Party people

There were a few sore heads about the yard this morning after last night we had our Christmas party for all the staff. A lot of owners had kindly given the team some cash presents and it was put to good use with some bhajis, kormas and the odd vindaloo!
It was nice for everyone to let their hair down and they deserve it after what has been a good year winners-wise with 19 wins - more than we achieved in the last two seasons.

 

As I said last week though, I am desperate to end the season on 20 winners and I thought we would do just that when Attain went to Kempton last Wednesday. He was desperately unlucky, getting boxed in at a crucial time of the race and it meant he got up to full speed far too late and the winning post came too soon as he finished second. The horse is in fantastic form at present so he'll be out again at Lingfield on December 30th. 

 

Also running on that day at Lingfield will be Avidly. We bought her in October from Juddmonte where she was trained in France. She showed promise in two maidens and has been really impressive at home. It would be nice to get her handicapped with one more run but I think she is capable of winning a maiden so we'll get her super fit before the day. She still shows signs of inexperience but she clearly has an engine and is an exciting prospect.

Avidly (Shelley)

 

Another heading to the races at the end of the month is Veeraya. He came to us from William Haggas' yard and he has done nothing wrong since joining us. He is a bit stiff in the mornings but we have a good routine in place to get him warmed up and his piece of work yesterday was his best yet. He's rated 85 which maybe a bit too high but his form is good so must have ability.

Veeraya (Adam)

No Such Number has been in great order since winning on his hurdles debut a few weeks ago. His confidence seems to have grown and he looks fantastic. He'll be running again on January 6th back at Southwell in a novice hurdle. It's nice to dream of running in big races and if he wins here, he can have a go at bigger prizes.
Sheila's Heart had most of the summer off at his owner's stud and has come back a lot bigger and stronger. He will likely need a long trip to be seen at his best but he has a great attitude and will be winning races.

No Such Number (Ross) & Shelia's Heart (Reno)

 

On first glance, Previous Acclaim's run at Lingfield on Saturday was a shade disappointing but jockey Shelley Birkett said she didn't quite stay the six furlong distance and has a lot of speed so we'll be dropping her down to five furlongs on Friday at Southwell. There won't be many runners in the race but she'll have to prove that she goes on the track's unique deep surface. You can't really tell if she will before the race so the only way to find out is by running.

 

Shares are selling fast in new purchase Meddling with just 30% of her available. She started cantering this week and really impresses me with her fluent action and she seems to enjoy the work too. She will be gradually increasing the speed of her work in the coming weeks and, all being well, should be hitting the track in five to six weeks.

Meddling (Ross)