Julia Feilden Racing

The ups and downs of racing...

2012-01-29T06:23:00.001-08:00

We finally managed to get off the mark for the new year when Sail Home romped home at Kempton on Tuesday. I've been riding her myself prior to her win and I could not believe how well she was at this time of the year as most fillies do not enjoy the winter months. Here she is looking into the camera a few days before. I rode her out after her run and she put the brakes on and I went flying through the air! So I think she's well enough to take her chance again tomorrow, there's only 5 runners, although this does increase the risk of it being a messy race but she can run from the front or behind so hopefully lady luck will swing in her favour again.

However, when you start to think that the horses are going to form a queue into the winners enclosure, this fickle game soon brings you back down to earth as it did on Saturday at Lingfield. Emma's Gift was running again whilst in her rich vein of form, she was travelling well until the last bend when it all got a bit too tight on the rail, her room soon vanished and she clipped heels sending her jockey Adam Beschizza into orbit. The filly found a leg and managed to stay on her feet and run back safe and sound. It looked bad for Adam on the t.v. but thankfully he got up unscathed. You don't expect to go home with an 'unseated' on the flat, but its all part and parcel of the game and the main thing is everyone came back in one piece.

We had a few stretch their legs up Cambridge Road this Wednesday, here's Exopuntia cantering around, she's been running a bit flat recently so we're trying to freshen her up a bit now as she likes plenty of time between her races.

Emma's Gift (the grey, before her Saturday fate!) and Automotive work together, we're in the process of trying to get 'Mo' fit again for another run as he is quite stuffy and tends to lose fitness quite quickly.

Blackmore (left) who ran a game race in defeat on Thursday finishing second, works with Faraway Land, a Juddemonte cast- off I bought last year- I'm hoping she'll be a nice replacement for Bavarica for the kids to ride in amateur races this year.

Next week Sail Home will bid for a quick fire double on Monday and then it's a quiet week until runners a bit later on. Emma's Gift ate all her feed last night and seems none the worse so she'll be entered for next Saturday if all is well.

Judge and Jury

2012-01-22T09:22:00.000-08:00

We've only had 3 runners this week but 2 of them have been involved in a tight photo finish. Unfortunately they weren't in a finish for the winners spot but it is still good to see them in with a shout. The bad news is both of them lost out, Attain (below) had to settle for 4th and Spirit of Sharjah over in Dubai settled for 3rd. Although having received the print for Attain's finish I'm inclined to think the judge may have forgotten his glasses on this occasion.

Attain was making his racecourse debut and we were very impressed by how he ran, he kept a cool head in the stalls when the favourite went underneath the front, and was subsequently withdrawn and ran a game race to just get pipped on the line, it may not turn out to be a bad maiden either seeing as the winner is entered in the Derby! He also behaved himself in the preliminaries aswell, its probably more important to give the first timers a good experience before the race then it is during. Alot of the time you will see horses reacting badly to all the people, the sounds and if the jockey has a light weight they sometimes do not react well to having a small saddle on their backs as they're used to big exercise ones. Also that day was Canning Vale out to improve on her handicap debut, however they went no pace and when Adam Kirby is infront you know your in trouble so the filly was run off her feet in the last stages and with the track being so tight aswell she had no chance on the turn for home.

Spirit of Sharjah ran that day too but in more exotic surroundings again at Meydan. He was settled in rear and made stealthy progress on the outer to be fast finishing and just miss out on second and a length away from the first spot. It's nice to see him getting competitive now and should be picking up a race sooner rather than later. There is another race next Thursday back at the track so hopefully that will be his day.

Next week Sail Home will be out at Kempton on Tuesday, she's been slowly coming back to form and it looks a winnable race so she would have each- way claims and Blackmore will go to Kempton on Thursday. After a luckless passage last time running on into second he surely will get us off that cold trainers list.

Back to business

2012-01-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

Well it was nice while it lasted but it looks like the holiday is over now and time to start getting the new year underway. We worked a few yesterday so I took my trusted camera out for a spin.

Here's Blackmore just stretching his legs out along the Cambridge Road gallop, he ran a good race last time coming home an unlucky second and looks sure for a win off his sliding handicap mark.

Silver Alliance (grey) and Attain have been working together recently and went together again yesterday. I've been really impressed with them both, especially Attain as he is an unraced three- year- old going with a multiple, older winner and really showing alot of talent. He will be entered for Lingfield on Saturday, I would like to think he would pick up a little race quite soon but you just don't know how they're going to react to a racecourse for the first time. 'Silver' will be entered to run on Sunday at Kempton and should hopefully be in with a shout given he's had time off and come back fresh and rejuvenated.

Sail Home also stretched her legs out yesterday, there's a race for her in a couple off weeks, she has been running well of late and looks another to take advantage of her sliding handicap mark.

The very exciting Automotive was also out, after finishing second last time on only his second outing for us he will be fitted with a tongue- tie next time to hopefully help with his breathing which probably got him beat last time.

Also running next week on Saturday will be globetrotter Spirit of Sharjah. He ran better last time picking up some prize money (over $2,000 for finishing 6th!) but seems to lack the toe of his younger, more improving components. He has dropped again in the handicap so looks unlikely that he'll get in on the tapeta again but will be entered for a race on the turf also. Canning Vale will run on that day too. We were quietly confident that she'd run a nice race last time and indeed she did by finishing a close- up 3rd. Another good run should be on the books now trying handicap company for the first time.

It's now time for my husband, John, and my sister, Poppy, to take mine and Shelley's place in Dubai to look after Spirit and have a little holiday after doing so well running the yard while we were away. We've had an influx of some new members to the team in the last week so all the horses that had a winter break are now starting to begin training again, Sancho Panza, Verona Bay, Argante Claudius, Acer Diamonds and Generous Genella are all now beginning to look like racehorses again. Although with Shelley going to be laid off this week as she's having an operation on her shoulder on Friday, I may have to blow the dust off my boots and ride the bears myself!

Second time lucky?

2012-01-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday came the day we'd been waiting for when we had our first ever international runner. Although only finishing mid- field Spirit of Sharjah over came a wide draw and a bad position to run on and just miss out on some prize money. He has come out of the race well and will be running this Thursday, this time with a better draw and a more ideal distance of 7f. Here he is (second left) out at excercise with other top class horses.

With the main focus being in Meydan we've tried to limit the number of runners at home. This week only saw Exopuntia travel to her beloved Southwell, although her relationship with the track did not go so well as she finished mid- field. She has not been able to dominate her recent races as she likes to and so cannot get into a rhythm which best suits her.

I haven't been at home to take any pictures of the other horses, so here's another of Spirit this time getting a wash down!

New Year's Greetings

2012-01-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone and hopefully we can get ours off to a massive bang.

Ross, Shelley and I were in Dubai and managed to catch the huge firework display that takes place on the world's tallest building - the Burj Khalifa. Eventhough we were a few miles away, the thing is big enough to see pretty easily!
I'm delighted with how well Spirit has settled in and am really looking forward to when he runs on Thursday. The field is pretty competitve with Godolphin having 4 runners in the race but he's in great order and was bucking and kicking after doing a blowout this morning!
The race is at 9pm (5pm back in the UK) and should be shown on Attheraces.
The quality of horses out here is phenominal - he usually goes out in a string consisting of Regal Parade (Group 1 winner), Steele Tango (Carnival winner), Sir Reginald (Top class 2 year old) and the winner of the Spanish Derby! There are all sorts of nationalities in the yard but there is a great atmosphere.

There was a mixed bag of results during the week for the horses back at home.

Hayley Turner rode two of them and I wasn't particularly pleased with how she rode them. Exopuntia is a front runner but she never got in front and was put off by the severe kickback at Southwell. Blackmore ran at the same venue and was supposed to make the running too but that never happened and he looked to be staying on really strongly at the finish but Hayley never used her stick. I'm not sure he would have won but he definitely looks like he'll win soon.

Canning Vale hadn't shown much in her first two starts but her homework had been improving and she showed just that by running a blinder to finish third at Kempton. She qualifies to run in a handicap now and is surely good enough to win one for Dick Creese.

The steady pace at Wolverhampton went completely against Khajaaly but he could probably do with dropping in the handicap anyway.

With everything going on out here, we haven't got any runners for a few days but there are some nice new horses that will be out soon and could be useful.

Wishing you a sunny Christmas

2011-12-25T06:29:00.000-08:00

Hello from Dubai!
We arrived here safe and sound (the plane even landed early!) on Thursday and so has Spirit of Sharjah who flew in a day after us.
He has really settled in well and the change of scenery seems to have perked him up. You have to give the horses a couple of easy days when they first arrive so he just had a trot with Ross this morning (below) and can do a normal canter on the Meydan racecourse tomorrow.
We are in the same barn as this year's Royal Ascot winner Prohibit and two of last year's stars of the Dubai Carnival - Steele Tango & Monsieur Joe. As we're all British, the craic is great and I hope some of their class rubs off on us!

The weather here is amazing but it is surprising how chilly it is in the mornings before the sun gets into action. Saying that, it's still a fair bit warmer than home!
We went to Meydan races on Thursday to see Ross in action working for the TV and although the place is very impressive, it does lack atmosphere partly because you can't have a bet so it's hard to get involved.
Saying that, we had an amazing Christmas dinner there today with a massive spread of all kinds of food. I managed to fill my sweet tooth as well!

If all is well, Spirit will have his first run on January 5th and can hopefully get our first international runner off to a flying start.

John is running things back at home and we've got a few runners this week to keep him busy. Exopuntia didn't have a great draw on her last run but she's back at her beloved Southwell on Tuesday and is becoming well handicapped now.
Blackmore is at the same track two days later but it will be his debut there. Shane Kelly said after he rode him last time that the track will suit him and I hope so because he is coming right back to form.
On the same day Canning Vale goes to Kempton. She needs this third run to get a handicap rating her her work at home has really improved and I hope she can land a place in what is likely to be a weak race.
Khajaaly rounds off the year on Friday at Wolverhampton. He has a great record there but is rated the highest he has ever been. However, with a bit of luck, he could make the frame.

I hope you all have a great Christmas and a terrific New Year. We're looking forward to big things with some really excting horses strutting their stuff in 2012. Hope you can join us!

Christmas comes early

2011-12-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

Seeing as Shelley and I will not be in the country when everyone else is celebrating Christmas, we thought we'd have a mini one today with me, John, Shelley, Poppy, Adam and Tony (John's dad). It's nice as well to let off a bit of steam after coming back from racing and as I'm writing this the festivities are kicking off.

It's been a frustrating week runners wise as all have returned to the winners enclosure but not the spot that means the most. Blackmore and Automotive were sent to Kempton on Wednesday, 'Blacky' was out quickly after last time but still only managed fourth, however his jockey came back with some useful information that it might be a good idea to run him at Southwell as he is just the horse to suit the deep surface. Then in the next race 'Mo' turned it on to come home 2nd, he'd been working brilliant before hand and he showed us what we'd hoped he'd show, although when asked for that final flourish to go on and win the jockey reported that his wind was letting him down, so maybe a tongue- tie next time out will do the trick. Saturday saw Entrance and Spirit of Sharjah arrive at Lingfield. The former ran another good race to finish 3rd, she's very in and out with her runs and just needs everything to fall right for her, she's come back well after that run and will contest in an amateur race at Wolverhampton tomorrow. 'Spirit' ran a much improved race after his last run by coming in 4th only beaten about half a length by the winner. He has his own ideas about how he should be ridden and when the jockey gave him a few reminders he was not having any of it combined with him hitting the front a furlong out he decided it was not his day. Emma's Gift ran today (Sunday) at Kempton and we yet again hit the till when she came home 2nd. The blinkers seem to have revitalised her of late and she put up another good performance despite not having a clear run well inside the final furlong.

This may well be the last blog for a few weeks as Shelley and I are jetting off to join Ross in Dubai on Wednesday. Spirit of Sharjah was invited over to race at Meydan so he will also be joining us later in the week. It's a tremendous opportunity to have the chance to run a horse out in Dubai and Spirit has been an absolute jem for us down the years. He's not getting any younger so we thought we'll take the chance, he's in great form and fit from his recent runs, we also have a little confidence that he'll love the Tapeta polytrack out there.

So with it only being John to juggle everything we've tried to minimise the runners while we're away. It'll only be Entrance running this week and then be quiet over Christmas, so John can have a less busy time on his own, although he's got 20 odd horses to keep him company!

FLOOD HITS HARRATON!

2011-12-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

We had an unusual beginning to Thursday morning when a pipe had burst in the field next to us causing havoc. John initially noticed the sound of water when feeding early on so he took a torch out to discover a river literally running down the side of the hedgerow and depositing in the hay barn, destroying bails of straw, shavings and hay. We had a dribble of water in the yard and house throughout the day so I dread to think what the rest of the village ended up with. Although, Rolo (below) enjoyed a little paddle and tried to figure out how to save the day!

Amongst the mayhem we had quite a few runners this week. Kicking off with Blackmore at Kemton on Thursday, he ran better than of late but still below his best, they went a moderate gallop which would not have suited him and probably did well to come in 4th. The next day we arrived at Wolverhampton with Dolly Bay and The Ducking Stool. They both put in poor efforts with the former being quite well supported in the market after a decent run last time, she seems to be one who has to have things fall right. 'Ducky' would have been the one that I fancied more at her price but after trying a range of distances I think around 1m 2f is her ideal as that's the best race she's run when tried at that trip. The week ended with a trip to Southwell on Saturday, Exopuntia is another who has to have things fall right for her and after blowing the start her race was over. It is especially difficult at this track as they go quick from the word go, she was not enjoying her race so they jockey was not too hard on her. Sail Home also that day ran another encouraging race in 4th, however they seem to have a little more toe and would be better with a step up in trip so she can use her stamina.

I spoke too soon on the names front for my babies, as a letter from the BHA confirmed when letting me know I can not have Sir Toby Belch for the Araafa colt as there is already a Toby Belch so it might cause some confusion, although I like Tobermory Bay for him. Also Homewood Bound is not available for the Tiger Hill yearling as there is also a similar name, so back to the drawing board it is , name suggestions would be appreciated.

Next week Blackmore is in again at Kempton on Wednesday hoping for a better account, Automotive runs that day and at that meeting. Who is probably now crossed off every ones 'certainty' lists after that dismal first run for us, but he has been working with Spirit Of Sharjah and there's not alot in it, but none of that matters if he can't produce it on the racecourse like last time.

Babies driving us crazy!

2011-12-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

For most people this tis the season to be jolly, but for us this tis the season to be rounding up the yearlings as they begin their life as a racehorse. The Bertollini yearling came back after being broken in this week and she is a beauty! When we sent her away she was small and stocky, but now she has grown about a hand and looks more like a 2 year old colt than a yearling filly. We are really pleased with her and I will try and get a few pictures of her being ridden to show you what I'm raving about.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who got in touch about my plee to name the other babies. After narrowing them down and checking to see what names were available we're come up with this. For the Araafa colt, out of Mennetou we've named him Sir Toby Belch, after a fat, drunkard character in Twelfth Night. Not because he is a fat drunkard but because his stable name is Toby and he is rather boisterous and stocky! For the Tiger Hill filly her name is Homewood Bound and the Bertollini filly is now Believe In Me, a name suggestion from a blog reader.

Another filly we have acquired at the recent sales is Faraway Land, another Juddemonte cast- off that I think will do for Bavarica's replacement (if that's possible!). However, she looks more like a chaser than a unraced 3 year old!

We only had 2 runners this week with The Ducking Stool running at Kempton on Wednesday, she was taking a needed drop down in trip, but raced too freely and will do better for more cover, although she ran well to plug on for 5th. We had high hopes for Entrance on Friday night at Wolverhampton but it all went to pot the minute the stalls opened. She reared up leaving the stalls and her race was over, but did well to run past a few to finish mid- division.

Next week Blackmore will head to Kempton on Thursday, bidding to defeat his back issues he has been plagued with, he has so much ability but has been hanging in his races due to a re- occurring back injury. The next day we have 2 runners at Wolverhampton in The Ducking Stool and Dolly Bay, but it's just a case of finding races that they can both get in with their handicap marks so low at the minute. Also that day is Exopuntia at her beloved Southwell, the deep surface really suits her and together with some decent efforts of late she should be spot on, as well as having plenty of time between her races which helps.

It was a sad scene on Saturday as we said farewell to King Columbo as he ventured for pastures new. 'Columbo' won 2 races and placed plenty of times, but towards the end of his career he developed in to a bit of a character and had to be delivered late in his races as he would pull up in front. However on his last run the arthritis in his knees signaled retirement as he fractured a bone in his knee, he made a full recovery but we thought we'd call it a day. He was a favourite in the yard, especially with my daughter Shelley who partnered him at the races on a few occasions and made sure he went to the best home possible!

Hitting the till... and the goalpost

2011-11-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

As nice as it is to see the horses running well and in the place money it's frustrating coming second as we have done with a few of the runners over the last few weeks. Most recently was Sail Home at Kempton, Adam Beschizza settled her well mid- division and stoked her up early to lead well inside the final furlong only to be pipped on the line by the half- brother to this years Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe winner! Also running well this week was Dolly Bay the day before also at Kempton. She has a lot of speed but hasn't been able to use it at the end of her races, but she tries her heart out and stuck her neck out to finish 3rd in a photo finish for second. Spirit of Sharjah ran that night too, he was returning from a summer break and used his electric turn of foot in the straight but was too far back to mount a challenge and with the 1 mile trip he was just going up and down on the spot in the last furlong. He may contest in a conditions race at Lingfield in the next few weeks and then hopefully will be on a plane to the Dubai Racing Carnival.

The boys in the field were up to their old tricks again this week, here's Sancho Panza (right) and Verona Bay fighting it out yesterday!

Next weeks runners consist of Entrance whose got 2 entries at Wolverhampton, depending on which race is weaker. In the main she's been quite consistent and is flying at home so should be hitting the till once again. Also in this week is The Ducking Stool at Kempton on Wednesday but it looks unlikely that she'll get in the race.

I must add that my daughter, Shelley, passed her driving test on Monday so anyone who wants to buy me a drink at the races I now have a designated driver!

Mud larks!

2011-11-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

With a lot of the horses turned out and having a winter break at the minute it's been fun watching them lark around with each other and let off a bit of steam. Here's Automotive strutting his stuff to King Columbo (rug hanging off), Silver Alliance (grey) and Sancho Panza (right). Although it's not very fun scrapping the mud off them when they come in!

And Sand Repeal checking out the camera...

The week started off with Khajaaly running another game race in defeat at Wolverhampton. It was evident early on that they were going too slow as Khajaaly was pulling hard and from a wide draw he did well to finish a close up 5th. We didn't have anymore runners until Saturday when we took Emma's Gift to Lingfield, after travelling nicely on the rail she continued her run on the inside in the home straight but did not have enough room and had to be switched, she then ran on and made up alot of ground to finish second only beaten about half a length. It's frustrating enough when they get squeezed out but to see her finishing so well and not get there in time was heartbreaking, but at least she is running well and will pick up a race soon in her headgear which has made the transformation in her attitude recently.

We will not have any runners until Wednesday next week, but it's a day I've been anticipating for a while as Spirit Of Sharjah makes his return after a summer break at Kempton. He won a similar race last year, in that it was a Listed race, so we hope the time off has freshened him up. He seems to like the all- weather alot more than the turf, so his recent runs are probably best ignored. All going well this prep- race should secure him a place in Dubai in the next couple of months where we hope he will apprecitate the Tapeta. Also in that night at Kempton is Dolly Bay, we've finally found a race that she can get into and it's just a case of using her speed to her advantage as she has alot of early toe.

However, on a sadder note it was a bleak day last Wednesday when sprinter Premier League had to be put down due to a pelvic injury that meant no more could be done after months of recuperation. He did us proud earlier in the year when winning at Southwell and being placed multiple times throughout the year.

It's a pain trying to name

2011-11-13T10:25:00.000-08:00

Well with the runners a bit thin on the ground this week I've been trying to think of some names for the babies. Which include the 2 year old Araafa colt, out of Mennetou (stable name Toby), the yearling Bertollini filly out of Zephrina and the other yearling filly by Tiger Hill. It's an exciting time but they are important decisions as most good horses have good names! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The runners that we did have this week did us proud. Emma's Gift ran a blinder to finish second in a competitive fillies handicap at Lingfield on Friday, the paper and betting had basically written her off but the first time headgear seemed to help her concentrate and we look forward to a fruitful winter campaign with her, although I was a bit disappointed that she still didn't even get a mention after the race. The next day we were back at Lingfield with Entrance, who despite being drawn 12 of 13, ran into third also overcoming a lot of trouble in running and the track seeming too sharp. However, it's pleasing to see her getting competitive after a few baffling runs through the season, she too will have plenty of options through the winter.

We shall take course specialist Khajaaly to Wolverhampton on Monday, where he will hopefully keep his never out of the first four record in tact, he likes time between his races and is in cracking form so were hopeful of another bold bid. Dolly Bay is entered for Wednesday at Kempton, but it is just a matter of whether she gets in or balloted out. Then on Friday Emma's Gift will be out quickly at Kempton, she has been struggling with the handicapper after being a useful 2 year old but she seems to have slipped down to a workable mark.

I don't suppose anyone heard Ross on At The Races the other night when they were showing racing from Meydan? Doing some presenting for Dubai Racing Channel, I missed it but apparently he sounded OK and even tipped the winner! At least I know he's earning his keep, won't be long until he can pay for a flight for me?!

Oh and another bit of photography from the kitchen window...

And the winner is...

2011-11-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

Our popular Three to Follow competition has finally drawn to a close and it was a dead heat for the top spot..

1st= Richard Salmon (50)
=Shelley Birkett (50)

3rd- Adam Beschizza (42)

4th- Peter Darlington (39)

5th- Maureen Youngs (38)

6th- Martyn Clark (36)

3 on 33, 1 on 31, 4 on 26, 2 on 25, 2 on 23, 2 on 22, 3 on 21, 4 on 20, 1 on 18,1 0n 15, 1 on 8 and 1 0n 5.

The first and second prize money will be split between both winners (Richard if you could email your details to hoofbeatstours@aol.com your cash prize will be on its way!)

It was a fun and competitive competition which may carry on for next year if in enough demand! The horses that scored the most points were Bavarica (23), Sancho Panza (21) and Khajaaly (18).

End of another great flat season

2011-11-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

The end of the flat season bowed out at Doncaster yesterday, which prompt me to remember the type of turf season we've had this year. I think the money spinner this season, although at a low level, was Red Hearts. A shrewed buy at the sales she won second time out, at the same time winning the £10,000 yearling bonus and then went on to be hugely consistent at her grade before going in again at Folkestone and winning prize money 8 out of her 10 runs, one of which was a close up 6th in Listed company at York.

But another crack filly, Emma's Gift (pictured) surprised us all by taking a conditions event at Ascot in April, breaking my maiden tag at the venue and beating some fancy colours in behind! So it's on and upwards as the all- weather season takes us through the latter months and will hopefully be another happy hunting ground for us this winter, most have been turned away at this time of year for a break, but a few select band of horses have been lined up for the winter campaign.

Talking of 'Emma' she will be only 1 of 2 runners this week, she'll contest in a handicap at Lingfield on Friday, she will race off a lower weight than she has been doing in handicaps and will hopefully make a bold bid. Also this week is Dolly Bay at Wolverhampton on the same day, optimistic of building on her lightly raced career so far.

Yesterday saw the return of our babies we sent off to be broken a few months ago and they have come back looking a lot fitter and more like racehorses. The Araafa 2 year old colt looks very strong and bulky, where as the yearling Tiger Hill filly looks light and is clearly ahead at this time of year. Another 2 year old filly by Araafa called Lea Valley came home with them too and no doubt will have a promising racing career ahead of her. Shares are still available in the Tiger Hill and Araafa colt, please see juliafeildenracing.com for more details!

New faces on the block

2011-10-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Horses in Training Sale came and went this week and we had a bit of luck purchasing 2 promising horses for next year. Silver Alliance was bought out of the clearing out sale of Walter Swinburn's yard and with already 2 wins in his career he is sure to make waves for his new stable. Attain (pictured below) was an interesting buy as he is from Juddemonte Farms where we have had significant success buying out of over the years, the likes of Night Orbit, Rapid City, Bavarica and lots more have all had illustrious careers so hopefully this smart 2 year old colt by Dansili can join the list. Shares are available at £1,500 per 10th share and a monthly all inclusive fee of £180. His dam Achieve has bred three individual winners and he is the fourth foal, we hope to run him around Christmas time.

I thought I'd better write a line for dual purpose, old- timer Night Orbit who after a fabulous career winning on the flat turf, all- weather, hurdles and had multiple placings over fences started his new life as a riding horse in Soham this week where he can spend his senior years relaxing and filling another families life with joy. He was the ultimate school master at home leading schooling and teaching the young riders and young horses about the game.

We travelled to Nottingham on Wednesday and ended up in the winners enclosure twice out of the three runners. Sancho Panza ran his last race of the season finishing a gallant 3rd, they went 15 seconds slower than average which was a hindrance as he is a real stayer and did well to plug on into fourth. Sail Home ran well without being placed but the 1m 2f trip probably found her out of a little more toe, but Entrance impressed on her fast finishing 3rd. She has been a bit disappointing after her 40-1 success earlier in the year and hopefully she can time it better next time.

Next week we will again go to Nottingham this time with Automotive, he ran dismally on his reappearance after coming over from France but we are convinced a switch to turf from Wolverhampton last time will show his true colours as he has been impressing with his work at home. Also at that venue and day is Dolly Bay but the rain has come and gone against her as she would prefer ground like a road.

As the sun is struggling to rise early at this time of the year so I thought I'd impress you with my picture taking skills on the heath this week!

I almost had kittens!

2011-10-23T05:17:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a busy week runner's wise, but my mind was occupied on Tuesday by the arrival of 4 feral kittens. A friend had found them and asked if I was willing to house them as their mother was run over and were left to fend for themselves at the tender age of about 6 weeks, they are still quite wild but this one didn't mind having his/ her photo taken!

Blackmore ran another puzzling run on Monday at Pontefract, when he seemed to travel much better but his jockey Paul Hanagan reported than he was unrideable due to his hanging. He's had back problems in the past but we cannot seem to find the reason now, I even blew off the dust off my riding boots yesterday to have a sit on him in a bit of work and he seemed very well physically, maybe the problem is in his head after his back issues.

We had a seaside trip to Yarmouth on Tuesday with Dolly Bay and Exopuntia. The former was racing for the first time in handicap company and seemed to struggle with the bit of give in the ground, but the latter, Exopuntia relished the conditions to come home a much improved 2nd. She's been a bit in and out this season but she runs best fresh and will hopefully have a lucrative all- weather season at Southwell.

Thursday saw Khajaaly back to the place he knows best, Wolverhampton. He has never been out of the first 4 in all his visits and he kept his record in tact when coming in 4th under Jimmy Quinn's substitute Paul Hanagan. They didn't seem to go a quick pace like he enjoys but will be back to regain his crown in the coming months.

Bavarica went to her favourite track, Newbury, on Saturday in the lady amateur rider's race under Shelley, but only managed 5th after travelling sweetly in behind she was left with daylight in the straight and could not throw down a challenge.

We managed to find a home for injury plagued Dakota Hues on Sunday. The 5 year old had only managed one visit to the racecourse, but he was finally sound enough for a lovely riding home in Lakenheath where we have sent other retired horses in the past.

Next week sees the start of the Horses in Training Sale at Tattersalls where I will be spending most of my time so I may send John off to the races. On Wednesday Sancho Panza will look to forward his consistent season and Sail Home may run in the amateur race if she gets some rain, Entrance is also entered in this race but being a 3 year old she is finding it hard to get in races with older horses due to the weight allowance. Bavarica may contest in a Listed race at Lingfield on Thursday, it is probably the last chance we'll get in going for the black type for her before she goes to stud and would be nice if she could bow out in style.

Jockeys Getting Me Angry

2011-10-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was pretty furious when I heard on Thursday that a whole host of jockeys (represented by the Professional Jockeys Association) where planning to boycott racing on Monday and, without their services, no racing could go ahead.
It may seem a straightforward thing for them to do but the repercussions are more severe for owners and trainers. For instance, we have Blackmore running tomorrow at Pontefract. It is the first time in a long while he has had perfectly suitable ground and yet he could have been denied a great opportunity to run well if the jockeys had forced a strike. Luckily the matter is now going to an important meeting on the same day and I hope an agreement can be reached but, as I said last week, I don't think there is anything wrong with the rules, jockeys just need to learn to stick to them.

Whilst words flew on racecourses about the new rule, many of racing great and good were at Tattersalls October yearling sales, looking for the stars of the future.
The market was incredibly strong considering the financial climate and, although there were some lovely looking individuals, I feel a lot of people could have got more for their money. Knowing this, I waited until the last day of the five-leg auction to make my move and, as a result, I think I got a real bargain.
She is a bay filly (below) by top two-year old stallion Bertolini and is related to many other juvenile winners.

I hadn't gone to the sales to specifically buy her but she really caught my eye and I hope she can emulate Red Hearts, a two year old we did really well with this summer - in the space of six months, we bought her for £6000, won a maiden with a £10,000 bonus, won another race and then sold her on for a profit. This filly looks just the type to be as successful.
Shares are available at £600 per 10th or £5500 as a whole. The majority shareholder gets to name her.

As if there aren't enough things to go against you in racing, the weather well and truly scuppered our only entry this week. When I entered Entrance for Redcar last Saturday, the official going was Firm yet come race day, the north had suffered enough wet weather to make the ground Good to Soft, Soft in places. As the filly loves top of the ground, we had no choice but to not run. Luckily we knew early enough so there was no wasted journey.

The horsebox may have had an easy time of it recently but it will be earning its fuel this week as we've got a few runners.
As already mentioned, Blackmore goes to Pontefract tomorrow with a great chance. We've managed to get Paul Hanagan to ride him and I'd love to help Paul win another jockeys' championship as he is a true role model for youngsters in the sport to follow.

We're double handed at Yarmouth the next day as Exopuntia comes back from a short break. She might just be a bit short on fitness due to a few small problems but she usually goes well fresh and if the ground has some cut in it, she should run well. Likewise with Dolly Bay who makes her handicap debut. We think her new handicap mark is generous and five furlongs is her trip so it looks like she should run well.

Khajaaly must be the only living creature around that loves going night racing to Wolverhampton but he seems to always run well at the track and heads back there on Thursday. He went up a few pounds for his win last time but is in great form and a bold bid is expected.

It looks likely that Bavarica will end her racing career this season and then be put in foal so I hope she can run well at Newbury on the weekend even though she doesn't really owe us anything. Shelley will ride her and if they can do the same as the last time they paired up, I will be delighted. Sail Home will also be entered just in case the race splits and she is really coming back to form. Her coat is one of the best in the yard at the minute as some are getting a bit woolly for winter and her second place last time was a step in the right direction.

Usually I would take Ross to the races so he could drive the horsebox back home but I'll have to do without him now as he jets off to Dubai to start work for the Dubai Racing Channel during the winter. He was meant to go out at the start of the month but the country's strict visa regulations have meant a delay in getting things sorted but he goes tomorrow looking forward to the challenge ahead.

Whipping Up A Storm

2011-10-10T09:09:00.001-07:00

There has been plenty said in recent weeks about the new whip rules that came into effect today but, despite all the criticism it has received, I'm in favour of the ruling.
It's surprising how many of my horses do not like having the whip used on them - Sancho Panza changed from Master Moderate to Mr Consistent just because we found out he didn't like being beaten up and, more recently, Sail Home has improved her form with stick-less riding.
These two maybe pretty honest and give 100% anyway but thinking back to the lazier types I've had (Night Orbit for instance) he ran in three-mile hurdle races and wouldn't travel with much enthusiasm but I always told the jockeys not to hit him immediately but just push out with hands and heels to encourage him.
It's not because whipping horses hurts them - the equipment used nowadays is fully padded and the kids say it doesn't hurt when I give them a good crack round the ear hole!

What the whip is good for though is educating young horses to teach them to run straight and behave. Talking of inexperienced horses, I have just sent three off to be 'broken in'. For those that don't know what this term means, the horses will basically be taught how to have a rider on their back and a bit in their mouth. They left the yard as pretty wild beasts and will hopefully come back as proper racehorses, ready to begin their careers.

The fixture list has been a bit sparse for suitable races for the horses recently and Entrance is our sole representative this week at Redcar on Friday. She loves firm ground and the official going is 'firm' there at the minute so if it stays that way, I think she'll have a great chance. My daughter Shelley takes the mount and seems to get the best out of her so everything looks in place for a good run.

We did have some disappointing displays this week that very much had that 'end of season' feeling.
Emma's Gift put in a lacklustre effort at Nottingham on Wednesday and Jimmy Quinn said she needs a pair of blinkers to help her concentrate.
He also rode Automotive two days later and our hopes were high for a decent show after he had been working impressively. Unfortunately, he just didn't fire and looked as though a step up in trip is what he needs. He definitely has ability though and when we find the key to him he should be winning.

Another one for the future is Dolly Bay. She had her third run at Windsor on Monday and now qualifies for handicaps. I don't think she'll be rated very high and is perfectly capable of winning a five furlong race somewhere.

Three To Follow Update
1st - Richard Salmon, Shelley Birkett 44 points.
3rd - Maureen Youngs 38 points
4th - Peter Darlington 36 points
5th - Adam Beschizza 34 points
6th - Jim Cannon, Martyn Clark 33 points
8th - Rita Aspland 30 points
9th - Ross Birkett, Bill Aspland 28 points
Six others on 23 points, 2 on 22, 1 on 21, 6 on 20, 3 on 18, 2 on 15, 1 on 8 and one entry on five points.

Feeling hot, hot, hot

2011-10-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

It's October and we've just had a barbecue. As unbelievable as it sounds, whilst in previous years England would be fighting off early-morning frosts and chilly nights around now, we have been experiencing some extremely warm weather and I'm not complaining.

Longchamp in Paris today looked like a great place to be for the Arc and the Brits had some top results, most notably with David Simcock's Dream Ahead narrowly beating the champion mare Goldikova. Many people felt disappointed after Danedream won the big race but a quick look at her form shows you that she had won her last two German Group 1s very easily so maybe she wasn't the outsider we thought she should be.

Despite the sunny times meaning the ground is a bit too firm for some horses, I think we should make the most of the current temperatures because it won't be long before we don't see the mercury rise much above zero.
Even more extraordinarily, it was actually warm at Newcastle on Wednesday. Many have said that Tyneside doesn't get very hot but we were positively sweltering at Gosforth Park.
It was great to see loads of Blackmore's owners make the journey to see him run but it was a shame that the race didn't go as planned and he found himself in the wrong place when the pace quickened.
We don't go to racecourses further than three hours away from home very often and this result didn't do much to tempt us again!

Luckily the journey to Warwick the following day was a lot shorter and we got a better result too. Ross was pretty confident that Sail Home would win and even though she came second at 10/1, it was good to see her run well after some disappointing efforts. We seem to be finding the key to her too as she does get quite worked up at the races so we are finding ways to keep her as calm as possible.

Dolly Bay at Windsor kicks off the week tomorrow and even though she needs just one more run to qualify for handicaps, she might just be good enough to nick a place. She is probably one of the fastest horses in the yard but that is also her downfall - last time she went off too quickly before falling in a heap. If Adam can restrain her early on then hopefully she can finish with a dash.

Also with a place chance is Emma's Gift at Nottingham on Wednesday. She has struggled since winning at Ascot earlier in the year but has come down the handicap as a result. Helpfully, the track's watering system has not been working lately so she should get the lightening quick ground that she loves.

The most exciting horse of the week though comes on Friday when Automotive (below) goes to Wolverhampton.

We bought him from France in July and he had only had three runs. When he came to us, we couldn't believe he had raced even that much as he was very colty and unfit. Since then we have gelded him and his work, after a slow start, has been getting better and better. He might be a big price when he runs so is definitely worth a bit each way. Whatever he shows this time he will improve on next time too.

Sancho Panza (above, nearest) is getting towards the end of a long season but goes to Goodwood at the weekend back over two miles which should be right up his street. It is a flat race but for jump jockeys and I'm hoping to be cheeky and get Richard Hughes as he does hold a jumps licence and would really suit the horse. No doubt he will be in high demand though but whoever rides him, I hope he has enough left in the tank to land a place.

Three To Follow Update

Sail Home's second place didn't alter the scores of the main protagonists but it meant that a number of people are now biting at their heels after moving up the leader board.

Khajaaly and his love of Wolves

2011-09-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

I may be a bit under the weather with flu at the minute but luckily the horses are feeling in tip-top shape as Khajaaly proved with his win at Wolverhampton last night.
He must be the only soul on Earth that enjoys going to the place as his record there now reads three wins and four places from seven runs. He doesn't take his races very quickly so will be given a bit of time off before his next run but there are plenty of races to keep him busy over the winter at the track.
It was also a great win for many of his owners, for whom it was their first taste of success since the syndicate was renewed last month.

No strangers to success are the owners of Blackmore and I hope they'll keep up the taste of winning when he goes to Newcastle on Wednesday. We don't usually travel that far north but Tyne side is about the only place in the country that has some decent ground at the minute and that's just what the horse needs. He's in at Ascot too but we're due to have a very warm and sunny week which will make the ground there a bit too firm.
Blackmore has been ready to run for a while now and I hope he can put in a good display and make the trip north worthwhile.

Sail Home (below) seems to be really coming back to herself in the last few weeks and the improvement has come just in time for her run at Warwick on Thursday.

Ross (who will ride her) is pretty confident she will win so we know who to blame if she doesn't!

Entrance is entered in the same race but I'm hoping it will split so they are in two different divisions as she too has a great chance. Shelley will ride her and the pair seem to get on well together after being placed everytime they are partnered. I hope that is the answer as professional jockeys have been struggling to get a good run out of the filly.

Automotive, who we bought from France in July, put in a really decent gallop on Saturday morning and I'm desperate to run him. He's in on Wednesday at Nottingham but the ground is very firm and I wouldn't want to risk him at such an early stage of his career. We are keeping an eye on the weather but the chances are that he won't run.

Another who has been going well on the gallops is Beseech (below). She has just come back from a six month holiday and has physically developed better than I could imagine. She has got a bigger backside on her now (no bad thing for a female horse but I wouldn't want one!) and is showing great enthusiasm in her work. As I said before the break, all her previous owners are welcome to retake their shares at no additional cost as I think she could be a lot of fun this winter.

Three To Follow Competition

Khajaaly was a popular selection among many entries but not those at the top and the standings remain the same with Richard Salmon and Shelley Birkett sharing the lead.

1st - Richard Salmon, Shelley Birkett (44 points)

3rd - Maureen Youngs (38 points)

4th - Peter Darlington (36 points)

5th - Adam Beschizza (34 points)

Four others on 28 points, 1 on 25, 6 on 23, 2 on 22, 1 on 21, 3 on 18, 7 on 15, 1 on 13, 1 on 8 and one entry on five points.

Picture Perfect

2011-09-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

Despite our only runner of the week finishing second, there was a winner in the yard after I won the local newspaper's (Newmarket Journal) photography competition with this snap of the swallows that always nest in Khajaaly's stable:

The birds have now gone on their migration to South Africa and gone too are the vouchers that I won for the local organic food shop La Hogue.

Like I said, King Columbo was our sole representative over the past seven days and he ran right back to form by finishing a narrowly-denied second. I'm pleased he is getting in the money again now (a) because I own him! and (b) because it had been a long time since he had shown anything worthwhile. He's in again on Saturday at Wolverhampton and, if he likes the polytrack surface, should be in the shake up.
Khajaaly will be going with him too and he has a great record around the track. He was a bit disappointing last time but that was on soft ground and the return to Wolverhampton should see him return to form.

We'll be at the same track earlier on in the week also. Red Hearts looks to have a great chance in her race and, after her win last time, we would be down in the dumps if she didn't finish in the first four.
Good old Sand Repeal is entered too but as he's rated so low at the minute, he might struggle to get in the race with 44 entries. As you will see from the photo below, he is working well at home though.

Left to right: Automotive (Ross), Blackmore (Adam), Sand Repeal (Rob)

It's sod's law that we had Blackmore entered twice during the week but he couldn't run because the ground was too firm and the next day at both tracks it poured with rain. He's in rude health and will be entered again very soon.

Verona Bay returned home today from the vet's with his leg in plaster after he fractured his ankle late last week. It was a shame to happen now as he had really improved for his first race and was due out again in the coming weeks. He has to have one month's box rest and then a month on the walker before he can start proper exercise again. It's very unfortunate but he is a big horse and should improve a lot over the winter as he grows and develops.

Hoping Blackmore can blow them away

2011-09-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

It's been pretty windy recently and is set to get worse according to the weather forecasters as we are hit by the tail-end of the hurricane that has just battered America.
Leaves are falling off the trees too so my husband John is going to have his work cut out picking all them up!

Luckily the temperature has been mild enough for the horses to keep their coats as I was worried last week that some may start to go hairy. Bavarica didn't look too bad at Wolverhampton on Thursday night but she's a tough old mare who wins whether it's high summer or deepest winter. The only thing that does stop her though is the handicapper and she's in his grip at the minute but she'll be winning again when her mark drops a couple of pounds.

Scarily, the yearling sales are upon us already and although we haven't been bidding for any yet, I had a good look at a few on a visit to Plantation Stud just outside of Newmarket. It's funny seeing the youngsters again as you can't imagine they'll be transformed into racehorses in over six months time. Most of them were set for the sales but I managed to walk away with the one horse who really stood out.

He's an unbroken two year old colt and looks like he could be a nice horse. He's half brother to Obama Rules, a filly who won a Group 3 in Ireland last year and is now rated 101. He is built like a tank and seems like a real bargain.

Hopefully he'll be racing in a higher grade race than King Columbo is tomorrow at Brighton. I think I've found one of the worst races of the season for him as it's a selling handicap for apprentice riders. Columbo is coming back into form now and the ground is in his favour plus we've got a top jockey for the type of event in Lucy Barry who seems to win all these races. If he's not in the first four, I think we'll leave him there to give kids rides up and down the beach!

One with a bit more on their plate is Emma's Gift in a listed race at Yarmouth on Wednesday. She's been struggling over a mile recently so we thought we'd try her over a bit further and, judging by her piece of work over a longer trip yesterday, it should see her in a better light. If she can get placed and earn some black type on her pedigree, we will be delighted.

After having the summer off due to his preference for soft ground, Blackmore is entered up to run on either Thursday or Friday, depending on where conditions are most suitable. He looked like a really progressive horse before running a stinker at York when his back was all out of alignment. We've got him going sweetly now and, providing he's a s fit as we think he is, he should continue on his upward curve of improvement.

Hearts keeps us out of the Red

2011-09-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

She may well be the smallest horse we have in the yard but she is definitely one of the toughest. Red Hearts is still only two years old but managed to record her second victory on her 10th race of the season at Folkestone on Wednesday.
It does annoy me that the Racing Post are always so negative about her in the newspaper as they reckon (because she won a maiden on her second start) she should be running in higher class races than she does but the truth is, she was an early developing two-year old who looked good at the start of the year but now her peers have caught up with her, she doesn't look so talented. I can honestly say she is no better now than six months ago but with this type of horse you need to make hay while the sun shines and, thankfully, we have.
It's great for her owner Dick Creese who has been with me since I started training. He is a terrific sport and it paid for his year's racing when she won the £10,000 yearling bonus at Brighton in May.
Red Hearts is in the sales next month and it's probably the right thing to do as she will not improve much over time.

Talking of time, I can't believe how it has flown by and we're already in September. The leaves are starting to fall off and there is a definite chill in the air in the mornings. The yard doesn't seem to mind though as the change in conditions usually sees an upturn in our fortunes and from now until the end of the year is usually a profitable time for us - in November and December 2010 we had nine winners.

Hopefully the horses can keep their summer coats for a while longer as it really does mean winter is upon us when I have to get the clippers out. Bavarica's coat is usually the first to give way and it is showing some early signs of getting fluffy.

Incidentally, Bavarica is our only runner in what will be a quiet week. As I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, she won her 11th race under my daughter Shelley at Folkestone and this is her first run since. She went up three pounds in the handicap for that win which now means she is rated 73 - a mark she usually struggles to win off but my son Ross, who rides her everyday, says she is in the form of her life so I hope she can win a bit of prize-money.

We had a busy week just gone and I'm glad we at least got one winner.
Sancho Panza was a bit disappointing in the Amateur's Derby at Epsom on Monday but he's been coughing his head off since then so may have just been a bit under the weather. It has cleared up now though so he will be back in action soon.
The following day, Sail Home showed a bit more than she had done recently. The one thing I did notice though was that she got very wound up by the loud-speaker in the parade-ring and it upset her quite a bit. I would put ear-plugs on her next time but she is very funny about you touching her ears so we will try a hood which Sir Henry Cecil uses quite a lot to good effect on his fiery fillies.
Another female who lost the plot a bit was Entrance at Brighton on Friday. She has been disappointing since winning at the start of the season but I'm just going to change her routine a bit at home and I think it will help her tremendously to get her mind back on the job. On the same day, King Columbo ran well to finish fourth. He's finding some form now after a long spell in the doldrums and looks likely to win again before the year is out.

We are still looking for a home as a riding horse for Dakota Hues. He was retired from racing in the summer but is a great big horse who would make someone a lovely eventer. On the chance that anyone is interested in him, do not hesitate to contact me.

Three To Follow Update
No-one included Red Hearts in their lists so standings are as before.

Soft Going Keeps Us Grounded

2011-08-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

As I said last week, the weather was going to be a major factor as to what we did over the next seven days and so it proved. Having geared myself up for a busy one, it turned out to be a much subdued period as various runners couldn't take their chance due to the soft ground.
The ones that did run, however, put in decent displays.

Luckily, the pain in my hip has ceased so I'm back up and running but I've had x-rays done and it looks like I'll be back on the operating table. There's no let up for me in the meantime though as I'm leading up at Epsom tomorrow!
Sancho Panza runs there in the Amateurs' Derby and I hope he can improve on his fourth place over the course and distance last time. He's gradually coming down in the weights and the jockey, my son Ross, has promised a Mickel Barzalona-esque celebration should he win - that would definitely be a photo for the mantelpiece!

One of the major headaches for any of us when we head south is the M25. It is such a nightmare and, as I'm sure you all know, you just can never guess what it is going to be like - on Friday it took me four hours to get to Brighton (a journey which usually takes just over two). I was tempted to turn around and come home but even the opposite carriageway was at a standstill!

We'll be braving it anyway on Tuesday when Sail Home travels to Goodwood. After promising to be an improving animal at the beginning of the year, she has disappointed on the last few runs but she seems in great form at home and she's sure to bounce back to form soon.

We took a chance with Red Hearts at Yarmouth on Tuesday as the ground was on the easy side and, as she is only a tiny filly, we thought it wouldn't suit her. To our surprise, she ran a blinder in finishing second so I wouldn't be too worried if the ground is good at Folkestone Wednesday when she runs again. The race doesn't look too great so she should be in the money again.
Dolly Bay goes with her and has come on a great deal for her debut a few weeks back. She worked well on Saturday and could win some money if there aren't any fancied horses from big yards against her.

Brighton is on the agenda again at the end of the week with Entrance and King Columbo. Both horses might not go together though as Entrance wants the ground firm and Columbo quite the opposite. Whichever one does run, we have quite a lot of success at the track and I hope they can both add to it.

As most of you probably know, we turn a lot of our horses out in the paddocks on a Sunday to let them unwind and stretch their legs. They really do love it and I think it's how we keep the older horses going year after year without them becoming sick of racing. Although they get some fresh grass in their bellies, the main benefit comes from the social interaction with other horses. I manged to catch Blackmore (left) strutting his stuff to Spirit of Sharjah this morning:

Bavarica Does It Again

2011-08-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

Well, the signs were there that we were a due another winner and it came at long last thanks (as ever) to the magnificent mare that is Bavarica.
On her 101st career run, she recorded her 11th victory and, to add to it all, it was also the first winner for my daughter Shelley. To say I was emotional would be an understatement!
Remarkably, Bavarica also landed first wins for my son Ross and nephew Adam - she is definitely one of the family. I never thought it would happen though as Shelley had ridden the mare twice before and things hadn't exactly gone to plan so we thought we would let her have another ride and, if she lost, at least she would drop in the handicap - how wrong we were!

It was a busy week for Shelley as she was riding over the following two days and finished fourth on both. Sancho Panza was running in the ladies' derby at Epsom and plugged on well but the rain came too late to improve his chances. The same can be said for King Columbo as the going was nowhere near as slow as the 'soft' description but he also landed some prize money.

The weather will be playing a big part in the plans this week as we're due a heavy shower tonight/tomorrow so wherever it lands will dramatically alter the going.
Should it arrive at Yarmouth tomorrow, Red Hearts won't be running as she needs the ground rock hard. If she does take her chance, she would have an each way squeak but my only worry is the seven furlong distance as she finds it a bit too far.

Rain could also affect Khajaaly's participation at Brighton on Friday. He needs it firm but would also be in with a shout should things fall right.

Unfortunately I couldn't make it to Folkestone with Entrance yesterday as I was rather lame. Having had a hip replacement back in January, I had waited (as the doctor advised) until mid-August until I could ride out again and after a week on a trotter, I rode a bit of work on Saturday. As soon as I got off though, I knew things weren't right - my hip had gone but not the new one, it was my other one that hadn't been replaced that was causing the pain. I've been to the doctors and go for an x-ray in a few days but the likelihood is that I'll need a new hip which does worry me after the complications I went through with the other. However, I can't have any excuses left when it is all done - unless something else gives way!

Back to Entrance. She was a bit disappointing on Sunday but it was the first time she had tried running over a mile and half in a while and, after racing freely early on, I don't think she quite saw out the trip. That's not to say she didn't stay but if she is to get the distance, she needs to relax more early on. I've got her in again on Saturday. It is at Redcar, a place we don't travel to very often, but the race is for amateurs and the filly has run some of her best races in them so it should be worth the journey.

We're busy on Sunday with quite a few in at Yarmouth. Exopuntia won this race last year and is in similar form this time around. She's had some excuses the last few times but if the ground has some ease in it, she should go well. The same applies for The Ducking Stool who hated the undulating track at Folkestone last time and she is miles better than that effort. I've entered Sail Home there too as the race looked week. She was the horse on whom my ill-fated piece of work took place on and I didn't get injured because I was pushing her, far from it - she was pulling my arms out and flew up the gallop. She's been a bit below par the last twice but we're going to try holding her up instead of making the running to see if it has a positive effect.

Three To Follow Update

Shelley Birkett was obviously trying hard to win as her victory aboard Bavarica puts her joint top with Richard Salmon.

1st - Shelley Birkett, Richard Salmon (44 points)
3rd - Maureen Youngs (38 points)
4th - Peter Darlington (36 points)
5th - Adam Beschizza (34 points)

Building On The Promise

2011-08-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

It was billed as a week full of promise and luckily it did not disappoint despite us not getting the winner we were desperately after.

Khajaaly got the ball rolling on Monday with a solid second and then Dolly Bay made an encouraging debut at Yarmouth when finishing fourth. The same day, Exopuntia baffled us - she had ran a corker in a tongue strap first time out but then on Wednesday she seemed to resent the gadget and held her head very high in the finish even though she came fifth.
Thinking that she hadn't had too hard a race, we ran her again at Newmarket on Friday but I could tell from an early stage that things were not 100% - the filly seemed very lifeless in the preliminaries and I told the jockey not to be too hard on her if she had no chance. As it turned out, she never even got into the race after rearing up in the stalls when upset by a horse next to her. It was disappointing but she will be back another day soon.

The biggest and most pleasing surprise was King Columbo finishing third at Yarmouth. He hasn't won in two years and is pretty inconsistent these days but he ran a great race and, to be honest to him, it is the first time Columbo has had the soft ground that he really loves. It's a shame we don't get it more often but if you see him running on it in the future, he is definitely worth backing.

Verona Bay also made his debut this week. He is a very big horse and is likely to fulfill his potential next year when he has had time to fully grow but he was ready for a race and didn't fare too bad in what is traditionally a very strong contest (Frankel won it last year!). He has come out of the race in good order and wasn't beaten too far by some highly regarded horses - the winner is now prominent in the betting for next year's Derby.

We were back at Newmarket the following day with two runners in one of the world's most unusual races - the grey horses only handicap. Our main hope, Quarrel, was a decent two year old but hadn't shown any form in well over a year. It was his first run for us and he bounced right back to his best by finishing third despite the distance being a bit too short for him. The owners wanted to have a bit of a gamble and, although we're not interested in betting, they manged to have a good bit on at 40/1.

Quarrel (number 8) nabs third spot in the grey horses race at Newmarket

Emma's Gift hated the ground and found the trip a bit sharp too but, as this is the only race of its kind, you have to take the chance of running.

I'm hoping the decent form can carry on into the next seven days.
Thing don't kick off until Wednesday when my two children, Shelley and Ross, go head-to-head once again in an amateur race. Ross currently holds the bragging rights with the score 2-0 in his favour and I'm afraid he will enhance that lead at Folkestone. He rides The Ducking Stool who surprised us by running so well when fourth aster a 18 month absence and since then she has improved even more. The 1m4f distance might be a bit too far but if she can see it out, she should win.
There are no such worries for Shelley's ride, the ultra-tough Bavarica. We were disappointed with her run last time at Windsor but she had a very strong blow afterwards and probably needed it after a short break. Shelley hasn't really got the hang of riding her yet but if things fall into place, Ross could have his sister breathing down his neck!

We do pretty well at Epsom and we're there the following day. Red Hearts has been struggling since winning a maiden earlier in the year but this will be the first time she has raced in a handicap. I thought there would be little runners but there are plenty of entries so it might turn out to be a tough race. Likewise for Sancho Panza who runs the same day. I think the track will be to his liking and the more rain that comes, the better.

Folkestone is on the agenda again on Sunday with Entrance and Canning Vale. The latter ran quite well on her debut last time but will probably need another run. Entrance has been very consistent this season and hopefully she can be rewarded with another victory.

Week That Could See A Change In Fortunes

2011-08-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

I came back from a brilliant (if a bit boozy) weekend in Ireland yesterday and straight away could definitely feel a upbeat atmosphere in the yard.
John and myself don't go on too many holidays but our son Ross managed to hold things together back at home and was even rewarded with a decent result after Khajaaly was only beaten a head when second at Wolverhampton on the day we returned.
I think that result could be the sign that the horses are coming back to form after a quiet spell recently. I do hope so because we have some great chances coming up.

But first I must mention the Irish visit. It's something that we have done annually for a while now and it's great to catch up with old friends and also to see what yearlings might potentially be coming our way in the autumn.
On our travels we also go to the legendary Dingle races which is Ireland's premier pony racing festival. With a first prize of over £3000 for the feature event, The Dingle Derby, it puts our prizemoney for thoroughbred races to shame!

Lost in translation? Dingle's 'Weigh-In' Weighing Room.

Rose Of Mooncoin is an extremely successful broodmare who has bred several winners for us, including Emma's Gift and Ocean Legend.

Dingle Races: You've got to see it to believe it.

Breeder Donal Cummins inspects some of his potential superstars.

My batteries have been most definitely recharged and we'll be hitting the next seven days with gusto, starting with Yarmouth tomorrow.

Dolly Bay is making her debut and hopefully she can at least be placed. She does go quite well at home and the race isn't particularly strong so I do feel a top four placing is not too much to ask.

Equally, Exopuntia should be in the money later on in the day. She is extremely consistent and loves Yarmouth. The softer the ground, the better. The same can be said for King Columbo. He hasn't raced on genuinely soft ground in ages so I hope that if he does get some, he can show that he is a very well handicapped horse.

Good old Bavarica couldn't quite make her 100th career start on Monday a winning one but maybe she can on her 101st race. She runs at Catterick on Friday and I think she should fare better than last time.

Also on Friday we have Verona Bay making his debut. He has needed plenty of time to fill his big frame and still isn't quite there yet but he is ready for the run and will come on for the experience.

With any luck, Acer Diamonds will run in the same race if he is not balloted out. He has been going very well at home and hopefully will get the soft ground he loves.

The grey horses only race at Newmarket on Saturday is a fantastic spectacle and I'm proud to have two runners in it this year. It is a race I'd love to win as it's one of a kind and I do think I could this year (at my first attempt, I must add). Emma's Gift is an ideal candidate and although six furlongs is a bit too short for her, I hope that the notorious uphill finish will draw her stamina out. Quarrel is in the race too but he hasn't raced in a while and is running just to give the owners a nice day out.

Three To Follow Update

Khajaaly's second place shook up the rankings lower down the pecking order but Richard Salmon still leads the way.

1st - Richard Salmon (44 points)
2nd - Peter Darlington (36 points)

3rd - Adam Beschizza, Shelley Birkett (34 points)

Some snaps to keep you occupied...

2011-08-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Ireland for a relaxing weekend so won't be able to write a post until I get back on Monday but in the meantime I thought I'd show you some of the pictures I have taken on my new camera.

I definitely needed my debut run with the piece of kit but I manged to get them (mostly) in shot and thank God it has auto focus!

One of my birds

New purchase Automotive (Ross Birkett)

Khajaaly (Ross Birkett) with Dolly Bay (Adam Beschizza) hiding behind

Bonnie the fallabella on the loose

Blackmore (Shelley Birkett) looking good in preparation for his comeback

Acer Diamonds (Rob Summers) just ahead of Verona Bay (Dean Smith)

Dreaded July... We Survived!

2011-08-01T03:49:00.000-07:00

Thankfully dreaded July is out of the way and we can now boot home some winners.
As I said last week, the seventh month of the year is never a profitable one for us with all the horses having various excuses for not winning - most of them being due to the handicapper.
We're hitting this week with full force though as we send out a fair few runners in the next few days.

Today, my son and daughter, Ross and Shelley, have a score to settle at Windsor after racing against each other at Newbury yesterday. Ross, riding a horse for John Bridger, won whilst Shelley finished fourth on Entrance. Whilst it was a shame our filly couldn't win, it was a victory of sorts.
This time, Ross is on Bavarica who is having her 100th career race and the Racing Post have done a nice tribute to her in today's paper which is worth a read.

It looks as though Shelley may be extra busy this week as she is down to ride for Gay Kelleway at Brighton on Thursday. Gay is notorious for her post-race hairdryer treatment of unsuccessful jockeys so let's just hope Shelley can follow her orders to the letter!

Although not as vocal as Miss Kelleway, I'll be pretty peeved if Sail Home can't show some form at Southwell tomorrow. She has been a bit disappointing the last two runs but I'm hoping a return to the track where she has won and re-spark her. Also there is two year old Canning Vale who makes her debut. She has taken a while to come to herself and will need the race for experience.

On the other end of the scale, despite also being a two year old, the multiple-raced Red Hearts goes to Lingfield. She won a maiden at Brighton but hasn't really improved that much but she was competitive in a seller last week and I think this is an easier opportunity.
I won't be there to see her though as on Friday John and I fly off for our annual visit to Dingle in Ireland. It's a great place with a lovely hotel and we'll be watching the pony racing there as well as visiting Donald Commins' stud where the likes of Spirit of Sharjah and Emma's Gift came from. I've just bought a very professional camera as well do if I can get the hang of working it, there'll be plenty of photos to see.

That means I won't be at Newmarket on Saturday to watch Exopuntia. The filly is really consistent at the minute and loves the track. She is best on soft ground but is running well on the firmer stuff so she has to have an each way chance.

Three To Follow Update

As we are now halfway through the competition, now is your chance to add another horse to your selections to boost your chances of winning. To keep things simple, instead of substituting one horse for another, just add a selection to your current list of three so you end up with four horses.

All points already scored by an added horse will not be added to your current score but any points from August 1st onwards will. To make a selection, simply leave your name and choice in the comment box below or email to: rbirkett1989@hotmail.co.uk

Here is the list of horses to choose from and their current points in brackets:
Emma's Gift (10), Entrance (13), Sancho Panza (18), Khajaaly (3), Sand Repeal, Exopuntia (3), Automotive, Sail Home (10), Verona Bay, Blackmore (5), Pyjoma, Acer Diamonds, Spirit of Sharjah, King Columbo, Angel Of Mercy, Red Hearts (16), Bavarica (13), Premier League (10), Canning Vale.

Lies, Damn Lies... and Statistics

2011-07-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

It's an extremely frustrating habit to have but every year July is never a great month for us winners-wise.

Annoyingly, we hit the crossbar again this week when Exopuntia came third at Newmarket on Friday night. Take nothing away from the filly, it was probably a career best run, but it was yet another runner without a winner.

It came after some disappointing runs from a few horses and although it's easy to say the yard is under form, I think it's far from the case.

As a small yard, a lot of our horses tend to win early in the year and come the middle months, the horses are rated too high after a successful period. By August, the horses are back to winning marks and get their heads in front. I looked up the statistics on the Racing Post website and was surprised to see such a trend - last July we had 22 runners without a winner. Although we're only up to 12 runners so far this month, I'm pretty sure it's nothing more than coincidence.

I say this because we've got a great chance of success tomorrow at Yarmouth. I don't run many horses in selling races but Red Hearts goes down into that grade as she has already won a maiden but, as a result, is rated far too high to win a handicap so a seller is her best option. There is the worry someone may buy her afterwards as she has the best form in the event but she is a tiny horse and I hope that puts people off her as she could win a few more races of that type.Pyjoma also runs and we're hoping she can show a bit more promise than she did last time.

We won't be racing until Sunday after that when my two children, Ross and Shelley, ride against each other for the first time at Newbury. They are at either ends of the experience scale with Ross having ridden ten winners and Shelley yet to score but the signs look good for her; Ross rode his first winner at Newbury in the same colours that Shelley will be wearing - those of Entrance. The filly ran a bit below par on Friday after being in such great form but I do feel that the ground may have been a bit soft for her as the jockey said she never picked up after travelling well. I do hope that is the case as Entrance has a great chance.

Ross will be riding a new horse to us called The Ducking Stool. She's a big filly and will probably need the race after not running in a long time but she does work OK at home.

If there are scores to settle from this Newbury encounter, the rematch comes the following day at Windsor. Ross is on his favourite horse, Bavarica, who he has won five times on. It is also Bavarica's 100th career race so it would be amazing to make it a winning one and we'll be doing everything we can to make sure. However, I won't be too upset if she is denied by Shelley's mount Sand Repeal. He won the same race a few years back but has been injured since. He is slowly coming back to form and hopefully he can run respectably.

Three To Follow Update

As we are now halfway through the competition, now is your chance to add another horse to your selections to boost your chances of winning. To keep things simple, instead of substituting one horse for another, just add a selection to your current list of three so you end up with four horses.

All points already scored by an added horse will not be added to your current score but any points from August 1st onwards will.

To make a selection, simply leave your name and choice in the comment box below or email to: rbirkett1989@hotmail.co.uk

Here is the list of horses to choose from and their current points in brackets:Emma's Gift (10), Entrance (13), Sancho Panza (18), Khajaaly (3), Sand Repeal, Exopuntia (3), Automotive, Sail Home (10), Verona Bay, Blackmore (5), Pyjoma, Acer Diamonds, Spirit of Sharjah, King Columbo, Angel Of Mercy, Red Hearts (13), Bavarica (13), Premier League (10), Canning Vale.

Lady Luck Is Running Late

2011-07-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

We've had our fair share of bad luck over the last few weeks and if the law of karma is correct, we should be in for a good period soon... and I hope it is going to be the next seven days.

I mention our luckless spell as on Tuesday we were dealt with another blow after it emerged that Generous Genella had suffered a tendon injury. Luckily, we had caught the tear in the early stages so she should make a 100% recovery given time off but it is a real shame as she had just run the most promising race of her career when finishing third at Pontefract, despite the jockey putting up three pounds overweight.

Thankfully, her superb syndicate of owners have stuck by her during this injury and I'm in no doubt that their patience will be rewarded when she returns to the track next year.

Also out for the rest of the season is one of the two French horses we bought at the Deauville sales last year. In truth, Argante Claudius had never really been in proper training as he came to us after being broken-in and then suffered an ankle injury two days later. After recovering from this, he suffered a severe bout of colic and only had 24 hours to live but he pulled through that and we have decided that there's no point in running him this year after all he's been through.

He's a giant, grey horse and I think having his juvenile season off could be a blessing in disguise come the future.

The other French horse we bought at the same time as him (Verona Bay) is starting to show plenty of ability on the gallops and will be running in the next few weeks now the one mile races for two year olds are about.

As if Argante hadn't been in the vets enough, we also had him castrated on Tuesday along with our new purchase, Automotive. I cannot believe that the latter horse, who we bought from France, had run three times before we got him as he is very colty and his mind could not have been on the job when he was racing. I think this operation will be the making of him and he'll be a much more successful horse now (shares still available - plug, plug!). He has been looking good in the few canters we have done with him already.

As I said, I hope a change of fortunes come our way this week because we've got some runners that I quite fancy.

On Tuesday, Exopuntia should get the soft ground she loves at Yarmouth. She has won at the track and has a jockey who knows her in Tony Culhane. All is in place for a great run.

At Southwell the same day are two of the yard's most inconsistent horses, King Columbo and Premier League. Columbo still has plenty of ability but never seems to get the soft ground he loves nowadays. This is his first try at the course and I think he'll love the deep fibresand surface there. Likewise, Premier League seems to already like the place but he did run poorly there last time. Things are in his favour so he must have a shout.

Acer Diamonds is in the following day at Leicester but with 50 entries in the race, he will need his share of luck just to get a run. If he does, and the ground is soft, he should put in a career best effort.

Although some of our horses need the ground soft, Entrance at Newmarket on Friday night doesn't. The filly is in flying form and must be in with a chance of winning her second race of the year on only her third run.

I think I've found a weak Listed race for Emma's Gift at Ascot on the same day. The aim will be just to finish in the first three to get some black type in her pedigree that will boost her value. Looking at the entries, I do think we've got a chance of doing so.

Three To Follow Update

All points already scored by an added horse will not be added to your current score but any points from August 1st onwards will.

To make a selection, simply leave your name and choice in the comment box below or email to: rbirkett1989@hotmail.co.uk

Here is the list of horses to choose from and their current points in brackets:

Emma's Gift (10), Entrance (13), Sancho Panza (18), Khajaaly (3), Sand Repeal, Exopuntia (3), Automotive, Sail Home (10), Verona Bay, Blackmore (5), Pyjoma, Acer Diamonds, Spirit of Sharjah, King Columbo, Angel Of Mercy, Red Hearts (13), Bavarica (13), Premier League (10), Canning Vale.

Birthday Blues Disappear Thanks To Adam

2011-07-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

They say racing is a great leveller and I couldn't agree more after the events of this week.

Tuesday night, it's my birthday and I'm evening racing at Southwell after our two runners put in disappointing displays. I won't be back home until midnight and to cap it all off... it's raining. To say there were other places I'd rather be was an understatement but come the end of the week, I was on cloud nine.

As I always go on about, my apprentice Adam Beschizza is also my nephew (sister's son) and since he was ten years old we have believed he would make an outstanding jockey. His debut season couldn't have gone any better last year with over 40 winners and a second place in the apprentice championship. This year things had been a bit slower and even though he had ridden 14 winners this term up to yesterday, he wasn't as in demand as in 2010. What he needed was a big winner - and boy did he get one!

The John Smith's Cup is the most valuable handicap run in Europe (£150,000 in prize money) and, as a result, is one of the most competitive. Luckily, Adam had manged to get a ride in it (his only one of the day) on a horse he had won on before but had run badly at Royal Ascot last month. The rest, as they say, is history.

The horse (Green Destiny) won by over three lengths and Adam showed a rare bit of emotion when punching the air as he crossed the winning line - it obviously meant a lot to him. We were screaming at the television for him and his mother was crying at the result. I hope this is the springboard that Adam has needed to really send him to the next level. He has now proven himself on the big stage and hopefully others will give him the opportunities he deserves.

The July Sales at Tattersalls are always a happy bargain hunting ground for us and we came away with what we think is another steal on Thursday.

We've had a lot of success with buying Juddmonte horses from France (Sail Home, Dance World and Spruce) and hopefully we've got one that can be even better than those three.

His name is Automotive, sired by Beat Hollow and out of a winning mare. As you can see, he's the spitting image of Blackmore and Spruce and after two runs in France, he looks ready to lift off here in the UK. We're going to geld him on Tuesday as he is pretty colty at the minute and then we will be straight into action with him.

He's available for syndication in 10th shares at £2000 (inc VAT) per share plus £180 per month all inclusive training fees.

I like him a lot and hope he could be the next star.

With various things going against us in the next few days, we will amazingly have no runners apart from Sail Home at Lingfield on Saturday. It will be her first try on polytrack and at the course but I can't see why she shouldn't like the two and hopefully she can bounce back to form.

As to last week's runners, I've already mentioned we had a bad night at Southwell after Premier League and Pyjoma were slowly away and never got competitive. That's the thing about Southwell - if you are not fast away, you're chance is over from a very early stage. It's worth forgetting these runs as they are much better than that.

Sand Repeal made his return to the racecourse after a year off through injury. He got pretty tired but at least came out of his race in good shape and he will be a force to be reckoned with next time over a bit shorter than the two miles he raced over on Thursday.

Khajaaly surprised many people by running so well at Brighton on Monday. The track is very unique and not many horses like it but he seemed very happy there and held on well for fourth. He's a consistent horse and will soon be getting his head back in front.

Three To Follow Update

No scorers this week so results are as before.

Next week the substitution window will open so get your thinking caps on to sort out your lists. Full details will be given next time.

Enjoyin' The Barbie

2011-07-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Shamefully for the first time this year, despite already having some great weather, we blew the dust off the barbecue and had our first dinner alfresco this week.
And why not after what had been a decent enough week, kick started on Monday with a big priced each-way double at Pontefract.

Regular readers would have remembered me saying in last week's post that I was pretty confident of Entrance and Generous Genella getting a place and they both finished third - at prices of 14/1 and 33/1 respectably.
Entrance was unlucky not to win really after missing the break and then finding herself with a wall of horses in front of her two furlongs from home. When she did get the splits, she flew home to almost grab second.

I was relieved that Genella had finally shown some form after disappointing for so long. She has loads of ability but hadn't shown it until now and we've found the key to her is a tongue strap to help her breathing. I must say thank you to her owners for being so patient as she has let them down numerous times but I'm pretty certain that she will win very soon.

Talking of fantastic owners, Dick Creese's filly Red Hearts ran another game race to finish fourth at Warwick on Friday. She was trying seven furlongs for the first time and didn't quite stay the distance. We'll probably drop her down in class to a seller next time as she's good enough to win one and is only a small two year old so probably doesn't have much improvement left in her. That said, she has won a maiden race already as well as the £10,000 Racing Post bonus that goes with it. She has more than paid her way.

The only disappointment of the week was Sail Home at Yarmouth on Thursday. Conditions seemed ideal for her but she found little in the finish. I think that at this time of year, three year olds in handicaps have such a weight for age advantage that older horses like Sail Home are finding it tough. This was demonstrated by the fact that most of the horses which beat her were three year olds. She will be back to form soon though, no doubt.

Hopefully the same comment can apply to Khajaaly when he goes to Brighton tomorrow. He didn't have much luck last time at Warwick and I feel if he handles the unique track, he'll go very close. There are five previous course winners in the race so he will have to be 100% happy on the course to run his best.

Premier League is becoming a bit of a course specialist himself - at Southwell. He's there on Tuesday and he should be in with a shout at the only track where he has won before. Pyjoma makes her handicap debut there as well and I think she's got a nice handicap. The major factor is whether she'll like the bad kickback that goes with racing at Southwell. With both of them, I hope I can get a winner - it will be my birthday after all!

If not then, I'm hopeful Entrance will get us a winner two days later at Folkestone. As already mentioned, she's in top form and I think she will be hard to beat. Also that day, Sand Repeal makes his reappearance after a year off the track. He had a tendon injury that has been doing really well since his return. He is in his usual bouncy mood but he always needs a run to get into tip-top shape.

Three To Follow Update

Entrance and Generous Genella both clocked a few points with their third places and it has strengthened Richard Salmon's lead.

1st - Richard Salmon (41 points)
2nd - Peter Darlington (36 points)
3rd - Shelley Birkett (34 points)
4th - Adam Beschizza (31 points)
5th - Martyn Clark & Maureen Youngs (28 points)

One other on 25 points, 4 on 23, 1 on 21, 3 on 18, 10 on 15, 2 on 13, 3 on 8, 1 on 5 and one person on three points.

Two New Fillies

2011-06-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Wimbledon is on at the minute so I suppose the weather was always going to be unpredictable last week and it went against us more than once.

Premier League is a Southwell specialist so any ease in the ground is better for him but when my husband John walked the course at Newbury on Tuesday, he was disappointed to see it had dried out considerably and was no where near the official description of 'good'.

I do feel that course clerks put 'good' in a going description to tempt trainers wanting soft ground into running and, although it gets a fair bit of stick, I think the GoingStick is a more reliable source for finding out how firm it is. As it gives a numerical value on the softness of the turf, there can be little argument with it.

Thankfully, the weather did turn in our favour by the end of the week in time for Acer Diamonds at Newmarket on Friday. He loves soft going and the deluge the night before helped his case but a troubled passage in running saw him struggle to show his best. We still believe he's got an engine and hopefully he'll be able to exhibit it next time out.

On the other hand, Emma's Gift didn't really like the soft ground but still ran admirably in fifth. She's so tough and deserves to win another after her Ascot success earlier in the year.

We've had a couple of new arrivals in the yard over the last few weeks, the first of which was a three year old filly by American stallion Green Tune. She has only just been broken in but is forward going and has strengthened up a fair bit already. The other new one is a full sister to Premier League, being out of Ellie Simmonds and by Firebreak. She has never been ridden and is only two years old. She looks like she needs a bit of time to grow so don't be expecting to see her on the racecourse any time soon!

Firebreak two year old

Green Tune three year old

There should be a fair few more coming into the yard over the next few weeks as the July Sales at Tattersalls are only around the corner. The pair that we bought at the auction last year (Sail Home and Entrance) have both won for us and we'll be looking to find a few more bargains.

Sail Home is entered this week and I'm hopeful of a good run after she worked well on Saturday morning. She's back at Yarmouth where she won two starts ago and although she didn't drop in the handicap for a defeat last time, she will run well.

We're trekking up to Pontefract tomorrow with Entrance and Generous Genella, both of which I think should land a place at least. Genella ran a much better race last time in a tongue strap even though she didn't stay the distance. I've dropped her back in trip now and it should suit her.

Entrance is looking for back to back wins after scoring at Nottingham last time and I can't see why she shouldn't. She went up four pounds for the win which was a fair rise and if she gets lucky, hopefully she can win again.

Ground dependant, Red Hearts and Pyjoma go to Warwick on Friday. Red Hearts won a maiden earlier in the season but is struggling a bit now but I hope the step up in trip will eek a bit more improvement out of her. Pyjoma is handicapping for the first time and has a decent weight but she does get a little bit wound up at times so it's hard to know what to expect.
The following day, Exopuntia will run if the ground is soft enough and she'll go close if taking her chance.

Three To Follow Update

No points scored this week so standings are as before.

That's That Done For Another Year

2011-06-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

Royal Ascot came and went this week and although we had no luck with Emma's Gift in the Sandringham Stakes on Wednesday, it was a pleasure just to have a runner there. Getting dressed up really isn't my thing and to make matters worse, I had a bit of a nightmare with a spray tan experiment. Luckily it was only on my legs so could cover it up with some tights!

As it did at Ascot, it's been pouring it down here all week but not many people are complaining as we have needed it for weeks and it was a great to get on the grass gallops too. We worked a bunch of horses on Saturday morning and last year's Derby winner Workforce had been up there just before us so if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for us. Handily, a great photographer called Michael Smithson was there as well and he got some shots of the horses:

Verona Bay (Adam Beschizza)

Generous Genella (Dean Smith) leads Sand Repeal (Ross Birkett)

Canning Vale (Tetanya)

Acer Diamonds (left, Rob Summers) upsides King Columbo

Acer Diamonds put in a great bit of work, his debut run at Newbury has taken nothing out of him and I'm excited about running him at Newmarket on Saturday. It will probably be another decent maiden but so was his last race where he finished fifth, so I'm hopeful he can be placed. Also on that day, I may run Red Hearts in a listed race to see if we can get some black type on her pedigree. We are a bit stuck with her as she has won her maiden but as a result has to carry a weight penalty in novice races. Because the handicaps for two year olds do not start until August, we may as well run her up in grade.

Before that, on Tuesday, Premier League will be bidding to make it two wins in a row at Newbury. He won at Southwell so a slow turf surface shouldn't bother him and I can see no reason why he won't run well again. Elsewhere, Emmeline Pankhurst runs at Brighton. She's been frustrating but has run promisingly at the course before so, fingers crossed, she can show a bit of form.

Now the Newmarket Friday night meetings are back, King Columbo has his diary full for the next few months as there is always an ideal race for him there. He's in this week and should love the soft ground along with Exopuntia who I was delighted with as she came third last Friday at the track. She wasn't 100% fit that day so it looks like she will go even closer this time around.

Looking back at the week's runners, the one who ran with most promise despite finishing down the field was Khajaaly at Warwick on Thursday. The jockey admitted he got into a lot of trouble and as a result he could never get into top gear. The horse has come out of the race really well and will run better next time.

Three To Follow Update

Adam Beschizza was the only entrant to include Exopuntia in his list and the three points she gained on Friday see him move into joint third.

1st - Richard Salmon (38 points)

2nd - Peter Darlington (33 points)

3rd - Shelley Birkett, Adam Beschizza (31 points)

5th - Maureen Youngs (28 points)

Two other on 25 points, 4 on 23, 3 on 18, 11 on 15, 2 on 13, 1 on 10, 2 on 8, 2 on 5 and one person on three points.

Luck Moves in Mysterious Ways

2011-06-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

Another week, another winner. It's becoming a bit of a habit now after having one winner a week for the last three and it's not one I'll ever wish to stop.
We fired plenty of bullets this week though and it was the most unlikely shot that hit the target - from five runners on Thursday, Entrance (the biggest priced at 40/1) won at Nottingham. It could have all been so different...
The truth is, that on Wednesday night, it looked like Entrance wouldn't even be able to run because there was no available transport to get her to the races and I was resigned to the fact that her first run after a 100-day break would have to wait a bit longer. Luckily, Gay Kelleway's horse didn't run at another meeting that same day so we used her box instead - and thank God we did!
Although she was a big price, it wasn't a massive shock that she won. It was her first start on turf for us and she had strengthened up a lot during her break. It was a great win for the Hoofbeats Racing Club and there are still shares available in her if she really caught your eye!

As already mentioned, we had a lot of runners last Thursday and probably the most promising performance was from the two-year old, Acer Diamonds. We've thought a lot of him but he's so big and babyish that he would need the run and he did - he ran green when asked to quicken but looked to get the hang of things. He didn't have a hard race and has come out of it happy so he should improve next time.

My heart was in my mouth the following day when I saw Sunny Spells slip on the bend at Market Rasen. I get worried enough when one of mine goes jumping but the last thing you expect is one of yours to fall when there's not even an obstacle in front of him. Thankfully, he got up fine and jumped round with the others and I hope the experience doesn't effect him as he's ready to win.

Another heart-stopping moment was seeing a horse clip heels and fall right in front of my daughter Shelley at York on Saturday. I'm even more of a wreck when the kids are riding and although Bavarica was a bit too keen for Shelley, I'm just glad both came back in one piece as the outcome could have been a hell of a lot worse.

On a brighter note, I'm all ready for Royal Ascot this week and I'll be there in my finery on Wednesday with Emma's Gift in the Sandringham Stakes. I know you can't get too confident at such a competitive meeting but I really do think the filly has got a great chance. She loves Ascot but not soft ground so I hope the rain stays away.Night Orbit is in the Queen Alexandra on Saturday and although he will love the extreme 2m6f distance, he will no doubt be outclassed.

Not all the action is in Berkshire this week as I hope to have winners elsewhere.Khajaaly goes to Warwick on Thursday and, although it's his first start on turf in a while, the track should suit and he's in great form.

It's great to see the Newmarket Nights back on the calendar this Friday and I've got three high hopes if the ground is ideal.King Columbo is starting to show a bit more promise now and the softer the conditions, the better.
The same probably applies for Exopuntia who hasn't run in a while but is fit enough to do herself justice.
Spirit of Sharjah wouldn't want the ground as soft as the other two but he is so well handicapped and it is the lowest class he has run in for a good while. If things go right, he will win.

Three To Follow Update
After trailing the competition for so long, Richard Salmon has spectacularly lept into life and now is a clear leader thanks to Entrance's victory. The win also saw Peter Darlington edge into second spot.
1st - Richard Salmon (38 points)
2nd - Peter Darlington (33 points)
3rd - Shelley Birkett (31 points)
4th - Adam Beschizza, Maureen Youngs (28 points)
Two other on 25 points, 4 on 23, 3 on 18, 11 on 15, 2 on 13, 1 on 10, 2 on 8, 2 on 5 and one person on three points.

Can't Complain About Another Winner

2011-06-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

He tried to do everything he could to avoid winning but Premier League finally got his head in front where it mattered at Southwell on Thursday.
'Harry', as he is known, had been placed on numerous occasions yet he was starting to look like winning was not his top priority. Once again, he travelled strongly in behind the leaders and turning for home, it looked like there would only be one winner. However, this was a sight we had seen before.
Remarkably this time, Harry decided to quicken past tiring horses and hit the front where he proceeded to hang from one side of the track to another but still won by over four lengths. Royston Ffrench was on board and I'm always glad to give him a winner as I taught him how to ride at the British Racing School when he was a tiny 16 year old who had never sat on a horse in his life. It worries me to think how long ago that was now!

Amie Karlsson, who had been working for me for a couple of years, sadly left us this week to return to her native Sweden in order to finish her degree. Her riding had improved a hell of a lot during her time with us and she took special care of her horses, of which Beseech was her favourite. No doubt she will be back to visit soon.

One of the other horses Amie used to look after was Sancho Panza and he's entered at Nottingham on Thursday along with five others dotted around the country. Travelling with him will be the Hoofbeats Racing Club horse Entrance who has done incredibly well over her winter break and she has now grown into a much bigger and stronger horse. I've got her pretty fit so she shouldn't be lacking in that department but we still don't really know her optimum trip so that is my only concern.

At Yarmouth, Night Orbit is entered in the two mile race and although he ideally needs further, it's a bad enough race for him to win. He will be going to Royal Ascot for the 2m6f race afterwards and although he won't have the class to win, I hope his proven stamina can see him run respectably and give the owners a good day out. Also there is Generous Genella but I think she may get balloted out. If she does run, I'm hoping she can win now we've put a tongue strap on her. If it is the answer to her disappointing performances, she will run her best race to date.

Ground dependant, Acer Diamonds makes his long awaited debut at Newbury. He's only a two year old but has caught many people's eyes as he is such a physically imposing horse and he has been doing all his homework quite easily. The six furlongs may be a bit on the short side for him and he's still a big baby but it wouldn't surprise me if he ran a big race for his enthusiastic owners. Going with him to keep company is King Columbo in the amateur race. Now, I can confirm that this is the race we have won three of the last four years and not the race I mentioned a few weeks back. However, Columbo isn't in much form at the minute and I'll be surprised if we can land the race for a fourth time after Bavarica in 2007 & 2010 and Night Orbit in 2008.

Sunny Spells got what we thought was a very lenient mark from the handicapper after having three runs over hurdles. He's entered in two races at Market Rasen on Friday and whichever one he goes for, I'm hoping he can go close off a low weight. He jumps well and the step up in trip will certainly suit him.
On the same day is Emmeline Pankhurst at Goodwood. She's only running for the owner's business function and the distance will be a bit short for her I think.

It was a fantastic sight on Friday morning as we arrived at Epsom with Spirit of Sharjah. All the trade stands and amusements were set-up on the Downs and it was breath-taking to see just how big an event the Investec Derby Festival is. Spirit ran a blinder to finish fifth but the race distance of one mile and half a furlong just found him out as he is best at seven furlongs and just got tired in the last 200 yards. He's still well handicapped though and is sure to win a big race soon.

Three To Follow Update

Premier League's victory boosted the tally for two lucky entries but it wasn't enough to wrestle the lead from Shelley Birkett who still heads the table.

1st - Shelley Birkett (31 points)
2nd - Maureen Youngs, Richard Salmon and Adam Beschizza (28 points)
5th - Rita Aspland (25 points)
Five others on 23 points, 3 on 18, 11 on 15, 1 on 13, 1 on 10, 2 on 8, 3 on 5 and one person on three points.

Bavarica: A Mare in a Million

2011-05-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

I have trained more talented, bigger and faster horses but I have never known one to be as tough, reliable and resilient as Bavarica.

She's a nine year old now but won the tenth race of her career at Newmarket on Friday (pictured right) in her 98th race. We bought her as an unraced three year old in the annual Juddmonte disposal sale and she came from Roger Charlton's yard with a reputation as an 'unrideable bolter'.

Indeed, when we first got her, she was a very moody mare and would love to take a bite out of you and she did take a few runs to to get her head in front but since then she has been an asset to the yard and one of my favourite horses.

She has also been a great schoolmaster for younger jockeys to get the hang of race riding on as she is a very balanced horse but still takes a bit of riding as she can be keen if getting no cover in a race. My son Ross (who has won on her 5 times now), my nephew Adam Beschizza and Slade O'Hara all rode their first winners on her and set them on their ways.

The key to her longevity has probably been down to the fact that we turn her out every day and not over-worked her as she keeps herself very fit. After her Newmarket win, Bavarica had amassed over £60,000 in prize money (not bad for a low-level horse) and been placed on 49 of her 98 runs.

As I own her, the money has come in handy over the years and every time she wins, we acquire a new piece of kit - last time it was a flat-screen TV and now I've got my eye on a proper Sony camera. Let's hope she can keep winning because my shopping list is a long one!

On the same day as Bavarica, we had Sail Home at Pontefract. I was really disappointed with her run as I thought she should win but it turned out that she hated the course and it makes sense as all her winning (Yarmouth and Southwell) has been achieved on galloping tracks, so we will stick to that formula.

Sunny Spells also had two quick runs over hurdles during the week. He now qualifies for handicaps and I think he'll do well when stepped up to 2m4f as his jumping is a real asset.

I'll be getting a posh frock out for Friday as Spirit of Sharjah runs at Epsom on Oaks day. He has won over course and distance before, is well handicapped and I think he'll run a big race if getting the splits. I shouldn't get too dolled up though as it's straight on to Goodwood that evening with King Columbo. He too is well handicapped and the trip is ideal. A bit of rain could help his cause but it wouldn't surprise me if he ran well.

Earlier on in the week, Premier League is looking to lose his maiden tag at Southwell. He has run well at the place before but he's had a bit of a break and as he's a big horse, it wouldn't surprise me if he needed the run.

Three To Follow Update

Bavarica was not a popular choice in the entries but Shelley Birkett was lucky enough to choose her and the decision paid off as she now heads the leader-board. The victory also saw Maureen Youngs move into a tied second place.

1st - Shelley Birkett (31 points)

2nd - Maureen Youngs, Adam Beschizza (28 points)

4th - Rita Aspland (25 points)

Five others on 23 points, 4 on 18, 10 on 15, 1 on 13, 1 on 10, 2 on 8, 4 on 5 and one person on three points.

Blown Away by BHA News

2011-05-23T05:56:00.000-07:00

Last week's picture of an upside down caravan got plenty of laughs and I could have put it up again this week as the wind around here at the minute is strong enough to blow a house down never mind a caravan!
It may be windy but there's still no sign of rain which makes it at least three months since we had a good showering of the wet stuff. A report on the TV the other day said the Sahara desert has seen more precipitation than East Anglia and looking out on the barren, dusty landscape of the heath in the mornings, I can believe it!

I was expecting to be really busy with runners last week but for some reason or another, some didn't run but we still had good performances from the rest.
Khajaaly was an unlucky third at Wolverhampton on Monday and he might have won with a clearer passage. The key to him is keeping him fresh which means we can only run once a month but he's consistent anyway. That same day, Bavarica ran in the amateur race with my daughter Shelley aboard and she just needed the run to get the hang of riding the filly as she may be in the veteran stage of her career but she takes some knowing.

We didn't go racing then until Saturday when we had three horses running.
At York, Sancho Panza ran another fine race to finish third in what was his toughest assignment to date. The 1m4f trip was probably a bit short for him on the firm ground and he'll be better over further or with some give in the going.
Emmeline Pankhurst and Spirit of Sharjah were at Goodwood and they both put up good performances. Spirit was running over six furlongs, which is shorter than ideal, but he showed he's well handicapped to finish a close-up sixth. He will win a big race over seven furlongs soon.
On the other hand, Emmeline found the trip a bit too far and I'm confident that she has the ability to win a race somewhere.

Riding both those horses was Jimmy Quinn who only the day before had been revealed as one of the jockeys under investigation by the BHA for race fixing. It was a shock to me to hear the news as Jimmy has ridden me plenty of winners (indeed my first ever) and has never struck me as guilty. I can only say that a suspect is innocent until proven guilty and I will be more than happy to use his services in the future. Even more surprising was the news that Greg Fairley was suspected of the same offence. Greg regularly rides Night Orbit for me and he is so quiet and unassuming that I would never have thought him capable of such a crime.

We've got Sunny Spells back in the yard now as he is due to run over hurdles on Tuesday at Huntingdon. He is trained on the flat by Stuart Williams but comes to me for jumps runs as Stuart doesn't have a National Hunt licence. The horse hasn't run in a while and will probably need the race.

Later on in the week, Bavarica runs again at Newmarket. My son Ross has won on her four times and he's back aboard. He says she feels in great form at home and the handicapper has given her a chance so I hope she can go close.
Sail Home runs on Friday too at Pontefract. She won last time out but went up six pounds in the handicap so she needs to improve a bit but she is in top form and it wouldn't surprise me should she win again.

Three To Follow Update

Khajaaly scored his first few points of the competition with a third place whilst Sancho Panza's three points see Adam Beschizza back on the top spot alone.

1st - Adam Beschizza (28 points)
2nd - Rita Aspland (25 points)
3rd - Tetanya, Zac Fitzgerald, Poppy Feilden, Julia Feilden, Peter Darlington (23 points)
4 others on 18 points, 10 on 15 points, 2 on 13, 3 on 8, 4 on 5 and one on 3 points.

Double Delight At The Seaside

2011-05-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

Carlsberg don't do days at the races but if they did, they'd probably be...like last Tuesday.
I really couldn't have thought of a better day than I had at Yarmouth; sipping champagne in the sun at the caravan of Sancho Panza's owner, Carol Bushnell (who was also celebrating her birthday), was a real delight - and that was before the racing had begun!
The day just got better and better as Sail Home lived up to her name and narrowly managed to last home and win by a nose. That was pretty good but to cap it all off, Sancho Panza followed up in the next race by hacking up with a seven-length victory and in the process landing the third double of my training career. We had a fair bit more champagne after that!
But seriously, both horses surprised me as I wasn't sure they would handle the fast ground but luckily both races were weak enough for them to win even with conditions against them.

Sancho Panza has a few entries this week at Haydock, York and Newbury. If he is put up more than six pounds by the handicapper on Tuesday, I'll probably run him at the first named course, otherwise it's the latter two, ground dependent. He's in flying form and should win again.

Later on last week we had a whole load of horses travelling to the big meeting at York. Both Emma's Gift and Red Hearts went in the hope of landing some black type form to boost their pedigrees and, although they narrowly missed doing this, they both ran blinders.
Spirit of Sharjah and Night Orbit ran great races too despite having their excuses but Blackmore failed to show us his best and at first we were mystified by the performance but afterwards he had a very sore back which is being treated now by the physiotherapist and the ground was probably a bit too quick for him. He's still a stayer going places.

I'm hoping the yard's good form can carry on this week as I've got some fancied runners.
Tomorrow, Khajaaly goes to Wolverhampton in the hope he can get back on a winning trend. We've found the key to him is keeping him fresh so he's had a short break but he's very fit and if he can get the breaks, he should be in the money. Bavarica is also at Dunstall Park that day but she's not very well in at the weights as the race is a claimer and I've put her in for the top price because I don't want another trainer buying my favourite horse. My daughter Shelley rides her for the first time and she's had plenty of orders from my son Ross who has won on her four times. She's reliable and tough so should have an each way chance.

Then we're quiet until the weekend with the already mentioned Sancho Panza and loads of runners on Saturday.
Alan Dee's two horses, Spirit of Sharjah and Emmeline Pankhurst, go to Goodwood because the owner is having a function there. Spirit is running over six furlongs which will not suit him but Emmeline ran better than the form suggests last time and the step up in trip will see her in a better light.
The same day, I'll have Bavarica, Sail Home and King Columbo entered in the amateur race at Newbury that I have won for the past three years running. I've never planned to win it so much but it just seems to be a lucky contest for us. I won't be running all three against each other but I hope whatever runs can win it for a fourth time.

Three To Follow Update

The Tuesday double shook things up considerably and now Rita Aspland and Adam Beschizza find themselves sharing the top spot. Considering Adam rode both winners, at least I know he was trying!

1st - Rita Aspland, Adam Beschizza (25 points)
3rd - Peter Darlington, Julia Feilden, Poppy Feilden, Tetanya (20 points)
7th - Maureen Youngs, Shelley Birkett (18 points)
13 others on 15 points, 3 on 10 points, 1 on 8 points, 6 on 5 points and 1 on zero.

Hanging on the weather

2011-05-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

What looked likely to be a busy week failed to materialise after Blackmore, Pyjoma and Spirit of Sharjah were all withdrawn from their engagements due to the ground being too firm.
It really has been a severe drought and I can't remember ever experiencing such a long spell without rain so early in the year. Knowing how this country works, we'll probably be in for a horrendously wet summer and I'll be moaning then too!

It was a dusty scene on Thursday night for the annual Newmarket Heath Race. Once again, we sent some of our staff to run but sadly couldn't field a team of three as Adam was riding at Ffos Las. He couldn't have been further away even if he tried! However, Ross finished 7th and Shelley 88th (both pictured at the front in green shirts) out of 200-odd runners (including The Stig) and both recorded times quicker than last year so it was a good performance all round.

The rain does seem to be easing its way into things though and places around the country have been drenched but Newmarket remains a barren landscape - we had a sprinkle this morning but nothing significant for at least a month now.

We'll be keeping an eye on the forecasts for the coming seven days as there are a lot of horses entered but it all depends what the ground is like.
Starting off what could be a busy week are Emmeline Pankhurst (Brighton) and Spirit of Sharjah (Windsor). The latter is in a tough race but the owner insisted on running him. He's in at York later in the week and I think the ground will suit him better there. Emmeline has been very disappointing so we are trying a pair of blinkers on her as she has ability but doesn't like to show it. Hopefully she can surprise me at a course we have a lot of success at.

Tuesday sees Sail Home and Sancho Panza travel to Yarmouth. Both ideally want a bit of cut in the ground but they're in great form and the races look winnable so I'll let them take their chances.

As mentioned, Spirit is in at York on Thursday along with Blackmore and Night Orbit in the staying race. If it's firm I'll only send Orbit but it looks like there will be a bit of dig so hopefully we'll have the two. At the weights I couldn't say which one would beat the other but they both have a great chance of success plus it looks like we can have champion jockey Paul Hanagan aboard Blackmore again.

We're back at York the following day with last week's winners Emma's Gift and Red Hearts in a pair of listed races. They both want the ground rock hard though so we'll have to wait and see if it is worth running.

I hope you all saw the Racing Post today (page 19) as there was a nice feature with Emma's Gift's owner, Emma Raffin, about how she came to acquire the filly and the joy success has brought her. It's nice to know that the owners are having a great time and getting plenty out of the experience.

Three to Follow Update

With only King Columbo running and finishing 5th last week, the leader board is as before.

Still no rain but our dry spell ends

2011-05-02T03:31:00.000-07:00

After a series of unlucky placed horses over the last few weeks, the balance finally tipped in our favour as we visited the winner's enclosure not once but twice.

Emma's Gift (right) landed our first ever winner at Ascot and what a buzz it was. The fact that we were the 16/1 outsider of the field added to the excitement and that we were by far the smallest stable in the field but still managed to beat the big boys.
Emma is a super tough filly and I half regret not putting her in the 1000 Guineas because it was a weak race and she had solid form with some of the main protagonists.
The race was called the X Factor Stakes and it was sponsored by Simon Cowell so I was really looking forward to meeting him but sadly he wasn't there and I was left to receive the prize off some nobody friend of his!

Still buzzing from the success the day before, Ross and I drove the horsebox down to Brighton with our two year old Red Hearts. She hadn't run too badly first time out, finishing mid-division after getting tired and we hoped she could improve.
Once again, the bookies didn't rate our chances and we were available at the 16/1 mark but the little filly belied those odds by storming up the hill and winning by just under a length. To say we were ecstatic would be an understatement as I was chuffed for her owner, Dick Creese, who has been with me since I started training and the race also carried a £10,000 yearling bonus which was a lovely reward for Dick's patience and commitment to the sport over the years.

We hoped the momentum could carry forward to King Columbo at Salisbury on Sunday but, alas, it wasn't to be. The ground was rock hard and he just didn't let himself down on it. He's in good form though and will be winning on a better surface.

We've got some high profile runners this week too. Blackmore is in a valuable staying handicap at Ascot on Friday but I think the ground might be a bit too firm for him to take his chance. Pyjoma is in at Goodwood the day before but she needs a bit of cut too.
Also in the same boat is Spirit of Sharjah in the Victoria Cup at Ascot on Saturday. It's a big race but he's well handicapped and it all depends if he is 100% happy on the quick ground.

Three to Follow Update

The victory of Emma's Gift shook the standings up and now Maureen Youngs heads the table with 18 points. Maureen can also boast to be the first person to have scored with all three of her selections already. Red Hearts was not part of the original shortlist as we hadn't bought her by then but keep following her as she could be yours in the transfer window later in the season.

1st - Maureen Youngs (18 points)

2nd - Lee Cousens, Adam Beschizza, Rita Aspland, Len/Maureen Cousens (15 points)

6th - Rosalind Taylor, Peter Darlington, Julia Feilden, Poppy Feilden, Zac Fitzgerald, Tetanya, Bill Aspland (10 points)

Two entries on 8 points, 17 on 5 points and 2 on zero.

(Bonnie) and Clyde on the run

2011-04-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

I was on a bit of a wild goose chase this morning as we woke up to find Clyde the fallabella pony missing from his field. He's known to perform Houdini-style escapes from his pasture but usually it's just to say hello to some of the horses in the yard. This morning, though, he was nowhere to be seen.

Using all the family's detective skills, we manged to trace some fresh poo and hoof marks to a gap in the fence where he had knocked a rail down and made his run but after looking all over the village, he was still a on the loose.
About an hour later, we got a call saying he was chasing a couple of yearlings around a field down the road. Luckily no-one was harmed except Clyde (who is a colt) may be getting a visit to the vets and be coming back two stone lighter!

The week began with plenty of runners. Red Hearts was our first two year old to go to the races this season and she showed plenty of speed until getting tired towards the end. It's been hard to get the newcomers fully fit with the dry weather we've had (as all Newmarket trainers are complaining about) but she's in again this week at Brighton and I think we'll see a much better performance.

Night Orbit ran a blinder on Tuesday to finish second in the country's longest flat handicap - The Pontefract Marathon. He is a proven stayer and the fast pace helped him show it but he was unlucky to run into a freak result - the winner was 100/1! He loves these kinds of races and it's just a shame there are not more of these extreme stamina tests.

Premier League was favourite at Bath on the same day with Richard Hughes on board but he was slightly disappointing. Hughesie said the horse didn't like the track's undulations and the fast ground wasn't a help either so he can be judged than better than this result.

We had high hopes for Generous Genella on Wednesday but she could never get competitive off a break-neck pace. I think she needs a tongue strap to help her breathing and hopefully that's the solution because she gallops so well at home.

We've got a vast range of abilities on show in the next seven days, including the already mentioned Red Hearts. At the bottom end of the scale, Emmeline Pankhurst runs for the first time this year at Lingfield. We thought she would be a decent two year old last year but she never showed it on the track yet she has been working well at home and if she can get to the front from her wide draw, I think she'll go well.

On the other side of things, Emma's Gift runs in a valuable conditions race at Ascot on Wednesday. She's one of the highest rated in the race and Adam Beschizza will be claiming five pounds off her back so I'm hoping for a good showing if the ground stays firm.

As too I expect from King Columbo on Sunday at Salisbury. He won a charity race earlier this year so if that has done his confidence some good and we get a bit of rain, there will be a fair bit in his favour.

Three to Follow Update
Night Orbit landed five points for his second on Tuesday but no-one had included the old boy in their lists so the standings are as before.

No rain is a pain

2011-04-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

I may have been basking in the spell of pleasant weather this time last week but you can only have so much of a good thing and the dry conditions that were so welcome are now starting to become a disruption.
As Henry Cecil has been so publically saying this week with regards to his horses, not being able to work on the grass due to it being too firm is a pain. It's not that you can't train without the green stuff - there are a vast array of all-weather canters in Newmarket - it just makes a nice change for the horses to gallop on a bit of lush grass and it also means you can work the stayers over a bit further than a mile.

Anyway, there's nothing wrong with the horses at the minute and I hope they can show their well being with all the runners we have this week.
Tomorrow sees our first two year old runner of the year when Red Hearts goes to Windsor. We only bought her three weeks ago from Kempton's breeze-up sales but she's very sharp. It's a hot looking contest and it's hard to gauge how good the youngsters are when you haven't had a juvenile runner yet but she is pretty precociuos and I hope she shows some promise.
At the veteran end of the scale that same day, nine year old Bavarica runs. The trip, track and ground are perfect and as long as the race pans out in the right way I can see her going very close.

We're busy on Tuesday as well with three runners. Richard Hughes' agent rang up for the ride on Premier League at Bath and he thinks he should go close so it looks positive. My only concern is the fast ground as all his best form is on the deep surface at Southwell.
Night Orbit runs in one of the longest flat races you will see all year (2m5f) at Pontefract. He has no stamina doubts and as long as he doesn't get too detached when he hits his customary flat spot halfway, he will be flying at the finish.
Emmeline Pankhurst makes her seasonal reappearance at Wolverhampton. She's showing plenty of speed at home but might find it hard to make the running from her wide draw.

Generous Genella looks to have a lot in her favour at Southwell on Tuesday. It's not a great race and the step up in trip will suit her. She's needed a few runs to get fit and I hope she can win.

After that there's barely any racing as we hit the Easter period but the Lester Awards are on Thursday and the yard as plenty of interest as Baggsy and Mattie Batchelor are nominated for 'Jumps Ride of the Year' after their epic win at Towcester late last year. My, apprentice, Adam Beschizza, also has a nomination for 'Apprentice Jockey of the Year'.

Good Luck to them both.

Three to Follow Update:
No change to last week's standings.

Sun shining, rugs off.

2011-04-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

What gorgeous weather we had this week. It was great to be able to put the horses out in the field this morning stripped without the masses of rugs (thermal and waterproof) that they've had to wear for the last six months.

One filly who has really come out of her winter break well is Entrance. She has grown a few inches taller and has put on a bit of weight. As you can see in the pictures (before left, after right), she hasn't quite got her summer coat yet but she's started back in light work and I hope she can give the Hoofbeats Racing Club some fun this year.

The sun was shining at Folkestone on Monday where Generous Genella showed some of the ability we have been seeing on the gallops. She's not a big filly but takes a lot of work to get fit so I think now she's had a couple of runs and is stepping up in trip, she should be winning soon.

Blackmore ran another cracking race the following day at Pontefract. He's a really progressive horse and we were delighted that Paul Hanagan was able to ride him again. He settled beautifully in the race and Paul produced him to hit the front with a furlong to go. At this point, I think the horse thought he had won and started easing up (as he always does in front) and unfortunately a fast-finisher just chinned him on the line. There will definitely be more success for him this year though.

As there will be too for good old Bavarica. She landed yet more prize money at Lingfield on Wednesday when she finished third and it took her career earnings to £58,000 which in these days of shoddy finances isn't too bad. Beseech ran a bit below par that day and surprised us by not staying the two miles, a trip she had looked to be in need of. I'm going to turn her out for a few months, let her grow and bring her back for the new all-weather season.

Emma's Gift made a pleasing seasonal reappearance on Saturday in a Listed race at Lingfield. She hadn't grown much over the winter and the question with talented two year olds is if they will train on the next year but she showed enough to suggest she can land some big prizes in 2011.

Also on the hunt for lucrative pots this year is our stable star Spirit of Sharjah. He goes to Leicester on Saturday to retain his Leicestershire Stakes crown after winning the Listed race last year under Frankie Dettori. He needs good ground and a bit of luck but he's in great nick. On the same day, King Columbo travels to Doncaster. My daughter Shelley rides him and I hope his win in a charity race last time has done his confidence some good.

Three to Follow Update:
The competition got off to a flyer st the weekend with both Sancho Panza and Blackmore finishing second and scoring some points. Bavarica nicked 3rd place on Wednesday to give her followers something to shout about.

Peter Darlington, Julia Feilden, Poppy Feilden, Zac Fitzgerald, Tetyana (ALL 10 POINTS)

6. Maureen Youngs, Ross Birkett, Shelley Birkett. (ALL 8 POINTS)

21 others on 5 points, 4 with zero.

Donny ground has me worried

2011-04-04T02:40:00.000-07:00

I thought it was going to be a disastrous weekend after we arrived at Doncaster on Saturday only to find that they had none of the forcast rain and how bad a state the ground was in. It would be easy to blame the Clerk of the course for not looking after the ground properly but with the winter we had this year, not even Mr Fothergill could have done any better. There was no grass at all on the track which meant it was in a tacky state and horses either acted on it or they didn't. Sail Home on Saturday clearly didn't and you can forget her run.

I thought it would be a similar story for Sancho Panza the next day as he loves soft going and the Doncaster turf had firmed up after a dry and windy night. To my surprise, he loved the ground and flew home into second after being cut up in the straight. This gives us loads more options for him now as we are not limited by the ground and I'm looking forward to running him over 1m6f next time.

There's no rest for the wicked as I'm off to Folkestone today with Generous Genella. We've always thought a lot of her but she has been a shade disappointing. However, it's not a great race today and with a run under her belt, I hope she can show something.

Far from disappointing is Blackmore who has won three of his last four races. He goes to Pontefract on Tuesday and I'll be surprised if he is beaten. The ground, trip and course should all suit, champion jockey Paul Hanagan has decided to ride him rather than one for his boss Richard Fahey and it all looks promising.

As do Bavarica and Beseech's chances on Wednesday at Lingfield. Both are now finally well handicapped and should pick up some prize money.

We had a really good response to the Three to Follow competition with 33 entries. Many of you picked up five points after Sancho Panza'a 2nd place and I will list the top five in the standings every week in this blog. Good luck with your entries this week.

Richard is King for a day

2011-03-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

It went a bit under the radar yesterday with most of the world's eyes on the action at Meydan but we had a winner at Lingfield. Richard Perham, who rides out in the mornings for me before working as the jockey coach at the British Racing School rode King Columbo to victory in a charity race. Sent off the 5-6 favourite, Richard was determined to make up for last year's defeat on Chadwell Spring when Gay Kelleway beat him by a nose.

Although admittedly nervous before the off, Richard gave Columbo a lovely ride, just settled behind the pace-setter and then produced him late in the straight to win by a head. Admittedly, the rider of the second was pretty incapable of pushing a horse out but Richard looked like he had lost none of his old style that saw him ride 200 winners in his heyday. The victory should do the horse's confidence the world of good as he hadn't won in two years and he'll be properly fit when running under rules next time.

We've had a great response to the 'Three to Follow' competition with plenty of owners and outsiders entering up. There's still a week left to get your decision made so see last week's post for all the information.

The horsebox won't be heading anywhere until Saturday in the next seven days but I'm more than hopeful that we'll be firing in some winners. My first turf runner of the year goes to Doncaster on Saturday and I think Sail Home will have a great chance, especially if there is a drop of rain, as she has been working well at home. Also in need of some rain is Sancho Panza (pictured winning at Windsor last year) on Sunday. He's an improving horse and we've found the key to him is soft ground and not being hit with the whip in a finish, so I think he'll go close. Bavarica will be entered in the race as well in case the ground is firm.

On the same day we may have our first international runner as Spirit of Sharjah is in at The Curragh in Ireland. The key factor will be the ground though as he needs it perfect and we won't be going if it's too soft. He's in a Group 3 but most of the horses entered have tasted defeat to our lad so I think he should run well.

Exopuntia came back into the yard yesterday after a short holiday and I was amazed to see she has grown even more. She's a massive filly and the key to her success is a straightish and flat 7f. Yarmouth is right up her street.

Old warrior Sand Repeal is also back in exercise after his leg injury and I'll be pleased if I can just get him back to the track after the problems he has had.

We win and you can too!

2011-03-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

Blackmore was a more than welcome winner at Wolverhampton on Friday night. He was the first runner from the batch of horses that had been off for the winter so we were keen to see in what form he would be in. The answer is: in flying form!
Last year's champion jockey Paul Hanagan had his first ride for us on him and I'm chuffed the pair were victorious. When I instructed at the British Racing School many moons ago, among the classes I taught was a 16 year-old Hanagan and ever since then I've wanted him to win on one of mine. He was impressed with Blackmore and I'm excited about what the rest of the season holds.

The Cheltenham Festival was a great spectacle and the Gold Cup is definitely the best race I've ever witnessed - to see Denman, Kauto Star and Long Run all upsides in a finish takes the breath away. However, I'm glad it's passed so the Racing Post can talk about something else. For weeks the paper has been filled with everything Cheltenham and now they can write about some proper racing - Southwell on a Tuesday afternoon!

We're dropping Night Orbit in class into a claimer on Tuesday and I hope it's just what he needs to get some of his old spark back. King Columbo runs in a charity race at Lingfield on Saturday under Richard Perham and although he's got bigger targets this season and it's his first run in a while, I think he'll have a massive chance and it should be a great confidence booster for him after failing to get his head in front all last year.

Finally, this season we are going to run a 'Three to follow Competition' for the yard. I'm putting up £100 for the winner, £50 2nd and £20 3rd. It's free to enter and anyone is eligible, all you have to do is this:

1. Pick a ONE horse from the following: Al Reefa, Acer Diamonds, Verona Bay, Canning Vale, Riccardo Villa, Emma's Gift, Emmeline Pankhurst, Generous Genella, Entrance.

2. Pick TWO horses from the following: Spirit of Sharjah, Pyjoma, Blackmore, Sail Home, Sand Repeal, Khajaaly, Dakota Hues, Sancho Panza, King Columbo, Night Orbit, Beseech, Bavarica, Premier League, Little Meadow.

Then email your entry to rbirkett1989@hotmail.co.uk
The points system is: a winner = 10pts, 2nd = 5pts, 3rd = 2pts.
Entries close March 31st.

GOOD LUCK!

Dogs still missing

2011-03-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks now since our jack russell, Gemma, and her grown-up puppy, Bubba, went missing and we've come to accept that they have gone for good. They went off hunting one morning like they always do but never returned and we have our suspicions that they have been stolen after about half a dozen other dogs in the village suffered a similar fate. We've got everybody looking out for them so they may be found sooner or later.

On a brighter note, I managed to go racing for the first time in seven weeks after my hip replacement at Southwell on Tuesday. Beseech ran as the ratings suggested to finish third whilst Premier League probably hit the front a bit too soon and came second. He goes back to the same track again on Tuesday and with Adam Beschizza taking a handy 5lbs off his back, I hope he can win.

One who I thought would win last week was Spirit of Sharjah in a Listed race at Wolverhampton on Saturday. He had the best form in the book and had been absolutely flying at home but he resented the kick-back which has got really bad at the track now. There are rumours that they will be replacing the surface soon and I hope they do.

Despite the state of the track, I'm pretty confident about the chances of Blackmore and Generous Genella at Wolverhampton on Friday. They have come out of their winter breaks particularly well and although they will benefit from the run, they are fit enough to do themselves justice. Likewise the following day, Khajaaly should have a big hope of landing some prize money.

It's hard to miss the fact that Cheltenham starts tomorrow and the kids and I have entered the Racing Post's 'Select a Stable' competition. I'm not a jumps form expert but Imperial Commander and Master Minded are my bankers, so hopefully they can produce the goods!

Things are warming up nicely

2011-03-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

It was a very quiet week runners-wise with only Bavarica needing the run at Kempton on Wednesday night but there's been plenty happening in the yard.
All the horses who had been off during the winter were given their first serious pieces of work and I'm happy to report that they've all come back from their holidays as much stronger individuals. The two year olds are flying at the minute as well and it's just a case of keeping a lid on them until they can actually run in a couple of months time.

The Channel 4 cameras will be making a rare visit to Wolverhampton this Saturday and we'll be there too as Spirit of Sharjah bids to land a hat trick of wins in the listed race. I couldn't have him in any better form and if he gets a bit of luck in running, I can see him going very close.
Before that we have three runners at Southwell on Tuesday and they all have a great chance of landing some silverware. Beseech is improving with every run and Little Meadow will eventually get her head in front whilst Premier League is in great order and should be banging on the door.

My apprentice Adam Beschizza made his domestic return a winning one on Wednesday at Kempton after he came from last to first to win for Brian Gubby. Adam won't be in action this week though as he has to go up to the British Racing School for an advanced apprentice riders course along with other leading apprentices including Dale Swift and Lee Topliss.
Also back in action is my son Ross after his stint working in Dubai. He's very happy to be back on home soil but I think his tan must still be on the plane as he's virtually whiter than when he left!

My sister Poppy has taken over The Wheatsheaf pub in the village and Friday marks the grand opening of the place. Entertainment will be provided by Richard Perham's band 'The Ooh La Lads' and it should be a great night.

Flying high

2011-02-27T03:38:00.000-08:00

My talented young apprentice Adam Beschizza had another flight this week, this time to Pisa. Where he is competing in the Young Jockeys Challenge, a series of races for young riders across the globe. This will be his first rides since his winter break in November, then he's back for a book of rides at Kempton on Wednesday where he is reunited with Bavarica, the mare who gave him his first winner and was also his first ride at this venue. The ultra-consistent mare is finding it hard to win with her handicap mark being so high, last year she won 3 races and is now running off an all time high mark.

We we're unlucky last week not to score with out runners on Friday night at Wolverhampton. Khajaaly put up another sterling effort to finish 2nd when not getting his ideal conditions with a slow pace in which he pulled to hard, and Premier League who is running consistently of late could not reel in Attrition, although Vertumnus did them both on the line. But I can't complain if they are in good heart and running to the line. Entrance also didn't get the run of the race at Kempton on Wednesday, they went very quick (only a second outside the course record) and she doesn't have a very high cruising speed, but will find a race when the handicapper is kind to her. Night Orbit is becoming very frustrating following his lack-lustre performance at Doncaster the same day. Usually he is a game front runner, jumping with zest but he just sulked and was never travelling. He is getting on a bit and knows a little too much about they game these days, considering how well he works at home (nothing can get him off the bridle!).

My son Ross will be arriving home tomorrow following a 4 month stint in Dubai for the winter working for Gill Duffield and Meydan T.V. Hopefully this experience bodes well for him in the future, although he is dying to come home and ride some thoroughbreds instead of the small, buzzy Arabian horses!

A final plead to anyone who has not yet voted. Following Mattie Batchelor's never-say-die ride on Baggsy at Towcester in November, he has been nominated for Jumps Ride Of The Year at the prestigious, annual racing awards The Lesters. You can send your vote via e-mail at thelesters@racingpost.com putting the jockeys name in the subject heading. Also, with a possible chance of a Lester award in their hands in Mr Beschizza who has been nominated for apprentice of the year, although this is not a public vote.

'Horses are film stars for the day'

2011-02-20T08:35:00.000-08:00

A film crew have been in the yard all day today filming a promotion for the new Mercedes Benz's snazzy new red SLK sports car to be shown at the Geneva Motor Show, I understand it includes the world premiere of a panoramic glass roof with 'Magic Sky Control' that lets the driver switch from dark to light. Unfortunately I couldn't take it for a test drive as my foot still won't work and would have been stuck on the accelerator!!

Riccardo Villa the other French bred two year old by Keltos that we bought at Deauville, came back to the yard on Friday after being beautifully broken in by Sam and Colin Huggan, he is an imposing white colt, who will certainly stand out in a race. I am trying to find a name for our other French colt by Della Francesca out of Verone as he is going very well and could be running sooner than we expected, any suggestions greatly received along with a cheque for £2,500 for a 10th share, training for one year and the chance to race in France for some serious prize money!

Premier League ran a great race in finishing second at Southwell last week, he was unlucky not to win as the winner just got first run on him, but he closed the distance to half a length. He clearly enjoyed the fibre sand surface, he will run at Wolverhampton on Friday in an apprentice race for riders that have not ridden 10 winners, so we have booked the promising Lucy Barry who has been catching the eye lately. Khajaaly will also run at Wolverhampton that day and seems to be coming back to himself after a flat run at Lingfield last time. He has proved that he loves Wolves with two good wins there.

The only other day we have runners this week is Wednesday, when Entrance goes to Kempton. She has proved that she has a liking for the track and has run her best races there. Night Orbit also runs that day over hurdles at Doncaster. He is switched back to the hurdles in a bid to gain some confidence with his jumping which he lost last time over fences at Fakenham.

A Saturday of racing to forget

2011-02-13T06:32:00.000-08:00

I'm sure many of you have heard or seen of the scenes at Newbury races on Saturday, it was a shocking, surreal sequence of events. It seems the horses had some sort of electric shock when walking over the grass in the paddock, perhaps something to do with the fact they have metal shoes on and have a metal bit in their mouth, which may explain why there we no people suffering the same horrendous trauma. Newbury have got a lot of pressure on their shoulders now to find some sort of explanation, but my condolences go out to everyone connected, every time we send a runner out we know the risk factor but no one could have predicted this.

However, on a lighter note I was pleased to see Always De One pick up a place on her first start over obstacles. Only one bad jump knocked the stuffing out of her and she was outclassed in the end, but a friend of mine that is going to start up training with a small team offered me some money for her, she was going to go to the sales this month anyway so it's nice to know she has gone to a nice home just around the corner. On Tuesday Entrance ran better seemingly for a huge step up in trip from around a mile to 1m 4f, it's risky trying this trip by bypassing the 1m 2f trip but sometimes they do run well and she's in again tomorrow over a slightly less distance- although it is a more competitive race. Beseech ran her best race on Friday coming 4th, she was finally able to have a clear run and a good ride by Cathy Gannon saw her convince us of her early ability, a step up perhaps to 2 miles should see her go closer, we also had Little Meadow that day but she is struggling at the moment and will fare better back at Brighton.

As for my well-being I am like a spring chicken bouncing around with no assistance from my walking sticks, although I suffer in the night from the swelling blowing up but no complaining as it is for the good in the long run. It's made easier also by taking trips up to the heath to see the horses exercising and two new ones that have just come back from being broken in, Canning Vale a little filly by Araafa and a cold by Della Francesca who was one of the two we bought whilst at the Deauville sales and who we are still selling shares in. I've had my apprentice riding him since his return and Adam says he feels like a three year old, he's so professional and should be something to look forward to, so hopefully he's proved right.

The old mare back for another season

2011-02-06T04:52:00.000-08:00

It was a real pleasure taking Bavarica to the races on Monday after giving her a few months off. Now in her 9th year she showed her usual zest for racing when coming 3rd and picking up a few more banknotes for me. Originally from Juddmonte, she always needed time and was sent to the sales after being described as a 'runaway', since we've trained her she's won 9 races and over £20,000 in prize money running in a lowly level. She in a lovely school mistress for my young jockeys and will continue to light up the racecourse until we pull the curtain down sometime towards the end of the year.

Sail Home was a little disappointing at Southwell on Thursday, after we had high expectations of her since winning earlier in the year. However, a fast pace set by Eseej found her stamina out a little and we've decided now to save her for when the turf kicks off, as at home she goes alot better on the grass. Baggsy showed up at Lingfield on Friday and gave another poor performance so she'll be sent to the sales soon, hopefully with that win at Towcester under her belt she'll be a nice little horse for a jumps trainer. We've also reserved a space at the sales for Always De One, although she's entered up in a hot race at Huntingdon and again at Market Rasen, we will have to wait and see if this is her niche because she's been jumping like Dawn Run at home!

Entrance on Wednesday would be in with a shout as I will admit she hasn't been as fit as I'd like in her first few runs for me, we're also still learning about her trip wise. Little Meadow and Beseech will go to Southwell on the 11th, the latter has been a slight disappointment so far but she keeps on staying on in her races.

As for me I'm having my stitches out (hopefully) tomorrow. My doctor said I'll be on two walking sticks for about 4 weeks, but it's been about 2 and I'm already going freestyle with none! I've been keeping drugged up to block out the pain but to be honest if I knew the surgery would be this painful then I would have given it a miss!

On the road to recovery

2011-01-31T09:53:00.000-08:00

Well I finally made it out of hospital on Tuesday after my operation went wrong and I couldn't feel my leg. Great to know when my doctor told me that he's done hundreds of operations and this has never happened, just my luck! But he gave me two walking sticks and sent me home which was a relief. I'm only limited to some office work and trips to the heath but it needed to be done and hopefully I'll be back on top of a horse again in no time.

Sunny Spells was our only runner for the week and impressed us by his faultless jumping. Although he needed the run for education and fitness he showed some real promise just fading out for the last mile or so. Whilst on the subject of jumping we've been schooling up the maiden filly Always De One who makes her debut over the sticks on Wednesday. She's a bit of a madam at home and has a mind of her own sometimes, but she's been schooling upsides Night Orbit and sometimes out jumping him so hopefully if she sets her mind to it she may break her maiden tag. We've done it before with Baggsy so we can definitely find a race for her!

Also this week on Thursday comes the return of Sail Home. After winning last time at the greatest of ease she has since come back and is going better than ever at home, she has really come on for the run and loves the racing game, another brilliant run is surely on the cards. People were very keen on owning her after her win and she has now sold out, so well done to you lucky owners who got in quick! Adam Beschizza has his first ride on her since returning from America for a working holiday, ready to pick up from where he left off last season. He has still got his 5lb claim in hand so another productive season ahead for the talented lad.

Going under the knife

2011-01-23T08:55:00.001-08:00

I finally had my operation to have a new porcelain hip inserted in my right side. It's been a constant pain for ages and I can't wait to get back riding out. Oh and yes, I am still running the yard but from my phone in the hospital bed, your allowed to send and receive texts! But hopefully a few more days strapped up and they'll let me take my first tentative steps with my new asset, although I have a feeling the other one will need doing soon as well!

Following a few disappointing runs from the ultra- game mare Bushy Dell it has been decided through myself and her owner, Dick Creese, that we shall retire her and let her enjoy her new career as a broodmare. She's been a brilliant yardstick, winning 4 times from the ages of 3-5 and running creditably in a Listed race at Windsor in 2009. She's booked a date with Observatory so hopefully we can see her progeny lighting up the racecourse. We also hope on day to see 'Bushy' galloping about the field with her foal along with Bavarica who may call it a day at the end of the year ( but nothing is set in stone to please still keep an eye on her in amateur races!), but we hope to secure a covering with Three Valleys- surely 2 future champions in the waiting!

Monday saw the re-appearance of Night Orbit over fences. Although well supported in the betting he found it difficult to get his feet out of the sticky ground, along with a mistake at the first he just carried on the race in a bit of a sulk. Little Meadow failed to hit the till as she has been recently and the step up in trip clearly wasn't the answer.

We've got no runners this week (phew!), however Sunday sees the return of our apprentice, another champion in waiting Adam Beschizza, from a stint on America through the winter. He's also managed to be involved in a Jockey's Challenge race run at Pisa racecourse at the end of February, people are beginning to notice his talents and I hope to see him continue his upward curve.

Off The Mark

2011-01-16T09:03:00.000-08:00

Everyone finally got to see what I've been raving about on Thursday when Sail Home dually obliged at only the second time of asking for us, she has always show real promise since I bought her from the sales in October and it was just a matter of time before she picked up a race, she also sailed home to be our first winner of the year. I am now putting her out there for syndication so make sure you don't miss out as I've already been bombarded with share reservations and there is only a couple left. She is a lovely big filly and I would be looking to run her in a few Listed events before the year is up. We nearly landed a double that day as Exopuntia ran a creditable race in 2nd, although she ran a little flat today which probably due to the quick runs but she may be dropped a little in the handicap and be better off next time.

Now all the ice and snow has disappeared we are able to start riding a few of them who have had a break through the winter. Blackmore, Sancho Panza, Emmiline Pankhurst, Generous Genella and Emma's Gift have all appreciated a little time off and are bucking & kicking and keeping their riders on edge! I'm especially looking forward to the fillies (Emma, Emmiline and Genella) as visually they are much bigger now and have filled into their frames. Emma's Gift was a brilliant 2 year old, having her best day at Royal Ascot coming 5th in the Albany Stakes, if she can train on then she will be a real exciting prospect. Blackmore and Sancho Panza are the star stayers of the yard both winning fashionably last year.We've found the key to both of them now and are to be noted when in long distance races next year, you never know we may have a dark horse for the Cesarewitch this year!

Along with Exopuntia today we had Beseech who is not the most straight forward to train and finished down the field. She's had a few niggily problems but before that we thought she would turn out really nice, although not all hope is lost as with each run she seems to be finding her stride and improving so I hope she can pick up a race some time soon. Also this week we have the grand old horse Night Orbit running at Fakenham tomorrow. I've been itching to get him back over the chase fences and judging by the way he's been jumping at home I think he is too! Little Meadow represents us at Kempton on Wednesday. She's so consistent but always finds one or two a little bit better, so to squeeze that extra bit of improvement out of her we are going to try a longer distance than usual with her. It would be nice to see her get her head in front at last because she tries her heart out every time.

Good to be back

2011-01-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a good time celebrating New Year at the weekend. I celebrated it in Dubai with my son and daughter whilst watching fireworks at the Burj Khalifa, Ross decided it wasn't a good idea to go too near the Burj as it would be too busy, so we were forced to settle on some metal pipes with some locals, at least we did it how the Arabs do it! We had a relaxing and interesting time in Dubai, it's a surreal place with sights like Meydan races, Atlantis and Palm Beach. I wanted to stay out there for longer than a week but I had to wave goodbye to Ross and it was back to reality when I had to go racing at Kempton the day after I got back!

There ran Bushy Dell and Little Meadow who both ran pleasing and will hopefully keep up with the consistency of the runners of late. Also, while we were away we had two good runs from both Exopuntia (2nd) and Sail Home (2nd)- although not winning it's nice to see them hitting the till.

This week the 3 yearlings, well now technically they are 2 year olds, (2 French colts and a filly from Palantation Stud) still to be broken in were sent off to Freckenham to start the process and begin their journey as racehorses. Our 4th yearling, Acer Diamonds, is back home, cantering and impressing us with his professionalism and progression.

As for runners next week, we have Baggsy at Towcester on Monday. Oh how I wish she could follow up her recent course and distance win, but I have a feeling it was a flash in the pan, although it is a small field so hopefully she can run into a place. Talking of jumpers, when we schooled Baggsy this week, along with Night Orbit over fences, Always De One had her belated second try at jumping (first time round she had a jolly good time turning up the Links Golf Course after depositing Ross into the wings!) this time in the hands of jump jockey Mattie Batchelor who reported that she was 'very impressive' and that we are not allowed to run her in a Selling Hurdle as she is better than that, which gives us some hope of winning some sort of race with her. Also this week we have Sail Home and Exopuntia venturing to Southwell again to try and get us off the mark for the New Year, both have good chances.

Christmas Getaway

2010-12-26T11:10:00.001-08:00

Shelley and I will be joining the rat race to get away for the New Year tomorrow. When we will be jetting out to Dubai for a week and stay with Ross. It's also a good excuse to check out Meydan Racecourse to see what they have been raving about! I've been looking forward to this for a while and I can't wait to see what Dubai has to offer. So apologies in advance if there is no blog next week!

I hope everyone had a good Christmas yesterday. I couldn't believe my luck when I got everything I asked for, as well as having a delicious family meal at my brother Nick's house. I also wish everyone a prosperous New Year with winners aplenty! Although for us this year will be a hard one to follow up. I never imagined that at would go this well, as the mid- summer drought of winners that we had looked to seal out fate for the rest of the year. But the horses just can't stop wining now, it's a mystery why trainers have flat spots because we have never changed a single thing in the way we train the horses, I suppose they just have minds of their own.

Hoping to have kept in the right frame of mind in Exopuntia who runs on Monday at Southwell. Although going up 7lbs since here last course and distance win, she is still off a winnable mark and with the services again of Greg Fairley she should make the day hers once again. A promising filly who is just finding her stride is Beseech who runs on Thursday at Kempton. She has been crying out for a longer trip so 1m 4f should suite, she's had a few small problems but she is bouncing and kicking like a spring chicken at the moment so hopefully she can convert this positivity to the track. Sail Home may make her British debut alongside Always De One in an apprentice race at Southwell on Saturday, as long as the former does not run too green she should have the upper hand over Always. Night Orbit will be having a day out also at Southwell on Sunday, just a prep run on the flat to keep him fit. Baggsy will be fighting to defend her winning run when she faces some jump action at Folkestone, if it's on!

We are currently looking to syndicate our French import, by Della Francesca, to race here and in France for the excellent prize money and bonuses on offer. For details please check out the Horses For Sale page on the website.

It may be cold outside, but we're hot, hot, hot!

2010-12-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

Yeehaa! Another fantastic week of winners sees Spirit Of Sharjah win the Listed Sunbury Stakes at Kempton on Wednesday. It's the second Listed race he has won this year (3 in all) and it's really satisfying knowing that he is back to his best, although looking to be too far out of his ground he got a dream run up the inside and a fab ride by Jimmy Quinn. It was just as satisfying seeing Exopuntia win at Southwell the next day. She's genuine and loves the ease in the ground, she looks like winning some more this winter now she's full of confidence.

We've now had 7 winners since the start of the season in November. This brilliant start means we are 3rd in the U.K. All-weather Trainers Championship, top female trainer and top trainer in Newmarket, with only 2 powerful yards in Richard Fahey and Dandy Nicholls above. Although we know we'll be passed by the bigger trainers as the season lengthens it's nice seeing my name that high on the list!

Yet again it has been a tough week with the weather. The heathmen have had to close all the gallops bar one which they work on all night. But we haven't missed a day and if we can keep them ticking over they should stay in good heart, as well as with the help of the continued hard work from my staff who haven't missed a day either!

As for runners next week we have our new French import, Sail Home, running at Wolverhampton under Shelley. However as I write this the track is still unraceable and looks unlikely that she'll be making her British debut. Nonetheless, there is a perfect maiden for her a couple of weeks later. This time next week it'll be Boxing Day where we have Night Orbit and Hartland Point, having a day out at Towcester, which will hopefully materialise if this mini ice age holds off!

Great Expectations

2010-12-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

Tuesday saw John and I set off for Deauville for the sales on Wednesday, more and more people are opting to run their horses in France just simply because of the fantastic prize money compared to British races. In a buyers market we bought two stunning yearlings, a grey colt by Keltos and a bay colt by Bella Francesca, to be eligible to run in France as 2 year olds they have to be French bred, as well as being eligible to pick up the 2 year old bonuses, so we came back with two bargains and the chance to win around 15,000 euros just for winning a maiden! It is a great feeling seeing some new, young horses around the yard as it helps you get up in the morning knowing you have some exciting prospects for next year. We have put photos of both on the website in the horses for sale page. We also have a yearling called Acer Diamonds who came back to us on Tuesday after being broken in, he is now doing steady canters and showing a nice attitude.

Khajaaly did us proud once again winning at Wolverhampton on Friday, he seems to only do enough in his races which is no bad thing to enable him to keep low in the handicap. It's also great for the syndicate who own him, there is about 50 people in him who can enjoy the thrill of being a winning owner. Khajaaly brings our winners for the year to 21, making it our best ever year since I began training in 2000, we only have about 20 horses in training so it is satisfying knowing we can get results like this. Hopefully we can continue with the rich vein of form until the year is out.

Our apprentice Adam Beschizza jetted out to America last week for a 6 week stint in New Orleans. He is riding 7 lots a day so he should be filling his mind with knowledge to use for the 2011 season, lots of jockeys have done this in the past as apprentices and I hope this bodes well for his future as a fully fledged jockey.

As for runners for next week, the genuine mare Bushy Dell will run at Wolverhampton on Monday. Although a little disappointing last time out hopefully she can run with her usual confidence and zest. I will be looking forward to Wednesday when Spirit Of Sharjah runs in the listed race at Kempton, 'Spirit' has been a brilliant yardstick winning 2 listed races for us and if he runs well he may have a trip over to France next year. Exopuntia is running in a weak race on Thursday at Southwell so she may have a good chance if she is able to dominate from the front. The frosty mornings have been playing havoc with some trainers facilities but fortunately the heathmen have been working hard to ensure safe gallops for the Newmarket trainers, however the frost beat us today at Huntingdon where Hartland Point was meant to run in the bumper.

Christmas is on its way and I would like to thank everyone who has sent us cards and presents already this year. I haven't even got the decorations up yet, hopefully I can get into the Christmas spirit after drinking a few bottles of wine I have received! More immediately Tony McCoy has been short listed for BBC Sports Personality Of The Year, he is a fantastic ambassador for racing and I urge everyone to vote for him as it would be a huge boost for the profile of racing and at last recognition for a legendary sportsman.

2010-12-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

SHOPPING TRIP TO FRANCE THIS WEEK

I apologise if this blog isn't up to the usual standard, but I am writing this with a massive hang over after the Xmas party last night. I would like to thank everyone for coming and making it a good night. My staff said it must have been good as there where no arguments and no fighting!

It was nice to celebrate our 20th winner as well, after Sunny Spells won at Southwell on Saturday. Stuart Williams has sent him to me to go hurdling but as that has been a no no with the weather, it was a bonus to win on the flat first. 20 winners was our target for the season and is our best number yet.

John and I are off to Deauville on Tuesday, but not just for the Xmas wine and beer, we hope to buy a couple of French bred yearlings which we will be able to race in France next year and hopefully take advantage of their excellent prize money and French bred bonuses.

Acer Diamonds is coming back to the yard on Tuesday after going away to Eugene Stanford's to be broken in. By all accounts he is cantering nicely and very well behaved.

We hope to unleash some of the jumpers next week, but the forecast does not look good, so we might have to keep them under wraps until the thaw.

Hears hoping the snow and frost stays away.

2010-11-29T07:41:00.000-08:00

FIGHTING AGAINST THE ELEMENTS!

The last few days have been a real struggle with the frost and snow, but the Jockey Club are doing a sterling job keeping all the gallops open.

We have just installed a new field shelter for the horses that are turned out, as we didn't want to get caught out with the cold weather like last year. The girls have enjoyed exploring the new sight in the field.

Last Wednesday I went to see our yearling Acer Diamonds being broken in at Eugene Stanford's yard, Peter Gray one of his new owners came with me. He looked great and could be the real deal. We all dream at this time of year, that is what racing is all about 'dreams'.

We have five or six jumpers in the wings all rearing to go but the jumps card at Southwell has been lost on Tuesday, so we can't run Night Orbit, but a flat card takes its place and we now go with Entrance, the filly we recently bought from Cheveley Park Stud.

Shelley is 'bunking off' school again on Tuesday to ride Always De One at Lingfield, all I can say is LOL!!

Saturday night we are having the staff/owners party at the Rosery Hotel in Exning, I just hope we have some sober staff Sunday morning, everyone is welcome just give me a call if you would like to join us.

2010-11-21T07:26:00.000-08:00

WOW! WHAT A WEEK-END

Khajaaly comes back from a break and scoots in at Wolverhampton on Friday night under a fine ride from Jimmy Quinn at great odds of 25/1, considering most of the geegeez.co.uk syndicate were on him. Then Spirit of Sharjah thought my lead horse has won I had better 'pull my finger out' and duly won the 15k handicap at Lingfield on Saturday.

We thought we would be brought down to earth with Baggsy at Towcester on Sunday, but no she pulled out all the stops and won over hurdles under a 'ride of the week' from Mattie Batchelor.

I am now 5th in the trainers All Weather Championship in front of the likes of M.Johnson and Sir M. Stoute and other big names, better frame that it might not happen again!

To follow that next week may not be so easy, but Blackmore runs at Kempton on Wednesday and goes for the hat trick, he seems in good form so we have to have a go.

If you are thinking this blog isn't as well written as usual, that is because I have to write is myself since journalist Ross has gone to Dubai for the Winter, he is having a great time by all accounts.

Finally, a reminder that the shares for sale in our 2year old Entrance will close on November 30th (see web-site for details), as she is ready to win and will be running early December. There are still a few shares left so don't miss out on this one, will make excellent Christmas present!

Hoping to continue the hot streak

2010-11-14T00:53:00.000-08:00

Well, it was made official this week that I am the most 'in-form' trainer in the country. Although I can't match Paul Nicholls' dozen winners in the last week, the Racing Post have still somehow managed to make me the country's top trainer according to their 'horses running to form' stat.

Although maybe slightly over the top the accolade is, it is true to say that the horses are in blindingly good form. Blackmore (left, in blue) recorded his second win in less than seven days at Kempton on Wednesday and he won with even more ease than the time before. I seriously don't know how good he could be because he has never given 100% in all his victories because he idles when he hits the front and at home he does the same but the signs are good.
A lot of the credit must go to his jockey Cathy Gannon. She has to be one of the most underrated riders about and is undoubtedly the best female jock that has ever ridden in this country. She is incredibly strong and it doesn't matter what price the horse is in the betting, she will still give it every chance to win. It says a lot though that she came in after Blackmore's win and admitted she was knackered. It's unsurprising really when you think she had to push the horse for almost every yard of the two mile distance. Despite this, she won the following race on a 25/1 shot!

I was delighted with Night Orbit's run at Southwell on Monday. His jumping was exceptional and it was the first time that he has really shown a liking for chasing. He had every chance when flying over the last fence but he was just held by a slightly better horse. Staying races are his game and it would be nice if he could run in a race like the Sussex National.

My son Ross took all the plaudits for Night Orbit's jumping as he had done all the schooling on him but today he jets off to the sunny shores of Dubai for the winter where he is going to work for trainer Gill Duffield for three months. I hope he can learn a fair bit out there and come back with some interesting ideas. However, on Friday morning it looked like the trip might not be happening at all as he laid in pain on the grass up the Links schooling grounds. He was jumping Always De One for the first time and all was going well until Ross got a little too brave and decided to go a bit too quick into the last hurdle and Always decided she didn't want to jump it and crashed through the wing. Ross banged his knee badly but it was only bruised and I made him lead up at Lingfield with a limp the next day. Always came out unscathed too.

With her brother away, it means that my daughter Shelley can ride in a few amateur races over the winter and she has her third ride under rules planned for Wednesday on Always De One at Lingfield. Shelley is obviously not as fit as Cathy Gannon which is a shame because she will be pushing for most of the way as the filly is very lazy!

Beseech is also running at Lingfield that day and I hope she can run respectably before she can qualify for handicaps.

My best chance of a winner has to be Khajaaly on Friday. The horse has been rejuvenated by a break and he worked exceptionally well with Spirit of Sharjah yesterday. He's running off a mark of 60 and I think he will be very hard to beat if all goes well. Bushy Dell will also have a winner's chance that day at Wolverhampton and maybe a small double bet could be a profitable investment.

Back in the groove.

2010-11-07T04:09:00.000-08:00

Phew! Blackmore’s win at Lingfield last Thursday was a massive relief as the I had been on the ‘cold trainers’ list for a while and we had lined the horse up to win. We’d given Blackmore three quiet runs in maidens and this time, in a handicap, we stepped him up to two miles and he came good. Over a dozen of the syndicate who own the horse were in attendance and it was great to get a win for them as, for some, it was their first ever taste of success.

Blackmore is in again at Kempton on Wednesday and I’m tempted to run him but he will have a canter on Monday morning to see how he feels and if he is in A1 condition he will run again. He’s a nice horse and I think there is plenty of improvement still in him as he acts like a big baby.

The win has given the yard a massive boost and I’m still hopeful that we can reach our target of 20 winners for the year, one more than last season’s score. We’re on 15 at the moment but there are loads ready to win in the coming weeks and, with a bit of luck, we could hit a rich vein of form.

The next winner might even come tomorrow as Night Orbit is favourite for his chase at Southwell. He did well over hurdles last term and hasn’t done too badly over fences this time. He schooled particularly well this morning (see pictures) and I think he should take a lot of beating in a pretty uncompetitive race.

Also in a bad race tomorrow is Baggsy at Wolverhampton. She is not the most gifted horse but she tries and could land some prize money. The one we must beat in the same race is Marafong. I used to train him and this is his first run for his new connections since they claimed him off me in September. There probably isn’t much between the two on form so it will add a little extra interest to the race.

On the same day as Blackmore at Kempton is Always De One. She ran well on her reappearance at Brighton last time and she should be in the frame once again. The same comment applies to Exopuntia on Thursday. Her best efforts have been at Yarmouth but her rider, Tony Culhane, said she would really like racing at Southwell so we are giving it a go.

I’m pleased to say that the shares in my two new purchases (see last week’s blog) are selling fast and the pair are going well on the gallops. I can’t wait to run them but I’ve got to wait until all the shares are sold first!

Two new faces

2010-10-31T01:23:00.001-07:00

Newmarket has been a lively place this week as the annual end of season sales at Tattersalls auction house got under way. Unlike the January clothes sales that you would be familiar with, this horse sale unfortunately didn't see many discounts as some of the best racehorses in the country went under the hammer.Despite the high prices, I didn't come away empty handed and managed to pick up two very nice fillies.

The first is called Sail Home (left). She was from the Juddmonte consignment and was previously trained in France. She has has three respectable maiden runs and now has a handicap mark. Her stroy so far is indentical to the one of Spruce, a horse we bought last year and then he won four races in a row for us. It is hard to imagine that she is a fily because she has really big shoulders and backend. She is for sale as a whole at £5000 or in 12th shares. There's more info on my website or just get in touch with me if you are interested.

The second filly I bought is called Entrance (right). She is from Ed Dunlop's yard and my contacts there suggested she would be a great value for money buy. She only ran last Saturday so is super-fit and I'm looking to run her in the middle of November. She is the replacement for Marafong in the Hoofbeats Racing Club and a 20th share will be £1200 which is a one-off payment for the year as it includes all the training fees. She looks the right type to be busy and successful over the winter.

Although another horse (Sancho Panza) joined the winter holiday list this week due to a lack of opportunities for him in the coming months, I've still got loads to run in the coming days. Baggsy goes back over hurdles tomorrow at Plumpton and if she can build on her debut over obstacles, I hope that she is in with a squeak (and somebody will claim her!).

On Wednesday, Ocean Rosie goes to Kempton and King Columbo to Nottingham. They've both proven that thwey have ability but they both seem to be a bit off the boil at the monute. It wouldn't surprise me though if one of them came home with a place.

I'm looking forward to Blackmore the following day though. He has had three runs in maidens and the handicapper has given him a really competitive mark of 60. The race doesn't look particularly strong and he galloped impressively yesterday morning. He has shown signs of temperament at the racecourse but he seems to be a lot more straightforward nowadays and I think he has a great chance.

The same applies to Khajaaly at Wolverhampton on Friday night. We've given him a short break and he is a completely different horse. The last two days, his rider on the gallops has struggled to hold him in a canter and he wasn't like that before. The holiday has renewd his enthuisiasm for the game and I hope it refelcts in his performance on the racecourse.

Beseech will be accompanying Khajaaly to Dunstall Park and she's just having her third run to qualify for handicaps and then she will do a lot better.

Four is the magic number.

2010-10-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

I can't ever remember a time of having so many fourth placings - all my runners seem to be filling the fourth past the post spot at the minute. I suppose it could be worse, they could be coming last which would be a nightmare, and fourth isn't too bad as owners get some prize money and at most racecourses there's a fourth spot in the winners enclosure.

The horses are well though and a winner seems to be just around the corner. Baggsy and Exopuntia both ran up to form at Yarmouth on Tuesday and both came (you guessed it) 4th. Ocean Rosie let the side down though with a mulish run. She is running out of chances and might be heading to the sales if she doesn't start trying a bit harder.
Meadow came fourth at Brighton two days later and Always De One came...third! It was a great run from 'Always' who isn't the most tenacious but she ran on well and will come on for the run as it was her first racecourse visit in four months.

This week we have a load of runners, all of whom I hope can finish fourth or better.
My daughter Shelley gets the leg-up on King Columbo at Nottingham on Wednesday. He's going over a bit further than usual but if Shelley can get him settled, he should stay the trip. Also at Nottingham is Blackmore and Sancho Panza in the two mile race. They probably both won't run together as one likes it firm and the other soft but, whoever goes, they should go close.
Also on Wednesday are Emmeline Pankhurst and Bushy Dell at Kempton. Bushy needed the run last time and I'm hopeful of a massive run from her this time over a course and distance that she has won over. Emmeline is one to consider as well, judged on her last run.
The following day, we have Ocean Countess at Wolverhampton. She is a Brighton specialist but, as a result, she is rated almost a stone lower on the all-weather so you'd be a fool not to have a go. Whether she is up to it, we will soon find out.

Luckily there were no disasters to report from the yard this week, all went to plan with everything running smoothly. My apprentice, Adam Beschizza, is still in with a shout for this season's apprentice championship. He is currently in second place in the table, five winners behind the leader Martin Lane, and with only two weeks of the season left, anything could happen. It would be a phenomenal achievement if he could do it in his first year with a licence and I'll be trying my hardest to put him on some winners.

Out with the old, in with the new.

2010-10-17T04:25:00.000-07:00

Life in a racing yard is like one big carousel - horses and staff come and go, leaving a legacy behind with them, some more than others. There was a big hole left in the yard this week with the death of my favourite horse, Don't Drop Bombs.

You probably have not heard of 'Bomber' (pictured winning with me on) before because it had been nearly 11 years since he last graced a racecourse but back in his heyday, I won on him 7 times and he had well over 100 lifetime runs, being placed 50% of the time. He was never rated very high but he was consistent at a low level and specialised on the old all-weather surface that Lingfield used to have - more like an American 'dirt' track - very sloppy when it rained. Since his retirement, he had been at the yard, first teaching all the kids how to ride (and he took some riding because he was very strong) and then as a companion to the younger horses in the field. He died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 21 on Tuesday night and I don't think he could have been happier.

There was little time to reflect on the loss though as we had another new arrival into the yard. Our first yearling (pictured having a snooze) of the season came in and he's a massive son of the top-class sprinter Red Clubs. He's very laid back and has a nice temperament. I was hoping to syndicate him and might have sold him already but I will keep you informed. He'll be sent away to be broken-in professionally as he has never had a saddle on his back or anything like that yet and then we will have him back before Christmas to get him into proper work.

The runners last week put in some really pleasing performances, despite not winning. Sancho Panza continues to improve during his reinvention as a stayer by finishing an unlucky second and I'll be trying to get him out again quickly before the end of the turf season next month.

Marafong ran his usual race to finish fourth at Leicester and he remarkably got claimed after the race by Brian Baugh. It was sad to lose him as he is such a character to have in the yard but he was running in a claiming race and that's the risk you face. Also, it was quite good business as he went for £3000 and you would struggle to get that for him at a public auction. His new connections are sending him hurdling. Good luck to them.

The mass of runners on Thursday didn't disappoint either. Blackmore ran a striking race on his third run and looks a certainty for handicaps over 1m6f+. Beseech travelled well in the same race but didn't quite stay the trip. Little Meadow is a really consistent horse and she got in the money again by coming fourth over a mile which is just a bit too short for her. Ocean Countess has lost her form a bit now but she ran respectably and Generous Genella was just running to get handicapped at Kempton and now she is on a holiday for the winter. I really like her and think she will be a great thing for handicaps next season when she has strengthened up a bit.

We've quite a few going to the races this week as well. Exopuntia goes to her beloved Yarmouth along with Baggsy and Ocean Rosie. They are in pretty poor races so should all go with a good place chance. I've got Sancho Panza in at Ffos Las as well but he won't be going as the ground is remarkably described as good to firm which wouldn't suit him. And then it's back to Brighton on Thursday with Little Meadow and Always De One. 'Always' is having her first run back after a break and this is probably the time to catch her as she is fit and fresh after her holiday. I own her myself and I hope she can win a seller and move on.

Substitution time

2010-10-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

We had a new recruit join the yard this week. After Dashing Patriarch unfortunately suffered a tendon injury which will keep him out of action for a year, his owner replaced him with another of his horses which had been on a holiday. Say hello to Hartland Point (right. And yes, we've finally worked out how to upload pictures!).

He has only had one run in a bumper but he looks big enough to try hurdles next time. He's not very fit at the moment so probably will not be running before Christmas.

Bushy Dell ran a blinder of a race on Saturday night at Wolverhampton. She had not run for well over 200 days but ran a gutsy race as usual to finish 4th. She had a long blow after the race so we hope that next time she will go even closer.

Pyjoma's debut at Pontefract on Monday was also very pleasing. Luckily, she did not get as worked up before the race as we thought she might and, despite running green early on, she ran on well towards the finish. Hopefully she can build on this next time.

A lot of the horses are starting to lose their summer coats now it is starting to get colder and the clippers have been in action. I do all the clipping myself but poor Oscar (left), our Norfolk Terrier, received a horrendous haircut from Ross and since then the dog has been pretty miserable!

Hopefully I won't be so unhappy by the end of the week as we have got loads of runners.

Sancho Panza goes back to the place of his first win, Windsor, and I think he can maintain his 100% record. The ground and distance are in his favour so he should run a big race.

Brighton is my favourite racecourse and I love having runners there and four of mine go there on Thursday. Beseech and Blackmore run against each other in the maiden and I can't say which one will beat the other. We worked the pair together on Saturday with the same weights that they will carry in the race and they both finished upsides, going as well as each other. They are nice horses but handicaps are where they will win. Also at the seaside venue are Ocean Countess and Little Meadow who both love the track and have a great chance.

Another one to run on Thursday is Generous Genella. As you may know, she has lots of ability but hasn't shown it on her two runs so far. My gut feeling is is that she will be a better three year old and we will just use this run to get her handicap mark before a winter break and a successful 2011 campaign.

Can't get in.

2010-10-04T10:43:00.001-07:00

A lot of false dawns arose this week with plenty of runners forecast and few horses actually going to the races.
Firstly, we never went to Nottingham on Wednesday as King Columbo had a slightly tight muscle in his back and our physio said he would not be 100% for the run. Pyjoma was in A1 form but she didn't get in her maiden. She had never run before and horses making their debuts like her are given preference to get into an over-subscribed race but because there were so many first-timers like her, she was low in the ballot.
There has been a hell of a lot of entries all over the country in the past week. As the season comes to a close, trainers are desperate to run their horses and hence you get many races with well over 50 horses entered.

Sancho Panza and Always De One suffered a similar fate at Warwick as they were low in the weights and had little chance of getting in the race. It is frustrating because Sancho is in incredibly good form - he has been 1st and 2nd on his last two runs - and he loves the soft ground that is predominant at the minute but he just cannot get in a race.
Despite not running this week, Always De One made a name for herself by burying my daughter Shelley. As the pair were going up the canter, Always spooked at something and Shelley had little chance of staying aboard. She was laying on the ground for a while as the horse cantered on and claims she 'popped her shoulder back in' so the jury is out as to whether Shelley did dislocate her shoulder or not but either way, both horse and rider are fine now with the latter sporting a black eye to school.

Pyjoma managed to get a race today (Monday) at Pontefract. We hadn't got her fully race-ready at home because she is a very short-tempered filly and one could wind her up too much but she ran a nice race to finish in midfield and she will do a lot better next time. Night Orbit also ran there just because there were few entries in his race and he picked up £800 for coming 4th of 4th. Easy money if you can find it.

It looks set to be a quiet week. Spirit of Sharjah is in at York on Friday but won't want the ground too soft and Ocean Rosie should run at Wolverhampton the following day. Also in on Saturday is Bushy Dell. She is a really likable filly who tries her heart out and has won three races. She has had some time off because we had her operated on for a form of skin cancer. It is not a terrible thing or anything but it was uncomfortable for her and I'm pleased to say she is back to her best now and will be winning more races soon.

Getting the winter blues.

2010-09-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I think it is safe to say that summer has finally gone.
The weather is as miserable as sin at the minute with the mud making a quick reappearance in the fields and it will probably be with us all the way through until May now. Something else that might be soon coming out of retirement are my clippers. It's a sad sight when some of the horses start to lose their velvet-like, short, summer coats and turn into hairy bears but despite the number of rugs and duvets you can wrap them up in, Mother Nature will always win and the hair will grow.

One horse who always loses her summer shine first is Bavarica. Going to Ascot on Friday, she was in need of a clip but we left it for a day because it was in the back of our minds that she was in need of a break. Because we've had her almost six years now, we know the mare inside out and she had just started to become very keen at home, pulling Ross' arms out up the gallops. This would usually be a promising sign with any other horse but for Bavarica it usually means she is 'over the top' - i.e. in need of a short holiday. Anyway, we took our chance at the Berkshire venue but she ran a lifeless race and was duly put into the field the day after until the new year. She's won three races this year, nine in her career, and my gut feeling is that next year may be her last. I just want my daughter Shelley to win on her first.

The wet weather will play havoc with entries across the country but all the ones I've got in this week will enjoy the softer surfaces. Pyjoma makes her belated debut at Nottingham on Wednesday. She's had her problems (fractured a shoulder at the beginning of the year) but she's going OK now. She does have a temperament and we will do well just to get her there as she sometimes has an aversion to the horsebox but, fingers crossed, she won't be a pain.
We'll need some luck as well if Shelley is to have a ride at Warwick on Thursday. The amateur race attracted an astonishing 50-odd entries so we'll need a lot to not run if we are to go.

A trip up north to Redcar will be on the cards on Saturday if the ground is right. Spirit of Sharjah runs in a listed race and probably the best filly I've trained, Emmeline Pankhurst, runs in a maiden. I would take that praise with a word of caution though as she can be a right cow and on her debut earlier on in the year, she ran a howler and was later found to be in season. If the same horse that destroys everything on the gallops in the morning turns up at Redcar, then we should see a nice performance. But that's a big IF.

Rain's not a pain

2010-09-19T08:19:00.001-07:00

It was a bit of a disappointing week in hindsight. We had plenty of raiders at Yarmouth's three-day festival and they all ran with credit - Sancho Panza (2nd), Exopuntia (3rd) and Marafong (3rd) all ran up to standard and it was just a bit gutting not to get a winner out of those lot.
It's helping a lot of my horses at the moment that the ground is soft at most courses because I've got a handful of runners who have all been waiting for some juice in the ground and now we've got it, they're running into the money.
Soft ground also means though that I've had to give some a break. Emma's Gift is on a holiday in the field as her preferred firm ground is sparse. Khajaaly is in the field as well, just for a few weeks, to freshen him up and get that spark back into him which he has been lacking in recent runs.
We also had Generous Genella running at Newmarket on Friday in a hot maiden but we needed to get another run into her and it also coincided with her owner's birthday celebrations at the track - I won't tell you which birthday Anna was celebrating! Genella has always gone well at home and I'm adamant that she is above-average but at the minute she's just a bit weak and when she fills her frame, she will do us justice. The only positive at the minute is that because she is finishing down the field, she will have a really competitive handicap mark for next season.

I've got half a dozen runners this week and they should all be in with a shout. Blackmore on Thursday at Wolverhampton will be an interesting one as it's his first run for us since we bought him off Roger Charlton in July. He came to us with a reputation for being unruly but since we've had him (and castrated him) there's been no problems. We had a nice surprise with him too as we were told by Mr Charlton that Blackmore would need a stalls test before he ran again so we booked it for Newmarket on Saturday but then the starter rang up and said he didn't need one - he was just on a warning. That was great but we have put him in the stalls at home anyway and he's given no worries - he's pretty quick out of the gates, in fact.

All's good

2010-09-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the belated update but it's been a busy few days.
With almost two runners everyday, I've been driving the horsebox everywhere from Goodwood to Chester.
The horses are in cracking form - Little Meadow and Sancho Panza both ran into the second spot whilst Exopuntia landed third.
It's really rewarding when horses like these, who are admittedly not the most talented, run well because they try their hearts out and you don't like to see them disappointed. The same applies to the owners who are real sportsmen and women and love their racing. The more infuriating side to training is when you have a horse with all the ability in the world but little willingness to use it. Luckily, we don't have too many of those types.

My son, Ross, had his horsebox driving debut on Tuesday as I let him drive the vehicle home from Yarmouth and, after going around the first bend like Lewis Hamilton accompanied by an earful of abuse from me, he eventually realised that boxes have to go a fair bit slower round bends and he was then driving like an experienced pro. He said he enjoyed it but he'll probably regret it when I send him to Wolverhampton for the 9.20pm race on his own!

The stable apprentice jockey, and my nephew, Adam Beschizza has had a marvellous run of things recently with eight winners in the past fortnight. We've always known he could ride (he was riding on the gallops aged 10) and it's really satisfying to see him doing so well. He's got some really nice rides this weekend at Ayr as Roger Charlton has put him on one that (and I quote Mr Charlton) "is a stone well in" for the Ayr Gold Cup.

I've got a few easy days but runners are around the corner. Generous Genella runs at Newmarket on Friday and I hope she fares better than she did on debut. She goes well at home but it is an extremely hot-looking race and it would not surprise me if we saw next year's Oaks winner in action. Depending on the weather, King Columbo and Marafong will go to Leicester next Monday and they both have great chances.
Elsewhere, Blackmore will have his stalls test before racing at Newmarket on Saturday and I expect all to run smoothly. He has shown no problems at home and I can't imagine he will provide any on the track.

As promised...

2010-09-09T04:46:00.000-07:00

...here are the results of my Q&A with the Racing Post, published last Sunday.

What's the best pice of advice you've ever been given?
Keep your horses in the worst company and yourself in the best.
What race would you most like to win?
The Feilden Stakes, Newmarket
Who would play you in a film of your life?
Pam Sly (I’m always mistaken for her)
Who would you most like to meet?
Sheikh Mohammed
What's you favourite/least favourite racetrack?
Best - Brighton/Lingfield, Doncaster should improve canteen for stable staff, poor food and very over priced
Sum yourself up in five words
Over worked and under paid
What really annoys you?
Lydia Hislop trying to pronounce Adam Beschizza’s name
What was the last film you saw?
Long time ago Racing Stripes with the kids
What was the last book you read?
Paul Nicholls' autobiography
Name a trainer to keep an eye on...
Seamus Cahill (greyhounds)
...and a jockey
Adam Beschizza
What was the best day of your racing life?
Ross Birkett and Adam Beschizza riding their first winners on Bavarica (can’t decide between them)
What's the best bet you've ever had?
Adam Beschizza to be Champion Apprentice next year
Who is your favourite horse?
Don’t Drop Bombs on whom I rode 7 winners, 21 now and still going strong
What is your favourite holiday destination?
Dingle, Ireland – great people and lovely scenary
What would you go as to a fancy dress party?
Wonder Woman
What would you have as your last meal?
Fillet steak and dry white wine
What's the funniest thing you've seen on a racecourse?
I had to attend a stewards inquiry at Lingfield with Adam Beschizza, the steward was having trouble pronouncing his name, so I explained it was said as 'Biscuit-Sir', he then continued the whole inquiry calling him Mr Biscuit
Tell us something only you know
I rode a winner at Lingfield when I was four months pregnant with my daughter Shelley
What's the worst thing anyone has said to you?
Julia who?
Who are your four ideal dinner guests?
Matt Lucas and David Walliams from Little Britain for the entertainment, Marco Pierre White for the cooking and my husband John to do the washing up.

What a difference a day makes.

2010-09-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what can happen in 24 hours.
Saturday morning I was down in the dumps, a few of the lesser lights in the yard had worked below par and I was top of the Racing Post's 'cold trainers' list after not having a winner in nearly two months.
Come Sunday Afternoon, I'm on top of the world. As described in last week's post, Sancho Panza won at Windsor on Saturday and Exopuntia followed up the next day at Yarmouth.
'Exo' had been a shade disappointing recently after coming fourth on her seasonal reappearance earlier in the year. We had been experimenting with different trips for her and finally got it right (a mile) last time. Jockey Richard Mullen couldn't ride her after a fall the previous day so Tony Culhane got the leg-up. Tony had actually ridden the mare's half sister to victory twice so he knew the family.
Following orders perfectly, Tony steered Exo to a comfortable victory and which hopefully boosted her confidence.
To top it off, my son Ross also rode a winner at Goodwood for David Simcock and got a great picture in the Racing Post the next day.

Talking of the Racing Post, in today's edition is a questionnaire with myself. I tried to make it fairly light-hearted as serious answers are usually boring and I hope it makes someone smile. I'll put up the Q&As on here during the week when I get some time.

Only a few of our horses will be appearing in the Post this week as we don't have too many runners. Khajaaly goes to Doncaster on Tuesday and I expect an improved performance from him with the drop down to seven furlongs and the application of cheekpieces likely to suit.
The next visit to a racecourse isn't until Friday where King Columbo goes to Chester in a race which he should win. He ran a blinder to finish second last time and if all goes well, he should have a great chance.

Surprise, Surprise

2010-08-29T00:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I was the last person who thought that I would be sitting here, extolling the virtues of Sancho Panza. However, the son of Zaffeen shocked us all yesterday by winning (well, bolting up really) at Windsor at odds of 33/1.
He had become very frustrating as he had shown ability in a few all-weather runs but had not reproduced it on turf. The race he was in at the Thames venue was an amateur race for jockeys from different countries around the world. Luckily, we drew not a bad jock in Jacob Smith who was one of the few who could talk English as he hailed from America.
His orders were simple - jump out and make the running. It was all going to plan until he left the stalls...where he commenced to sit last of the field of nine!
I thought it was now a lost cause and began to focus on my son Ross who was riding for John Bridger in the race and looked to have a good chance three furlongs from home when he was passed by a dark coloured horse - Sancho Panza!
Sancho scooted clear under a hands and heels ride in front of a silent crowd. Mr Smith didn't mind though as he punched the air like Tony McCoy winning the National.
Then, in the winners enclosure, Smith stayed aboard Sancho for a hell of a long time - we thought he might have been waiting for someone to put a laurel of flowers over the horse's withers like in the Breeders' Cup. He wasn't the only one getting excited - one racegoer from across the pond was shouting "USA! USA! USA!" Ryder Cup-style.
Anyway, it was great to get back into the winner's enclosure after a slightly quiet run and I'm sure the victories will come thick and fast after this.

I've got quite a few interesting runners this week.
Night Orbit will tackle fences for the first time at Huntingdon on Monday providing the ground isn't too soft. He has been schooling over the bigger obstacles very impressively which has led his jockey, Colin Bolger, to label him "the best novice I have sat on". Let's hope he's right.
Bavarica and King Columbo run at Epsom on the same day and both will have great chances with preference over the latter.
We have some entries later in the week but all will depend on what the weather does - we've had a ridiculous amount of rain in the past seven days and the ground is at saturation point so we will have to keep a close eye on the forecasts.

Hoping to turn the tide

2010-08-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

Lady Luck was definitely not looking our way this week as we had some horrendous misfortune. First of all, Rathbawn Girl was drawn very wide at Wolverhampton on Monday and, to make matters worse, the horse on her inside hung violently around the home bend and virtually eliminated any chances we had of winning.
Next to go on the unlucky list was Little Meadow at Brighton the following day. As her name implies, she is only a tiny filly and obviously came off worse when four horses, including her, had a barging match at the top of the Sussex-venue’s hill. She came home worse for wear with stitches in her back leg and a bang to her head.
But hey-ho, that’s racing and there will be better days for the pair.

My daughter Shelley’s first ride under rules at Salisbury on Thursday was a nerve-racking occasion. I always get nervous when one of my blood ride in a race, not for their incompetence but for the inability of others. The standard of riding in amateur races varies wildly and you could be a fully capable pilot but be interfered with by an out of control novice. My fears were misplaced however as both came home safe and sound in fourth with Shelley learning a lot for the debut.

This week is a big one for my son Ross. At the weekend he is representing Great Britain in an amateur race challenge at Goodwood and Windsor where riders are selected from various European countries in a one-off event. Ross will be wearing a special Union Jack pair of silks at Goodwood and I hope he can get some glory in them. Then on the Bank Holiday Monday, he rides Bavarica at Epsom in the Gentlemen’s Derby.

Amongst the other runners is Beseech who sees a racecourse for the first time at Kempton on Monday. She has plenty of ability but we’ve had a few setbacks with her, hence the delay until her first run and it will be intriguing to see how she performs. Khalaajy, at the same meeting, should have a good chance if he can put last time’s disappointing run behind him.

A runner a day keeps the horsebox away.

2010-08-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

After such a busy seven days a fortnight ago, it was a nice relief to have relatively few runners this week.
They all ran with credit, particularly the two runners at Doncaster - Spirit of Sharjah and Bavarica - who both finished third.
Spirit is undoubtedly talented but has his quirks and only wins when everything drops right for him but this was him on a going day.
'Rita' on the other hand is a real gem of a horse. This was her 90th career run, all of which have been for us, and she doesn't seem to be slowing down, well the handicapper certainly doesn't think so as she's on the highest mark of her life at the age of eight. That's the problem with handicap races in this country (as James Given put it a few weeks ago) horses are handicapped to lose. If you do well, you get penalised. So, in theory, you can only win by losing. It's a joke and real battlers like Bavarica are the ones who suffer most.

We have a runner everyday this week and I couldn't write off any of their chances.
I'll be taking most interest though in King Columbo at Salisbury on Friday. My daughter, Shelley, will be having her first ride under rules on him and it will be exciting stuff. Don't worry about having a bet on the girl as she is a fully competent jockey, having ridden four winners pony racing.

Here, there, everywhere.

2010-08-09T06:41:00.000-07:00

It’s not been a jam-packed week, more a so-busy-I’ve-barely-had-time-to-sit-still one.

We’ve had runners galore and they’ve all been hitting the goalposts without anything rippling the back of the net. The admirable Bavarica ran another fine race on Monday to come second as did Rathbawn Girl at Brighton later on in the week.

Most of the other runners we had all did as we expected except the two raiders we sent up north: Generous Genella got seriously tired in the mud at Haydock and we expect her to do much better for the experience and our new purchase, Khalaajy, ran slightly disappointing at Newcastle. We’ve only had the horse for a month or so and it may have just been that he needs a little longer to settle in to his new surroundings.

To cap off a hectic week, John, Shelley and I went to Ireland at the weekend to go to Dingle races. All I can say is that it was one of the best experiences of my life – the people there were so welcoming, the scenery was breath-taking and the general experience was once in a lifetime. The racing itself was great too, as the whole purpose of our visit was to watch Shelley’s former racing pony run at Dingle. What’s more, he won.
It was amazing how many people we knew over there – fellow trainer Brendon Powell was one, as was a former in-mate of ours, Rapid City, who was running in the big race – the Dingle Derby.

After such a active week, we only have a few runners in the coming one but all should have chances, with Spirit of Sharjah the main fancy at Doncaster on Saturday.

Busy, busy, busy

2010-08-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I can stop moaning now – the rain has finally arrived. It’s been a wet week and although we’ve got soaked to the bone out on the Heath, no-one has complained because the precipitation was so desperately needed – it actually makes a change to be wet with rain rather than clammy with sweat.

We’ve witnessed another fruitless week winners-wise but, in all fairness, none of them were hugely fancied. Musselburgh is a terrific track that has done everything right, ranging from free racecards for all to free fruit in the stable lads canteen, but visits to Scotland might be coming less frequent now that we’ve had three runners there with little success. No winners make the homeward journey seem a lot longer.

Emma’s Gift surprised us at Newmarket at the weekend with a blinding run. The rain was not what she wanted but the owners persisted that she run because they had made a long trip to see her. She was giving a stone to most of her rivals and, after being interfered with a furlong out, she flew home to finish fourth. She will try her luck in Group company again next time.

Later that day we had Chadwell Spring at Lingfield. The run in itself was nothing remarkable (she doesn’t try too hard) but what made us laugh was when her jockey, Seb Sanders, returned to the unsaddling enclosure with his whip in two pieces – it had snapped in half during the race! This is not a rare occurrence – many other jockeys have experienced similar situations and the only blame can be the new, ultra-cushioned sticks that the jockeys are forced to use. Someone needs to redesign these batons otherwise races are going to be lost because of it.

It’s going to be a really busy week with a hoard of runners. Brighton hosts its annual three-day festival and we’ll be at my favourite track everyday with runners. It also looks like the horsebox will be back on the A1 to Newcastle as Khajaaly makes his debut for us and we are expecting good things, as with Generous Genella the next day at Haydock.

I'm off for a weekend away to Ireland at the end of it and a winner would be a great way to see me off.

Trying to turn the tide

2010-07-25T02:42:00.000-07:00

It’s been an incredibly frustrating week with the weather not going our way and races doing likewise.

Generous Genella went all the way to Doncaster on Thursday only to be withdrawn because the ground was too firm and the forecast rain never materialised. There was a fair bit of money for her during the day and, it is true to say, that she had been going well at home but we are not a yard who set out horses for a gamble so it was a surprise that she was so well backed. That’s Newmarket though – work watchers hide in trees to catch a secret glimpse of horses galloping strongly on the Heath and once the information is out, it spreads through the town like wildfire.
Salisbury didn’t bring us much luck later in the week either with the ground going against King Columbo and the race didn’t help him much too – there was no confirmed front runner and so the race was a very slowly run one.

It’s like banging your head against a brick wall at the minute with winners hard to come by but the same happens every year – midsummer is annually a quiet time for us as most of the horses have done all their winning earlier in the year and are suffering in the handicap as a result. The only thing that you can do is to keep doing what you have always done and the handicapper will eventually show some mercy and the winners will flow again.

Another trip to Scotland looks on the cards next week as we’ve got Night Orbit and Ocean Rosie in at Musselburgh on Thursday. Travelling vast distances is not what we like to do because mainly if it’s far for us to go, it’ll be far for the owners to go as well but the current weather situation has forced us to travel – both horses want soft ground and up north is the only place getting some rain.

It looks likely that we will have quite a few runners at the end of the week and the highlight will probably be Emma’s Gift who tackles handicap company for the first time. The handicapper has been pretty severe on her with a mark of 98 but we’ve managed to get our talented apprentice Adam Beschizza the ride (he was meant to be riding Sir Gerry in the Stewards Cup at Goodwood on the same day).

Hopefully Lady Luck will shine on us again.

The rain is a pain and falls mainly on the...

2010-07-17T04:37:00.000-07:00

For weeks and weeks we've been desperate for some rain and the heavens have finally opened over the British Isles but have somehow completely missed Newmarket.
The fields are brown, the grass gallops are too firm and the heath resembles the Sahara desert as we continue in this mini drought.
King Columbo ran his usual consistent race at the July Course on Friday night but he, like a handful of our other horses, is desperate for some juice in the ground.
It was typical then that on the same day we ran Emma's Gift at Newbury. After her cracking run in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, we had high hopes she could land this Listed race but the ground rode very holding after a recent downpour and she struggled to plough through it. There will be better days ahead for her, that is for sure.

The two new horses, Blackmore and Khajaaly, who we bought at the July Sales last week have settled in really well and have recovered from their gelding operations. It's a policy we have here to get all the horses castrated as it keeps their mind on racing and it's just another way of improving a horse from a big yard. After all, they are unlikely to be stallions come the end of their career.

Next week could be a good one for us as we run a few horses who have major chances.
Exopuntia travels to Yarmouth on Monday in what is a very weak race. You can forget her last run as she didn't handle the undulations that Pontefract threw at her and on the form of her run before that, over one mile back at Yarmouth, she should go very close.
Generous Genella is a two year old who we think a lot of and she makes her racecourse debut at Doncaster on Thursday. Her home work has been very impressive and we go to Town Moor with great expectations.