drought on record, but it hasn't helped our cause as the runners showed this week. An exception though was Attain who, at Epsom on Wednesday, proved not too inconvenienced by the heavy going and plugged on a game 3rd. It's also exciting to see him handle a track like Epsom as it opens up more options for other tracks to run him at. Also that day was Entrance at Kempton, we couldn't blame the round for her poor effort but the 1m 4f trip seemed a little too far for her and probably would of wanted more time after her last run. The rain well and truly came by Saturday at Doncaster as we took Faraway Land and Sail Home to take their chances, the first filly was only having her second run but the ground took it out of her and she never looked happy, so a sounder surface will do her a world of good, then Sail Home ran and just faded in the last couple of furlongs, the ground may not be a big factor for her as she was running after a lay off and probably just needed it as she got very fat during that time.

Returning from 3rd lot

Verona Bay and Silver Alliance (grey) worked together along the flat gallop on Saturday, the former should not be far off a run after sustaining an injury last year and looks a big and exciting horse to go to war with this season. Silver is well and fit after his recent runs and looks another promising prospect for the yard and his owners, he is entered for Folkestone on Thursday but it looks unlikely after the recent flash flooding they have had.

 

Another pair to work along the flat gallop was Generous Genella and Acer Diamonds (right), both are returning from leg injuries and their time off seems to be a blessing in disguise as they have grown and matured which is good to see after them both showing promise last season. Genella is entered to run next week at Wolverhampton on Friday, she will probably need the run as she may be a bit ring rusty but if she shows what she did on her final outing last year then she should be there abouts.




Argante Claudius, who after a few problems over the winter is now back in full work, he will be running in a couple of months all being well with this health.



Getting feedback

 It was a big day for Khajally on Friday as he finally got his growth removed. The mystery lump had developed about a year ago and had baffled vets about how it got there, but they x- rayed it and it was just a bone growth coming off his leg. It doesn't hurt him but it was getting so big that just knocking it coming out of the stalls or lying down in his box could cause discomfort or injury, but all went well and he got up fine from the operation. However it will take a long while to heal so it's going to take time before he is back doing what he does best at Wolverhampton!

Tearing up the gallops and wishing Cathy the best

After a busy week before, we had no runners over the last seven days but it gave us a great opportunity to give the team a good workout and we had a full house galloping on Saturday morning.

Attain (blue coat) is entered at Epsom on Wednesday but with the weather and the race looking very competitive, there's a question mark over whether he will take his place on the Downs.

He matched strides over seven furlongs with Entrance (front) who is also due to run on the same day at Kempton. She ran a blinder last time to finish third and, on Paul Hanagan's reccommendation, we're stepping her up to 1m4f which will hopefully see her get her head back in front.

Obscured on the far side is Sail Home who had a three week break after a successful winter but came back so fat it's taken us a bit longer to get her back in shape. She's back to full fitness now though and goes to Doncaster on Saturday. 

Second up the Cambridge Road polytrack were Generous Genella (left), Verona Bay (middle) and Acer Diamonds (right).

Genella has been really impressing us since coming back from a long spell on the sidelines due to injury. If she can stay sound, I very much hope she can win on her comeback off a rating of just 50.

This was Verona Bay's first gallop since his return from injury too. He has grown a hell of a lot over the winter and is a lot stronger now too. He worked well and is very much a dark horse after only one run last season.

Acer Diamonds has been doing plenty of long, steady work as he is a very heavy horse but seems to be taking the faster work well. He has a huge and high knee action so soft ground should be ideal for him and he'll be running. again in the next fortnight.

Leading the way next was Faraway Land (yellow blinkers). She is a horse I have fallen in love with and for a very good reason - she has a lot of ability. She has had a few problems but I hope she can win a maiden even though Ross says she's big enough to go around Cheltenham next March. She's too precious for that!

On the nearside is Kampai who has a very likeable attitude and should be ready to run shortly.

In behind is Angel Of Mercy who, at the age of four, has yet to run but looks to be nearly ready now and she has been showing enough at home to suggest she can win a race in the right grade.

Just cantering on his own was Silver Alliance who finished third at Yarmouth last week. He seems fine after that run and it proved to us that he can handle soft ground which gives him plenty of options in the coming month with the weather so unpredictable at the moment.

There was a surprise addition to the string too as Sand Repeal made an appearance. Ross was feeling particularly brave and decided to drag him out of the field for a trot. He may be ten years old now but he still behaves like a yearling and that's why I hate riding him so much!

You may have noticed from the pictures that all the staff are looking very colour co-ordinated. With the Jockey Club setting a new rule that all yards must have uniformed hat silks, I bought a dozen for the staff to wear. The colour choice was simple - Feilden green. It will be interesting over the next couple of months to see what all the other yards go for and it will make John's job on the guided tours a hell of a lot easier to identify the different strings.

As I mentioned earlier, Entrance is set to run at Kempton on Wednesday and Cathy Gannon was booked to ride but she had a nasty incident riding out on Saturday morning where she ended up with a broken jaw. There was a particularly gruesome photo of her injury in some newspapers which showed the Irish girl with a swollen face and plenty of blood. Our very own Cathy (the cat) had blood round her mouth too but luckily it was because she was doing her job of keeping the yard's mouse population down.

It just goes to show though how sharp you have to be in this game. No sooner had Cathy fallen off that I had loads of jockey's agents ringing me for the ride on Entrance. I hope Cathy isn't on the sidelines for too long as she is one of the best jockeys around and seems to be very lucky for me.

Hitting the till but no sign of the jackpot

It was a busy week with all the runners and although most ran into a place there was no celebrations. Silver Alliance was making his debut for us on the turf at Yarmouth and ran a really promising race finishing 3rd, considering his two wins have been on the all- weather, he should have a fruitful season ahead. The next day in- form Blackmore arrived at his favourite track Southwell, however he had to take the fall at some point for his good work this winter, he was hanging even going to the start as he has had chronic back problems and is having an easy time of it now in the paddock. Wednesday saw the arrival of Attain and Entrance at Lingfield, the former had run well in maidens before and showed alot of promise, however this time round the opposition just proved too classy for him as there were alot of fancy colours in the race and horses that cost alot more than our boy, he qualifies for handicaps now and is surely a winner waiting to happen in his grade. Entrance was out after a short break, she had been a bit in and out after her 40-1 success last year but it was an in day for her as she ran on a good 3rd, it seemed like a step up in trip may suit but it has been tried and been unsuccessful, I think it is just her running style to come off the pace and finish fast, it's just whether the jockey can time it right. The final runner of the week was The Ducking Stool again at Lingfield and produced another placed effort coming 4th, they went a good pace and she had to work hard to get a position from the wide draw, she just plugs on and should pick up a race if all goes her way.


We had a few to put through the stalls, so we thought now is the time as we have enough staff, not only riders but people on the ground to help put them in. We took three fillies over to the stalls next to the Rowley Mile on the grass. Lea Valley (left) and Angel of Mercy (right) were good as gold, they loaded up nicely and stood in there quietly without fretting.




Here they are again with Lea Valley this side, she is due to make her racecourse debut this Friday at Newbury if she gets in as there are alot of entries, I think the penny has finally dropped with her, especially in her last few bits of work but she is a horse that has done enough at home and now just needs racecourse experience so will be one to watch after the greeness fades.




It wasn't all sweetness and roses however for one cheeky filly, that was Tiger's Home (below). She went with the other two and was ok going through the practice stalls (which are slightly wider) but was having none of it when asked to do it properly. So the next day we took her with a more experienced horse in Sail Home to see if she'll be any better with a lead. She was not, so the gadgets came out in the style of a Monty Roberts rug (as sported below) and a blindfold. We would forgive her if she was scared or getting upset but she was not sweating or getting unruly, she was just being a filly and digging her toes in. The next step now is to call upon 'Yarmy' the horse whisperer of Newmarket and let him work his wonders with her.





This is as close as we got!

...and this is John admitting defeat, with the filly wondering what all the fuss is about!

The summer gallop was open this week after getting enough rain to make the ground safe. So we thought it would be a good experience for the two babies to have a look at the grass for the first time, here is Tiger's Home leading Believe In Me. They were both a little green but you have to take your chance when the ground is ok as they can arrive at the races and be running on the turf without ever setting foot on it before.

Angel of Mercy may finally be ready to race after having a few setbacks, she is an un-raced 4 year old but is now filling out and looking well for her debut.

It was a misty morning first thing on Saturday, but the grass was lush. Verona Bay stretched his legs over a mile and is well on his way to seeing a racecourse again soon.

Lea Valley and Kampai (near side) worked together over a mile on the summer gallop. They both matched strides nicely up the incline.

Generous Genella (near side) and Acer Diamonds were in perfect symmetry on the turf, 'Genella' is a very light filly and will not need alot of getting ready after coming back from injury, where as 'Acer' is a bear of a horse and will take a little longer, both however are exciting prospects for the season.

Faraway Land enjoyed a gallop on her own over one mile, anyone who saw her debut at Lingfield would be wanting to see her again as she was tipped as one to watch after the race. The second run is not far now, it's just a matter of finding a suitable race.

It may be a simple name but most people pronounce Entrance's name wrong (said with a long 'a'), but the up side is it is spelt the same as the other pronunciation, so when we found this sign laying about there was only one place for it!

Fourth time lucky for first time broodmare..

After the results of Bavarica's scan showed she was carrying twins it was an anxious wait to see what the screen showed was going on inside Bushy Dell's womb. She was covered three times last season by the same sire, Observatory, but was empty every time. It was then a nice surprise when the results showed she too is carrying twins! However, like 'Rita' one of the little dots had to be pinched as it would be very unlikely that the mare would survive giving birth to two foals. It is even more exciting as the two mares conceived days apart so they should give birth around the same time and the foals will have each other to play with and keep company when they are weaned from their mothers.

It was a quiet week at the races with only Emma's Gift who travelled to Kempton on Saturday, she has had a fruitful winter campaign keeping us going through the dark days but it also means it gives the handicapper something to do as she has risen in the weights and is now handicapped to her best, it was also a Listed race and she was probably a bit out- classed.

When the horses aren't on the track then in means they're on the gallops getting ready for the racing. We had a good turn out of owners on Saturday, it's good to catch up with the owners and everyone is welcome to come down any day to see the yard or watch the horses.


We had our first two- year old of the year working on Saturday, Tiger's Home (near side) joined upsides good lead horse Entrance and did a educatory 5f gallop. It can be a bit daunting when the babies go over to Cambridge Road polytrack for the first time, especially as the rails end after 3f and people are everywhere, but she took it very well and the main thing is she enjoyed it and will continue to learn as she builds up to her racecourse debut.

Blackmore (green cap) and Silver Alliance did a good gallop together on Wednesday, the latter is due to run on tomorrow at Yarmouth, it will be his first run for us on turf and it's just a matter of whether he will like the ground as he seems to give his best runs on all- weather. Blackmore is declared the next day at Southwell, he is a horse in great form this winter so hopefully his purple patch will continue.

Angel of Mercy (blue) is now doing her first bits of work and is taking them well considering we have been unable to get to this point with her before as she has been plagued with injury so far. She led the way for colts, Attain and Acer Diamonds (right). 'Acer' was also doing his first bit and is getting stronger everyday, it's just a matter of getting him fit for his return to the track.

Here's a different angle of Acer and Attain, here you can see the power in Acer he has needed time as he is such a big horse who covers so much ground, where as Attain is much smaller and has still got growing to do.

Angel of Mercy worked again this week, but this time leading the way for first- timers Lea Valley (white cap) and an unnamed filly by Halling (middle) they all went along together which should give them a confidence boost for more intense work to come.

I have been waiting all year to get Generous Genella going again after showing promise and then sustaining a tendon injury last year, her legs feel great now and she has grown and matured during her time off.

A quieter one, Silver Alliance (left) and Blackmore walking back after the gallop.

It will be a busy week at the races next week, along with Silver and Blackmore running Attain is entered on Wednesday at Lingfield and Nottingham but we will see which race would be better for him and also in that day at Lingfield is Entrance, who usually goes well fresh and has been working great at home.

The drama doesn't just happen on the racetrack

It's been quite a dramatic week, but it's all been happening at home instead of on the racecourse. First for the bad news, one of the horses I was most looking forward to seeing run this year was Sancho Panza who, after a winter break, was looking marvellous and his work spoke for itself. So it is a huge disappointment when they pick up and injury, in this case he has damaged his off- fore tendon which straight away means a year off from training. It is probably the most common injury in racehorses as all their weight is bared by their stick thin legs but sometimes it is unavoidable as he is very sound usually and has been doing exactly the same everyday and what all the other horses would do. It is extra frustrating for the owners as he is a horse that you can guarantee will give you fun all year round as he is so consistent. But hopefully in a years time he will be back on the track again. Here is a picture of his legs, now to the untrained eye it might be hard to see the difference, but the tendons of the leg closest are slightly more inflamed than the other leg and this is where the injury has occurred.


Now for the good news, I made light a couple of weeks ago of the two broodmares being covered and we had the results from the first scan of Bavarica and it showed not one but two foals growing inside her! However, it would be risking her life for her to have twins so the vet had to come and remove one of the eggs. It was in fact up to John to decide, hopefully he didn't get rid of the Derby winner so if it's useless we can blame him! Bushy Dell will be due for her scan next week so fingers crossed they can share their pregnancies. Here is 'Busy' in the foreground with 'Rita' looking on.

With the weather being unusually pleasant at this time of the year, the fillies especially have more of a spring in their step and love a good scrap in the field. Here the girls, from left to right, Sail Home, Bushy Dell, Kampai, Angel of Mercy, Bonnie and Entrance, stretched their legs in the sunshine.

Alot of little things go into making these horses happy, we do our very best to ensure this and one of them is picking a stable which the horse will settle and be most relaxed in. Here Lea Valley (pictured) used to live in a stable overlooking one of the paddocks, but when she sees all the horses running about she just wants to join in, so after the departure of Dolly Bay we moved her into her stable into the barn where she can sniff and see the horse next to her (The Ducking Stool) which calms her down and as a result is a better racehorse for it.

With the kittens growing up so fast now they have begun to go their job and hunt out all the mice in the stables, here is Cathy keeping an eye on things.

Whilst walking around with the camera it is interesting to see which horses play up to it. Silver Alliance always has his head out and I managed to catch him mid- yawn!

Only the two runners this week starting with Canning Vale at Kempton on Wednesday, she put in another poor run but it was interesting when Cathy Gannon came back and said she was struggling to find some grip on the all- weather surface and would be much more suited on the turf. We have missed Cathy alot since she has been out with injury as she is a jockey who will give every horse the best possible chance and then come back and actually tell you something about it. Then The Ducking Stool made her seasonal debut at Lingfield to finish 3rd, it was her best run to date and should be getting competitive now we have found her ideal trip if she can keep up the good work.

We will be quiet again next week with only Emma's Gift due to run on Saturday.