Busy behind the scenes

It may be a quiet time on the track with only a few runners recently but there has been plenty going on behind the scenes as some new faces come into the yard.
We already have six yearlings ready to be sent away for pre-training and it's great to have so many youngsters - definitely the most I have had in a few years. They are, after all, the future horses to be trained so hopefully they can all be winners when hitting the track from next April onwards.
It will be extra special this year as two of them have been home bred, I trained the mothers and it is exciting to see if the offspring have any similar characteristics and if they can run as fast as their talented mums!
Continuing the theme, we already have a champion for 2016 as Emma's Gift's colt foal continues to grow fast. It won't be long before he is weaned from his mum and joins the field full of big boys which should toughen him up a bit. He is bred to be decent, being by a Derby winner, so fingers crossed he will be worth the wait.

Growing fast: Emma's Gift's foal

 

With the horses in training sales coming up next month, I have orders to buy a few more so there will be plenty of other new faces coming in as well. At least one will be up for syndication so watch this space if you are keen to be part of another success story!

There was some drama on Wednesday as Veeraya took a bad turn. He had gone out on routine exercise and came back fine only to take a couple of mouthfuls of his lunch and suddenly start feeling very uncomfortable. He was laying on the floor thrashing around - telltale signs of colic. Luckily we were all in the yard and noticed his distress straight away so we did what you're supposed to do and got him on his feet and led him around. The vet was called and he said it didn't look good so we took him to the hospital and they decided to operate on him. They found he had a twisted gut and swiftly corrected it before having him under observation for a few days.
This just goes to show that you really are better off being a horse than a human in Newmarket as within an hour of falling ill, Veeraya was on the operating table being made better. It would take that long just for the ambulance to arrive for us humans!
He is now back home and seems very happy sporting a big scar on his belly. He will need plenty of rest and recuperation before he can start training again but there should be no lasting effects.

Hospital time: Veeraya

We have just one entry this week with Handheld at Nottingham on Wednesday. This isn't for certain though as he has been a bit sore this week after having new shoes fitted. We know he usually does get sore after the farrier has been and that's why we get him done so far in advanced of the race (usually you do it the day before) but he has taken longer than usual to feel right so we will have to monitor how he is over the coming days before making a definite decision. If he is good, I hope he'll run well as it's a valuable race and he has great form at the track. Lots of rain would be a plus as he enjoys soft ground.

Down about the Yarmouth undulations

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who made the effort to pay us a visit as part of Newmarket Open Day today as we welcomed more people than ever before through the gates and it was fantastic to see plenty of faces, old and new. Thanks to all who contributed to the selection of savouries and cakes, there was a massive spread and all of it got eaten! I didn't get to see any other part of the town but I hope the day was another resounding success as it is great to give the public a look behind the usually closed doors of training yards, although our policy is rather different as anybody is allowed to visit any day of the year. If you missed it, make sure you come soon!

We had a few runners at Yarmouth this week as the track held its last meeting before closing for repair work to the home straight. It is set to race again next June. Some jockeys had complained that there were ridges in the home straight which got horses unbalanced. I am really disappointed that the track has shut down just for some unnecessary work. The undulations are part of the track's idiosyncrasies and you have to be able to handle them to win at the course. Will the repairs mean some of our course specialists won't be as effective at the place? Only time will tell. It just seems that the track has bowed down to the complaints of a select view when the vast majority of us are happy with how things are. What next? Will they level Tattenham Corner at Epsom because it's too steep?!

 

Hopefully all the visitors left a little more enlightened as to how a training yard works and hopefully we sent you off with a winner or two. First to the plate is Avidly at Lingfield on Tuesday. She has come back from her break in good form and I thought she'd run better at Yarmouth last time but it just may have been that she need the run fitness-wise. She has form at the track so hopefully a return there can bring her back to life as she has plenty of ability.

Avidly (Ross)

 

There's a wait until Friday before our next runner as Automotive is entered at Haydock. He ran a blinder when second at Goodwood last time and he has come out of the race well. He has course and distance form so, despite the race looking quite competitive, he should make the trip north worthwhile.
Handheld loves soft ground so he hasn't been out since winning in August but hopefully the wait will be worthwhile as he is set for Nottingham early next month. He has won at the course and it's quite a valuable race so we need to be doing a rain dance!

Handheld (Ryan) & Automotive (Ross)

 

Meddling is still a pretty unexposed horse and she showed us a glimpse of her ability when scoring at Lingfield earlier in the year. She had some trouble with her back muscles after that so we gave her a break to strengthen up and she has returned a much bigger and muscular horse. She did her first fast piece of work on Saturday so, all being well, she should be ready for the track in three weeks' time.

Meddling (Shelley)

 

Sadiigah (Danny)

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE

Placings from the prolific The Ducking Stool and maiden points scorer Previous Acclaim have seen some movement in the rankings.
Now sharing the lead with 28 points are Harry Hurst and Sophie Feilden. Closely following on 27 is Mark Henry with Sophie Collington on 26 points.

Open Day in your diaries

First up, let me remind you that next Sunday 21st September is the annual Newmarket Open Day. For us it is nothing too different as our yard is open to owners and visitors all year round but if you've been meaning to pay us a visit then why not now as following many yards opening their doors to the public in the morning, there are a lot of fun and games up at the Rowley Mile racecourse. There'll be plenty of  refreshments on offer between 10am -12noon at ours so make it a date!

Hopefully there will be plenty to talk about as we have a load of runners this week, mostly at Yarmouth as the track hosts its last meeting before closing for the year and it is their big three-day meeting.

Starting at the seaside, but at Brighton, is Previous Acclaim on Monday. She ran well at the course last week despite suffering lots of interference in running so hopefully with a bit more luck this time she can get amongst the placings.

Then on Wednesday we have both Honeymoon Express and Silver Alliance heading to Yarmouth. Both horses have won at the track and seem to show their best there. Honeymoon hasn't fired yet this season but her homework is better than ever and hopefully the forecast will stay dry as she loves firm ground. I think she could run a big race.
Silver has already won twice this year and as a result is pretty high in the handicap and finding life tough at present.

Sadiigah (Adam) & Honeymoon Express (Ryan)

 

Then on Thursday we have another brace of runners at the coast. The Ducking Stool has had a remarkably consistent season and did herself proud with a second place last time. The winner of that race has won again since so the form isn't too shabby. She's back at her favourite track of Yarmouth so another bold show should be on the cards.
Luhaif, on the other hand, has been very in and out this year, despite wining in June. He has to get an easy lead in front which is often hard to come by over sprint trips. He has won at the track so maybe a return there will help him out.

Handheld (Danny), Avidly (Ross) & Silver Alliance (Shelley)

 

Tolly McGuinness (Danny) & Mercy Me (Ross)

Ducky doing herself proud

I'm sure anyone who saw it would agree that The Ducking Stool ran the race of her life on Thursday at Haydock. Despite finishing second, she looked the winner a furlong out before getting headed in the shadows of the post. She is a pleasure to train and I can't believe how consistent she has been this year with form figures of 3313322 recently. She loves her routine of being exercised and then going out in the field to chill and it helps an older mare like her to keep enthusiastic about the game and hold on to some condition. Hopefully she'll get her head back in front again for another much-deserved win.

This week saw the departure of one of my favourites in the yard as No Such Number went to the sales. He had been running extremely well all year on the flat and over jumps but we all felt that we had got the best out of him and it was time to get some fresh stock. He has joined a lady who trains near Carlisle and she says he'll run under both codes and I'm glad he has gone to a good home. I'm looking forward to having some money to spend at the sales in October to buy his replacement for his syndicate of owners who have been very lucky in the past.

No Such Number

 

Looking ahead to this week, we'll be all over the country with three runners.
Starting on Monday, Previous Acclaim heads to Brighton. How she hasn't won a race yet, I do not know but I'm sure there is one in her as she isn't useless and tries hard. Hopefully the pieces will fall into place sooner rather than later.

Previous Acclaim (Ryan) & Sadiigah (Shelley)

 

Luhaif has an inconsistent profile but managed to win at Yarmouth in the summer. He is a front runner so if he can't get into the lead early on, he tends to spit the dummy out and not try too hard. The handicapper keeps dropping him every time he does though so he'll get into a grade he finds easier and can dominate in. If the ground isn't too soft, he'll go to Chester on Friday. It's important to have a low draw there on any type of horse so we'll need luck with that and also in the race itself.
The following day at Bath we have Honeymoon Express. She loves firm ground and hasn't had things ideal for her this season. She's working very well at home so it wouldn't surprise me if she can bounce back to form.

Luhaif (Ross) & Honeymoon Express (Ryan)

 

You wouldn't have heard much of Mercy Me on this blog as she has been a big and backward two-year old filly but I'd like to get a run into her before the end of the season for some experience, so she has been stepping up her work recently and did her first gallop last week.
She was understandably green but it seemed to really sharpen her up and, although I'm not expecting much of her this year, she looks the type who could develop into quite a decent older horse.

Tolly McGuinness (Danny) & Mercy Me (Ross)

 

We don't leave a stone unturned here at Harraton Stud in a bid to get the very best out of every horse. Avidly has been disappointing recently after a promising start for no apparent reason so we decided to try the latest in veterinary technology to see if it was her breathing holding her back. Using a dynamic endoscopy, the vet can see how the horse's windpipe works thanks to a camera which beams images to a laptop live as the horse gallops.

 

Unfortunately nothing major was found so we'll have to go back to the drawing board with her but it was fascinating to see how the latest technology is being used to improve the performance of racehorses and giving us better diagnosis.

THREE TO FOLLOW UPDATE

With another second place to her name, The Ducking Stool is now the highest points scoring horse in the yard and helped many to move up the rankings.
For the first time this year we have a clear leader as Harry Hurst moves ahead with 27 points, closely followed by Sophie Feilden on 26 and both Sophie Collington and Mark Henry on 25.