Sancho back with a bang!

I've been trying to tell my husband John that I like surprises but after 30 years together, I still don't think he's got the message. The horses often surprise me but not always in a good way as injuries crop up when you least expect them. I was pretty gutted when Sancho Panza suffered a tendon injury last March as he had been really progressive and had plenty more improvement left in him.
However, after a year in the field recuperating, he came back bigger and stronger this time around. His home work hadn't been electric but it was more important that he stayed in one piece so I never put too much pressure on him.
As I said before, I do like surprises - especially good ones - and Sancho gave me just that when he won at Yarmouth on Friday, 18 months after last hitting the track. It's a great feeling to know that you can get one to win after such a long time off but I was just as chuffed for his owners who were extremely patient during his recovery and gave him all the recuperation time he needed.

Sancho Panza wins at Yarmouth

Sancho's success made it seven wins for us this season and we look on course to top last year's tally.
A good splattering of rain meant the grass gallops were again in top order so we took a load up the Flat Gallop to strut their stuff on Saturday morning. I prefer to see the action on horseback so took old boy Handheld out for a spin. Doing things like this helps keep him happy as he has had plenty of hard graft during his career so days like these mean he can be freshened up between runs.

Handheld

First up were two of this week's runners Vastly and Automotive.
Vastly hated the soft ground at Nottingham on his last run so we're returning him to the all-weather in the hope that he can recapture his early promise. His handicap mark seems to be within his grasp and the trip is perfect so hopefully he can bounce back.
Automotive has been disappointing his whole career really and it is extremely frustrating as he works so impressively at home. His run at Lingfield on Saturday is last chance saloon for him and if he doesn't produce anything, he will be sold. He is rated so low that if he wanted to win, he could do so very easily. Let's just hope he starts performing at the races.

Vastly (Shelley) & Automotive (Ross)

Another raider this week is Attain. He ran really well on his seasonal reappearance at Wolverhampton last time and if the ground is soft at Goodwood on Friday, he should go very well. He is flying at home and looks well treated now so let's just hope rain hits the Downs.

Attain (Alfie)

Believe In Me has yet to run this season but she is almost ready to return. She is just an out and out galloper so one mile at a straight track like Yarmouth should be right up her street and she isn't too fussy about any ground type.
Her work companion was new horse Al Sahraa. She is pretty temperamental so we will just take our time with her as she needs one more run to qualify for handicaps.

Believe In Me (Annelie) & Al Sahraa (Scott)

No Such Number has had no luck recently with the ground going too soft for him wherever he has been entered so we are just keeping him ticking over until the right opportunity arises.
He accompanied Sheila's Heart in a steady gallop. Sheila has just been gelded but has recovered from the operation really well and seems a lot more mature mentally since the snip. Now he's more manageable, he shouldn't be too far off making his debut.

Sheila's Heart (Reno) & No Such Number (Billy)

You saw last week that we have just got a new puppy to add to our growing animal collection and the other day I saw another newcomer trotting across the field. We get plenty of deer hopping in and out of the woodland but I had never seen a baby as small as this one. The mother isn't very big herself so the baby must have been about the size of a rabbit. Very cute!

New faces make a full yard

I suppose it would have been too much to ask for another winner this week after tasting victory twice over the last fortnight. We had a few chances but none of them had much luck so it's up to this week's raiders to make amends.

I have been making trips to the doctor's recently as my hip has been giving me some grief. I've already had one hip replaced and it looks like the other will need doing soon. The doctor keeps saying I'm too young to have these troubles - I must have had a hard paper round!
It hasn't stopped me from riding out though and one horse I enjoy having a spin on is exciting stayer No Such Number. He didn't shine on his seasonal reappearance at Doncaster last time but the track may no have suited him. His half brother Address Unknown won the Chester Cup last week so we're taking him there on Saturday as his family obviously like the place.
He worked really well on Saturday with fellow stayer Sancho Panza. Sancho's comeback has been delayed by the firm ground but he's in at Yarmouth on Friday and hopefully some rain will come for him. He will need the run but should be well handicapped for the upcoming season.

No Such Number (Julia) & Sancho Panza (Ross)

Number also had a stretch of his legs the previous Wednesday when giving a lead to three-year old Believe In Me. She is coming back to fitness now after a winter break and seems to be handling the work well. All being well, she should be back on the track within a month.

No Such Number (Julia) & Believe In Me (Annalie)

We have horses coming out of our ears at the moment with a jam-packed yard after welcoming another new face at the weekend. Al Sahraa only had a few runs for her previous trainer but seems to go well enough. She is already pretty fit so should be out soon.
She went along with Honeymoon Express who has really been pleasing me since coming back from her holiday. She is showing a lot of speed and gives the impression that 7f could be her trip. She still needs a few more gallops but I'm looking forward to running her.

Honeymoon Express (Annalie) & Al Sahraa

After a splash of rain on Friday night, the grass gallops were in perfect condition so I made full use of them by sending all sorts up the Peate Moss. Khajaaly doesn't usually gallop with other horses as he has his own ideas about the game but since we started turning him out last month, he seems a lot happier and even fancied running with some company. He is rated a lot higher on the all-weather and still hasn't won on turf which really frustrates me because he seems just as good on the green stuff at home.
Last week saw our first juvenile runner of the term and although Bushy Glade didn't shine, it gives us an idea as to how the others are going. Primrose Posy is learning with each gallop she has and should be out soon.

Primrose Posy (Shelley), Khajaaly (Billy) & Amelia George (Alfie)

After her owner passed away last month, The Ducking Stool's future was in doubt as his widow felt she couldn't afford to keep her. However, a solution was found and I'm delighted to report that this gallant mare will be staying with us still. She is a reliable yard-stick and seems to thrive at Yarmouth so we will keep running her there.

The Ducking Stool (Reno)

Putting hoods on horses seems to be all the rage at the minute and although none of ours usually wear one, we have seen the application of a hood benefit one filly in particular. Honey Boo Boo was a very frantic individual and used to get quite worked up on the heath but the headgear seems to have settled her down really well and made her much more pliable to train. Her name is a funny one and the owner informs me it is something to do with a TV programme that is set to hit our screens soon!

Honey Boo Boo (Adam)

After the first few meetings were abandoned due to poor ground conditions, I'm delighted that Brighton is back in action on Tuesday and I've got four declared there. It looks likely though that only two will run - Silver Alliance and Chilli Green.
Silver won last time out and is in the form of his life. The cheekpieces seemed to spark him up last time and hopefully they do the same again.
Chilli has been trying, without success, to get some black type in listed races. She reverts to handicaps this time and hopefully she can find things a bit easier.

Silver Alliance (Ross), Attain (Alfie) & Entrance (Shelley)

With 30 horses, 3 parrots, 5 cats and two dogs, you would think there are enough animals at Harraton Stud but we've got another new face after Mary the jack russell arrived. She is actually the grand daughter of one of our old dogs Jemma who was a brilliant mouse catcher so if those instincts have passed on I'll be more than happy.

Waiting for a winner

It sure is a lot easier to write this blog when we've had a winner and I thought I'd be struggling for material this week after a number of disappointing runs from some of the horses, although they did have their excuses.
As some of the young and exciting horses didn't fire, I wasn't holding out much hope that our last runner of the week at Nottingham would be able to put a smile on my face as it was wise old boy Handheld who hadn't been trying too hard in his recent runs.
However, the cheekpieces which managed to get Silver Alliance's head in front last week also had the same effect on Handheld as he got up late in a photo finish under Shelley Birkett. Hopefully this win will do his confidence some good and he can come home first again soon.



Handheld wins by a nose at Nottingham

With a spring in my step, I went up to the gallops to watch the horses go through their paces. The week had been a dry one and the grass was a bit too firm so the gallopers had a spin on the all-weather.
Sheila's Heart was a big and gangly juvenile last season but has strengthened up over the winter and is going well now. He had his first serious bit of work on Saturday alongside Sancho Panza and seemed to handle it well.
Sancho was meant to run at Yarmouth during the week but the ground was too firm for him. He is in good form and will be out before the end of the month.

Sancho Panza (Billy) & Sheila's Heart (Ross)

Old boy Spirit of Sharjah will probably retire from racing at the end of the year but he still maintains all his enthusiasm for the game and pointed his toe up the gallop.The ground might be a bit firm for his liking at the moment but he runs at Newmarket on Friday. It's hard to predict when he'll win as everything has to be right for him but he is becoming well handicapped now.

Spirit of Sharjah (Reno)

Another running at Newmarket this week is Bushy Glade on Thursday. She will be making her racecourse debut and will come on for the run. She has done plenty of work at home and handles the starting stalls fine but the race will really wake her up and she looks like she could be a nice two-year old this season.
I can't wait for Brighton to get racing again after the course had to reschedule its early meetings due to bad grass growth and I've already got a few pencilled in to run on the 21st May. Believe In Me will definitely be going to the track this year and she is gradually getting back to peak fitness after her winter holiday. She didn't grow much over the winter but can hopefully give her owners some fun in the coming months.
Another who should be in the winner's circle soon is Honeymoon Express. She didn't show much in one run last year but seems a lot more professional at home now and put in a really good bit of work on Saturday. She is still about a month off a run though.

Belive In Me, Bushy Glade (hidden) & Honeymoon Express

Our apprentice Shelley Birkett has been in good form recently with a couple of winners and hopefully she can work the magic on Tiger's Home at Wolverhampton on Monday. The filly ran a blinder on her seasonal reappearance but then flopped the next time. She seems fine at home so can hopefully get back to form. Also at Wolves is Omega Omega. The track, trip and handicap mark all look spot on so I wouldn't be surprised should she run well.


Kevin 'Tolly' McGuinness was a good friend of mine and also owned The Ducking Stool. Many of you may have seen him in the yard as he doted on his mare and always had a cheeky smile on his face. Sadly, he passed away a couple of weeks ago after a battle with cancer and his funeral was held on Thursday. Fittingly, his wife decided The Ducking Stool should lead the hearse to the ceremony and it was a magnificent sight to see her with all colours blazing leading the parade. It was definitely what Tolly would have wanted.

The going's always good at Yarmouth

It's fair to say that I love Yarmouth. It's not just that it is one of our local tracks or because the seafood there is great but we seem to have a lot of luck at the track.
I do enjoy sending a fair few runners to the seaside venue and on Monday three went in that direction and, following on from The Ducking Stool two weeks earlier, Silver Alliance came home in front.
He has had his attitude questioned in the past but the application of cheekpieces seemed to have a positive effect and he dug deep to win in a photo finish. This was his second win of the year already so if the rest of the yard can follow suit, we're in for a good season.

Silver Alliance (Shelley Birkett) wins at Yarmouth

The sun was shining at Yarmouth, as it has done all week, but that doesn't mean it has been a perfect week weather wise as the clear skies mean that the mornings have brought frost with them.
There's still a bit of  moisture in the grass and we've been making plenty of use of Newmarket's fantastic turf gallops.
Khajaaly had his final blow-out before running at Yarmouth on Tuesday. We don't train him like the others as he is a bit quirky but he seems to like his routine and if he can match his third place finish at the course last time, he should go close.

Khajaaly (Billy) in the mist

Also looking to give us another Yarmouth winner the same day is The Ducking Stool. She loves the track and should still be competitive off her higher handicap mark. The ground might be a bit too firm but she always tries her hardest and can hopefully be rewarded.
Sancho Panza is another declared that day but he has had some leg troubles so good ground is a must but it looks like it may be too firm for him to run.

Other runners this week include Vastly at Nottingham on Friday. He makes his handicap debut off a mark we think he's capable of winning off. He did a cracking bit of work on firm ground with Handheld on Saturday so things look good for a big run.
Handheld goes to the same track the following day and he is in fine form too. He does have his quirks though so I can't be too confident about his chances.

Vastly (Ross) & Handheld (Shelley)

We still have quite a few horses who have never run so it is a good idea to gallop them together in a 'mini race' so they can learn a bit about the game. Although they aren't pushed out like at the races, it is good for them to get close up with others and get the competitive juices flowing.
Our two juvenile fillies, Primrose Posy and Bushy Glade, are both nearly ready for a run and it will be great to have our first two-year old runners of the season.
The two horses at the rear of the photo below are Amelia George and Bethan, two older fillies who haven't run yet. They both came fairly late to us so have only just started serious work but the early signs are promising.

(l-r): Bushy Glade, Entrance, Primrose Posy, Amelia Goerge & Bethan

We also had some runners of the human variety as the annual Newmarket Heath Race took place on Thursday at Warren Hill. With only two runners in the field of 200-odd, we were always going to struggle but Ross managed to come home in 7th place. A winter spent sunbathing on Dubai's beaches probably didn't help the cause and he will reportedly come on for the run!

Ross in action

Further down the field was sister Shelley who jumped off at the back of the field and made eye-catching late headway to finish full of running in mid-division. Watch out, she may be well-handicapped soon!

Shelley finished strongly