Sally makes in two in a row!

She had been in great form all winter so it was only a matter of time before Sail Home (Sally) got her head infront again and it just so happened to be in the race she won last year! She thrives on the winter racing and being such a masculine filly when she races with her own gender she is streets ahead in the strength department. Another follow up win in the next couple of weeks should be on the cards.

We have an exciting week with the runners coming up. Silver Alliance bids to follow up his course and distance win at Wolverhampton tomorrow, it is the same sort of race runners wise but I just hope there is a good pace as that suits him best. Then making his debut at Kempton on Wednesday is Vastly (pictured below, grey), he is a big chunk of a colt and has taken a while to get fit, he will definitely need/ come on for the run but he does go nicely at home. Here he is working with old yard stick Exopuntia, she runs in the near future and will be bidding to bounce back after a disappointing last run last time.

Also travelling to Kempton with Vastly on Wednesday is Tiger's Home (below), she has had a few months off after a hard two-year-old campaign. She is quite free going at home so I hope she settles to get the 7f, but she has definitely benefited with some time off as she has grown and filled out enormously.

With it being Vastly's first time at the races it is always a good idea to put them through the stalls at home, it gives them an idea of what to expect and also for the safety of the jockey. This boy had obviously been in before as he was an absolute diamond! He was not as quick out as Attain, who is very nippy, but they always are a bit sloppy for their first few runs before they get the hang of it.

Stable life

It has been a quiet week at the track with only two runners. Exopuntia ran disappointingly at Kempton on Wednesday, she is quite in and out with her runs and it's hard to rack up a line of consistent efforts with her as she needs everything to go right in the race. The same day little Lea Valley ran the race of her life to finish second at Southwell, she has been struggling to get competitive, but now off a rock bottom handicap mark she gave us a little hint of what may be to come.

With few runners I've had a bit more time in the yard so I thought I'd show you a few things that we do. Below is something that very few trainers do nowadays which is feed  linseed and barley or 'mash' as it's known in racing. It has probably died out because it takes a long time to prepare and not really practical enough to have the time to feed in a big yard. Firstly you soak the linseed, barley and corn in water overnight, then it is cooked for about 6 hours the next day ready hot and steaming for the evening feed. It is a nice change for the horses and we feed it twice a week. The term 'the horses have more hot meals than me' springs to mind!

Next we are very lucky to have alot of land around the yard, about 30 acres all in all. It is a beautiful sight in the summer when most of the horses get turned out, especially on Sundays, we separate the fillies and mares from the geldings as some of the boys can get a bit competitive over the ladies! It is a good way of letting horses be horses and bond with each other like they would in the wild.

 A gadget that most trainers have these days is a mechanical horse walker. Ours takes 5 horses at a time and the highest speed it gets up to is about a trot. Here is No Such Number waiting to go on this morning, they all enjoy it as it is a chance for them to stretch their legs and have a bit of a buck and kick.

As we are a little way out of town in Exning, we have to commute a little to get to the heath. It takes around 15 minutes to get there but makes a good warm up and warm down for them. Here is the walking ground that runs along side the A14 aboard Sail Home, many a motorist have been bemused by the sight of a string of horses seemingly walking along the bank of the motorway but all the horses learn to behave when noisy vehicles pass.

Talking of Sail Home (below), she will be our only runner next week at Lingfield on Friday. She has been a great yard stick this winter and has given us and her owners some real fun, hopefully another star effort is to come.

Back to basics

It is that time of the season where all the horses that have had a winter break have got to be tamed again and start being ridden. They're a fresh bunch (I somehow end up on the freshest!) but it's nice to see them going back out especially the ones that have been off through injury.

Here we have a relatively new inmate called Chilli Green (nearest), looking back at her form she seems to be quite talented and rated quite high. She definitely looks the part as she is all there and looks to be quite powerful, it's early days yet but I hope she will be a nice prospect for the turf season ahead. Following behind her, cheeky as ever, is No Such Number. After just one run on the all-weather we decided that that was not the path to take with him as he really disliked the surface, he too will be an interesting prospect for the turf season and is still only lightly raced.

Also coming back into work is Sancho Panza, we were devastated when we discovered his leg injury as he'd had such a great campaign that year. He missed all of last year but the leg feels fine now and it's just a case of starting off steady to get him back to the track. The last trotter out was Believe In Me, she took a while to mature as a two-year-old but with a winter out in the paddock I think she has grown up a little bit and is ready to make an impact on the track this year.

This time of the year is also when the youngsters are starting to come along and begin their life as racehorses. We have only got the two on the go at the minute but they both are impressing with their professionalism and maturity in these early stages.

Attain has been great to lead the babies and really enjoys his job, he also had the winter off and we hope this has sweetened him up as he went off the boil last year and was not enjoying his racing.

The first of the two-year-olds is Opus Too a colt by Lawman, he is quite boisterous and colty when he is out but on the canter he certainly knows his job, he moves well but may need a little more time.

The other youngster is Bushy Glade a filly by Bushranger. She is alot more forward than the colt and will hopefully be an early type, she is mentally and physically improving everyday and I hope she can pick up a race or two before the others catch up with her.

We have got next years hopefuls in already in the form of two yearling fillies by Authorized (left) and Muwatheeq. They are both very switched on and inquisitive, judging by their pedigrees they will be something to look forward to come 2014!

Monday saw the departure of Bushy Dell and Bavarica as they went to the foaling stud to finally produce some babies. It has been a long wait as they were covered in Match last year, they are due any day now and I can't wait to welcome them both into the world. Here is Bavarica just before she left.

The Ducking Stool will be the next runner on Tuesday at Southwell, she is fit and well in herself after her pipe opener at Wolverhampton a couple of weeks ago. We are confident she will handle the surface as she likes it a little deeper and a bounce back to form would not be far out of the question. Then on Wednesday Lea Valley runs at Southwell, it is a weak race and a galloping track should suit, however she will have to be fast out the gate to avoid the dreaded kick-back. The same day Exopuntia goes to Kempton, she has mainly been in good form this winter and likes a little time between her runs.

A wintery scene on the heath...

Every cloud has a Silver lining

It was along time in the making but Silver Alliance finally got off the mark for us at Wolverhampton on Friday. With a good few efforts already on the board this winter he made no mistake in chalking up another course and distance win in the driving rain. I am chuffed not only for the horse but for his owners too as they are such an enthusiastic bunch and always come along to cheer him on, I was also pleased for my apprentice/ daughter who rode him, Shelley Birkett, she is getting better with each ride and I just hope other trainers start noticing her too as she is good value for her claim. Here they are pictured together a few days before the race having his final blow out, it's fair to say he annihilated this field aswell!

Runners have been going well of late and Sail Home notched up another placed effort at Wolves on Monday, it was a little further than her ideal trip so back down to 1m 2f could see her score instead of hitting the goal posts. Also on Monday at Kempton was Lea Valley, another step up in trip and some headgear to help her concentrate should see her get competitive off such a low handicap mark. Over the weekend we had old hand Spirit of Sharjah come home in mid-field, ultimately the wide draw probably beat him as it is hard to go so wide in a big field. Then today Automotive showed a little of what he shows us at home but coming in a close up 4th, he has had a few troubles with his breathing but everything seems to be in order now and it's probably just a case of getting his head right after previous runs with difficulty breathing.

With all the snow gone now (hopefully) for a little while, all the all-weather tracks at home are back to normal and safe to gallop on. Below we have Vastly (nearest), who lives up to his name as he is a huge colt who is taking some time to lose his mass and get fit for the races, he will only be a couple more gallops off a run now and should have a bright future ahead. Centre of the pack is Tiger's Home, now back after a short break, she was having her first piece of work. She is probably better on the turf but we will give her a run on two on the all-weather to see if we can pick up a bit of prize-money. Then furthest away is The Ducking Stool, she is also maybe better on the turf but acts on the all-weather too and should be out again in the near future.



Close up shot of Tiger's Home, looking fit and well

We have just a couple of two-year olds on the go at the minute, one who I hope will be quite early is little Bushy Glade. By Bushranger, who I have been told seems to have produced a few early babies in his first season, she has been giving the lead horse a run for his money most days and although it is still early on in the season I think she might give us some fun if she carries on progressing the way she has.

With staff shortages we have had to train up everyone to chip in!...

Next week my husband John will be jetting away for two weeks to Egypt to have a much deserved winter break. It means we have lost a huge cog in the wheel for a while but everyone needs to get out of the racing bubble for a while so we will only be having the one runner next week, coming on Monday, Khajaaly will be out again. He may of just needed his run last time so hopefully he will be there abouts at his beloved Wolverhampton.