Saturday surprise

With four runners on Sunday, I thought it would be best to do a super Saturday blog as we'll be flat out tomorrow being represented at two meetings.
We've done very well at Yarmouth this season with six winners on the board at the seaside venue. We have three going there on Sunday, led by Honeymoon Express who put in a great performance to win a maiden on Tuesday. There was a 92 rated odds-on shot in the race but I never think you should avoid a race just because of one horse as they may disappoint on the day which proved the case in this instance. Honeymoon has come out of the race in great form and we have to run under a penalty because the handicapper will probably put her up a lot for the win. Dropping back to five furlongs isn't ideal but she does have plenty of speed.
Also at Yarmouth is course legend The Ducking Stool. She runs her best races at the track and has won there four times already. She didn't shine at Pontefract last time but hopefully the sea air will revive her.
The third of the trio heading to the coast is Entrance. She won first time this season then didn't back that up in a hot race next time. I've put cheekpieces on her just to make her concentrate and if she feels like doing it, she is certainly handicapped well enough to win.

Automotive (Julia) & Entrance (Graham)

Heading in the opposite direction down the A11 on Sunday will be Automotive. We really fancied him last time but he ran a shocker and a subsequent blood test showed he was carrying a bit of a virus. His blood is fine now and hopefully he can bounce back to the form that saw him bolt up at Newbury in June. The race is worth a massive £10,000 too so there's even more incentive for him to perform!

No Such Number (Ross) & The Ducking Stool (Shelley)

Another equally valuable race is the Amateur Derby at Epsom on Monday. No Such Number proved last time that he doesn't mind soft ground and we already know he handles Epsom's unique undulations well so there's no reason to think he doesn't have a chance. As you would expect, it's a competitive race but it'd be nice to claim to be a 'Derby' winning trainer!

Tiger's Home (Alfie)

As you can see from the above pictures, the sun was out on Wednesday morning and Tiger's Home swung along nicely on her own. I think it's worth trying her over six furlongs as she shows a lot of speed at home and hasn't been finishing well over further. She is very versatile with regards to ground so I fully expect her to win a race or two before the season is out.


The weather couldn't have been any more different on Saturday though as the heaven's opened but it gave us a great chance to test some of the horses of softer ground.
It was a pleasure to welcome ex-jockey Richard Perham back into the yard to ride work. He used to ride out Spirit of Sharjah everyday but then got busy with his main job as a jockey coach at The British Racing School. He sat on Vastly and was very impressed with what he felt. Vastly has recovered from his gelding operation very well and his breathing seems to have improved as a result thanks to the weight he has lost consequently.
I had a spin on Attain and he loved the deep conditions as we already know. The hard part is guessing where the rain is going to be so we can enter him on soft ground.

Attain (Julia) & Vastly (Richard)

A new horse to the yard is Never Another and he too underwent a castration. He took a bit longer than Vastly to get over it but is fine now and showed a good attitude in his first piece of work. It's early days yet but I may be tempted to run him in a bumper first just so he can get some experience.
He went along with Bethan. She is as fit as a flea but there are no 1m2f maidens for her to run in. We'll probably have to start her over one mile which isn't ideal but at least it will get a run into her.

Bethan (Adam) & Never Another (Ross)

One horse who definitely loves soft ground is Sancho Panza. Like Attain, it's hard to guess where he'll get ideal conditions but he is in top form for when the time arises.

Sancho Panza (Dave)

Rounding off next week is Hamble on Sunday at Brighton. He ran a lot better dropped in trip with a tongue strap on last time and, if he handles the track, should be on the premises once again.

Just a reminder for you to put Sunday 22nd September in your diary as that is when the annual Newmarket Open Day is being held this year. Once again, our yard will be open from 9am for anyone to visit with refreshments available before a whole host of activities are held up the Rowley Mile racecourse in the afternoon.

Surf n Turf

After a quiet week with only one runner, the horsebox will be back on the road quite a fair bit over the next seven days as we go on search for another winner.

 

Silver Alliance has already won three times this year so he owes us nothing but it wouldn't surprise me to see him get his grey nose in front again. He ran a blinder in a hot handicap at Glorious Goodwood last time so should find things a bit easier at Windsor on Monday. There are only six runners though which means he might not get the fast pace he loves but our apprentice jockey Shelley knows him inside out so can hopefully keep him interested. 



Silver Alliance winning at Yarmouth earlier in the season

 

Not a meeting at Yarmouth goes by without us having a runner and we'll be back beside the seaside on Tuesday with four runners.

Honeymoon Express has shown some great promise this season but was disappointing last time. She is in a maiden race against a horse rated in the 90s but I feel that horse might be over-rated and if the luck swings our way hopefully she can win for the first time.

Lea Valley will be running over the furthest she has ever tried but I think that is what she needs and should run a bit better with blinkers back on.

In the final race of the day, we have two horses up against each other. I don't like having two horses in the same race usually as you can only win with one but both Exopuntia and Hamble prefer a straight track so we are limited with our options. Hamble probably didn't stay last time so the drop back in trip will be in his favour. Exopuntia enjoys Yarmouth and is pretty well handicapped if on a going day. 

Exopuntia and Believe In Me

 

Entrance and Honeymoon Express

 

Hoofbeats Racing Club sponsored a couple of races at Yarmouth a fortnight ago and the exposure & interest which the Club received was great with many new members joining. The Club sponsors another race at the track on Sunday and we'll be looking to win it with course specialist The Ducking Stool. All four of her career wins have come at the track so it was no surprise she didn't shine at Pontefract last time. Hopefully some sea air in her lungs can bring her back to life.

The Club is a great way to get involved in racehorse ownership for racegoers young and old. For just £180 you get a share in four horses for a whole year with all the perks that ownership brings - tickets to the races, stable visits and prize money. More details can be found here: http://www.hoofbeats.co.uk/hoofbeats-racing-club.htm 

The Ducking Stool

Also on Sunday is Automotive at Goodwood. He let us down when favourite at Newbury last time but blood tests afterwards revealed he had been suffering from a bit of a virus which would have affected his performance. His blood is back to normal now though so hopefully he can show us how good he really is once again.


Vastly and Automotive

 

Goodbye to Spirit

Apologies for the late blog but with Ross and Shelley both away this weekend, there were three times as many jobs to do but still only 24 hours in the day to do them all!
We had plenty of runners last week but unfortunately, due to a few factors, there weren't any winners.
The closest we got to the winner's enclosure was No Such Number at Winsdor on Monday. It rained heavily all day so the ground was soft by the time racing started. He had never tried this sort of ground before but he seemed to relish it and ran a great race in third. It gives us plenty more options for the future.

Thursday at Yarmouth was extremely busy with two runners and the official launch of the new Hoofbeats Racing Club. The horses ran with credit and there was lots of interest in the club. It's a really affordable way to get involved in not just one but four horses for just £180 a year. More details can be found at the site: http://www.hoofbeats.co.uk/hoofbeats-racing-club.htm

We only have one runner this week as Lea Valley heads to Nottingham tonight. She fractured her leg after finishing second in the winter but everything is healed fine now and she is a lot stronger for the break. She is quite a stuffy horse so may need the run but she is certainly better than her low rating.

After a joint decision was made between myself and owner Alan Dee, we have decided to retire our stable star Spirit of Sharjah. It is always hard to let go of your best horse but he seems to be on the decline and it is best for him to retire in one piece rather than going down the scale of races.
After winning first time out as a two year old at Newmarket under Mick Kinane, he won me my first ever Listed race at Goodwood. He then improved furthermore to finish an unlucky third in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot - a real thrill and one of the highlights of my career.
Although he never matched this later in life, he still won two more listed races, finished placed in Dubai and won over £130,000 in career prize money.
It is good to know he will have a nice new home though for his second career as he has gone to Richard Perham who used to ride him out every morning and will do some hunting and show jumping with him. He is only in the next village so it will be good to see him from time to time.

Hopefully we won't have to wait too long until we get another as good as him!

Spirit of Sharjah winning on debut at Newmarket

 

 

Spirit of Sharjah exercising at Meydan racecourse, Dubai

Following the Hoofbeats

Many of you have been members of our Hoofbeats Racing Club in various horses through the years and it has seen considerable success with the likes of Get To The Point, Sail Home and Bavarica all winning in the club's red and yellow colours.
Now, in conjunction with Hoofbeats Tours, the racing club is having a bit of a revamp and this week sees the launch of the new-look Hoofbeats Racing Club. The new system will involve shares costing just £180 for the year for which you will be part of not just one but four horses - Hamble, The Ducking Stool, Honeymoon Express and Handheld. They are all good fun horses and will be providing plenty of winners for the club and its members.
To get the word out there, we are sponsoring two races at Yarmouth on Thursday and it would be great if as many of you can get there to lend some support - just send me a message and I'll leave some badges for you on the gate. It's quite an exciting time and hopefully the club can really be a success.

Bidding to win one of the sponsored races on Thursday is Honeymoon Express. She ran really well in maiden races and then found five furlongs a bit too sharp on her handicap debut. She's back to six again now and it's a maiden handicap so it shouldn't be a great race and hopefully she can get us off to a flying start.

Entrance (Julia) & Honeymoon Express (Shelley)

Running in the other Hoofbeats race at Yarmouth is new boy Hamble. We bought him last month from Marco Botti after he won at Newmarket a few weeks before and from what we've seen at home, he is in top form and certainly looks capable of winning off his current handicap mark. He likes firm ground so the forecast looks in his favour.
On Wednesday, he did a good piece of work with Exopuntia. She hasn't run since having a spring break but she is back now in flying form and just needs a bit of soft ground until she is back out again.

Exopuntia (Ross) & Hamble (Alfie)

Unfortunately Automotive didn't shine today at Newbury for no apparent reason but I just think things didn't go his way and he'll be back to his best soon.
Last week he led a strong piece of work with two other of this week's runners.
First up, tomorrow at Windsor, is No Such Number. He hasn't had much luck this season with a few bad rides but the field looks likely to provide him with the strong pace he loves and our amateur jockey Ross is riding him and he knows him very well so should get the best out of him.
Ross is also on The Ducking Stool at Pontefract on Wednesday. All her wins have come at Yarmouth but she finished second in this race last year so the track is fine for her and hopefully she can continue her fantastic season.

No Such Number (Ross), Automotive (Julia) & The Ducking Stool (Reno)

As mentioned last week, Vastly and new purchase Never Another had a visit from the vet to be castrated a fortnight ago and I'm happy to say both have recovered fine and are back in full training. Vastly is quite a big, stuffy horse so we have to keep him going and he impressed me in a steady gallop on Saturday with Sancho Panza. I think the gelding will improve him immensely and the early signs are promising.


Sancho Panza (Reno) & Vastly (Billy)

Ending the week is Bethan making her debut at Newmarket on Saturday. She has had a few small problems which have kept her from running but now everything is fine and she is fully fit. She definitely has shown ability on the gallops but she is still very green and inexperienced so the run will improve her a lot mentally.