Still hunting

I was hoping we would get off the mark for the year last week with a good few chances lined up but unfortunately luck wasn't shining on us and they failed to come home in front.
Veeraya looked to be the best chance and although he ran a fine race in fourth, jockey Adam Beschizza said he feels better with a low weight against better horses so we will up him in class. Not a bad problem to have!

With only two runners this week, opportunities for success look limited but I hope Vastly can run well at Southwell on Tuesday. He has been off a few months after develop an abscess on his back. It took a while to clear but he is all fine now and I think it was probably affecting him in his last few runs so they can be written off. He is a big, stuffy horse but we have got him very fit. As always, the surface at Southwell is an unknown as he has never run there before but he is American-bred and they tend to do well at the course. Despite it being an older horse maiden, the field looks quite competitive and we will have to beat an 80-rated Mark Johnston runner. Surprises can happen though and you can always be assured that ours run to their capabilities every time they head to the races.

Our other runner looks likely to be Amelia George on Saturday. She was very weak as a youngster and has been given time to mature, hence why she is making her debut at the age of four. She is quite immature mentally so the run will be a good experience for her and I expect her to improve for the run.

Building things up

We're starting to unleash a few of the big guns now and I hope a few of the horses new and old will be able to really kick start our year over the next couple of weeks.
Our highest rated horse in the yard, Luhaif, ran a blinder at Lingfield on Saturday to finish second in a valuable handicap. It was his first run in a good few months but we had got him pretty fit and he made a bold bid to make all the running but just got caught close to the line. Hopefully this is the start of good things for him and he'll be competitive in all the big one mile handicaps during the season.

We managed to buy quite a few nice horses towards the back-end of last year and they are now ready to show us what they've got. Avidly came from France and she ran a great race to finish second on her debut for us at Lingfield, despite running quite green. She is in at Kempton on Wednesday in a maiden that certainly looks winnable for her if the few newcomers in the race are nothing special. I think the track will really suit her and the extra furlong will too so she should have a great chance.
Vastly is an old face round these parts nowadays but he is still, unbelievably, a maiden. He has run some great races in defeat but never managed to win. He has come back from his recent break in top form and has got fitter a lot quicker than I could have hoped. He'll likely run a week on Tuesday in what should be a weak maiden race at Southwell. The track's surface is a big unknown for him as horses either love it or hate it but he is bred to race on dirt so has that in his favour.

Vastly (Shelley) & Avidly (Graham)

 

Avidly and Candesta are both owned by the same person and George will be in for a busy day on Wednesday as they both run at two different meetings. Before Avidly in the evening, Candesta will be making his UK debut at Lingfield. He has only run once before in France but as he is so big, he has obviously needed time to mature and now looks a lovely horse. He will likely improve for the run but maidens can be weak at this time of year so you never know.
No Such Number has come out of his Kempton run fine and we're still waiting for the rain to ease off a bit so we can run him over hurdles again.

No Such Number (Reno) & Candesta (Shirley)

One I'm really looking forward to seeing run is Meddling. I bought her from Sir Michael Stoute's yard in December and she has really impressed me. She has a rating of 65 and I think she is perfectly capable of winning off that. She has been running over sprint distances but I think a mile is more ideal for her and hopefully I'll be proven correct when she hits the track next week.

Meddling (Graham) & Amelia George (Adam)

Previous Acclaim is one I bought cheaply in December and, after two tame runs, she has dropped quite a lot in the ratings. I definitely think there is a race in her but finding the right trip is proving difficult. I'm leaning towards seven furlongs with her now as she found five too sharp last time.

Previous Acclaim (Ross)

Omega Omega ran her usual solid race without winning last week and she'll be back to Southwell again on Thursday. The 1m4f distance seemed fine for her last time so we're sticking to that and hoping she can come home a bit quicker than before.
Finishing the week on Saturday we have Veeraya and Attain. The latter has made a bit of a name for himself after going so many races without a win but he has been unlucky to bump into improving horses. The one that beat him the time before last won again today so one day he should get his chance.
Veeraya ran a cracker on his first run for us and he seems in even better form now. This is a class lower than last time too so, although he is hard to judge at home because he is quite lazy, I think he will be in the shake-up.

Unleashing the Saturday beast!

Since stable star Spirit of Sharjah retired last August, we have been lacking a horse to represent us on Saturdays when most of the big races take place and at the bigger meetings. Rather than sit around complaining, we went out and bought a replacement for him and that horse is now ready to hit the track for us.

Luhaif may be a new face to the yard but he wasn't altogether unknown before joining us. He spent last winter racing in Dubai for Mick Channon and whilst out there, my son Ross was lucky enough to ride him out most days and got to know him well. It was never the intention to buy him but when he came up for sale in October, we had a look at him but thought we'd never be able to afford him. Luckily for us, he seemed to go unnoticed in the auction ring and we got him for a great price that was, most importantly, within budget.
Since joining us, Luhaif has been gelded and seems to have thrived for the change with an improved attitude to his work and a better action when he strides up the gallop. He's in a valuable handicap on Saturday at Lingfield with the aim of trying to get him qualified for the All-weather Championship finals day on Good Friday. He has some useful form in the past but is rated quite high as a result so the weekend will show us what kind of level he is at. I certainly hope he can land us a big race sometime through the year.

Meddling (Graham), Vastly (Ross) & Luhaif (Shelley)

 

One horse who looked like being a type for the bigger races was Vastly. He ran great in maidens against useful horses earlier in his career but then things tailed off as he lost his form. We found he had a big abscess on his back which must have been very uncomfortable so he's had a few months off to recover and has come back rejuvenated with a really promising gallop on Saturday. If we can get him back to where he once was, he should be winning this winter.
Meddling also pleased me in her first piece of work. We bought her from Sir Michael Stoute and her homework suggests she has a lot more ability than her 65 rating so she too should be in the winner's enclosure when she hits the track in a few weeks' time.

Our first runner of the week will be Omega Omega at Southwell on Tuesday. She is pretty exposed but usually gives her running and will no doubt be rattling the till again although she finds winning difficult.

Amelia George is yet to run after going lame last year but she seems to be fine now and did her first gallop on Saturday. She is a big baby and will need a run for some experience but her attitude is great. She went along with Veeraya who is ticking along until his next race at the end of the month. He doesn't show a lot at home but, as his run last time proved, he has plenty of ability.

Veeraya (Danny) & Amelia George (Reno)

 

The third of our trio of runners this week is Previous Acclaim at Lingfield on Saturday. I bought her cheaply last month and although she is no world-beater, I think there is a little race in her. She didn't like Southwell last time so I hope a return to the polytrack will see her in a better light.

 

Last week was a frustrating one as we looked to get the first win of 2014 on the board.

No Such Number found 1m4f at Kempton a bit sharp and lacked pace in the finish but it was no disaster as the run will keep him fit for when he returns to hurdling when the ground dries out a bit.

Sheila's Heart's second at Southwell the following day was full of promise. He thrived during a break in the summer and is now a big, strong horse who clearly loved the surface at the track. He wants a bit further than 1m3f and he will be a force to be reckoned with over marathon trips at the track once handicapped.

Yet again Attain failed to lose his maiden tag at Lingfield on Friday. He had the run of the race but couldn't quicken in the finish, however, we found that he had lost a front shoe and jockey Shelley Birkett said he lost his balance around the home bend so these two could be linked and given as a valid excuse. Nonetheless, the quest to win a race with Attain continues!

 

New year but same aim

Well our last gasp attempt to try and get to the 20 winners mark before the year ended came narrowly close to being achieved on Monday at Lingfield with a third and two seconds from the three runners we sent. Although it was a shame not to get there, it was a fantastic 2013 and we were well up on the previous year's tally. Hopefully we can get there this year, plus some more.
The trio of runners all ran well above themselves too with Avidly putting in a great effort on her first run for us. She is still very inexperienced and it showed during the race. She got the hang of things late on and I'm pretty sure she'll be winning next time.

We've only had one runner in this new year, with Bethan filling 3rd at Southwell on Wednesday, so hopefully it won't be long before we're off the mark again soon.
Omega Omega is one who goes very well at home but seems one-paced at the track although she does try hard. She has run well at Southwell before so I'm hoping a return to the venue on Tuesday will see her fare well.
Also heading to the fibresand this week is Sheila's Heart on Thursday. He has only had one run when showing ability in a maiden at Newmarket in the summer. He has had a break and strengthened up since then plus his sire gets winners at the track so I don't think he'll be disgraced.

Luhaif (Ross), Candesta (Adam) & Shelia's Heart (Shelley)

 

Luhaif is working his way back to fitness after his castration and did a nice piece of work on Saturday. The plan is to run him on the 18th January in a valuable handicap at Lingfield. He is starting the year as our highest rated horse so hopefully he can be our flag-bearer for the big days.

We bought Candesta from Juddmonte in October and he has done very little wrong since joining us. He has only had one run in his career so needs some more experience but he is almost ready for a run and will be out soon.

One horse who has really caught my eye in recent weeks is Meddling. I bought her cheaply from Sir Michael Stoute in December and as her exercise regime has been increased, she just seems to keep going better and better. She did her first bit of work on Saturday and found it all very easy. Her attitude is great and I can't wait to see what she is capable of when running in about three weeks' time.

Meddling (Graham)

 

Vastly has had a few months off with an abscess on his back but that has all healed up now and he's back into full work. He has some very smart form in the book and hopefully he can get back to that level when he's ready to run again.

Vastly (Danny)

 

All our yearlings (now two-year olds) are back from their various pre-training yards and they are starting to look like proper racehorses. You have to keep a hold of them at the moment as they can't run until the juvenile programme kicks in when the turf season arrives in April although it is very tempting to let them go fast because they are going so well!
Captain Navarre is a big, rangy colt by Excellent Art and we thought he'd be a type for later on in the season but over the last few weeks he has really started to get his act together and could be more precocious than we thought. His rider Reno says he's a 'Norfolk horse' but I don't know if that means he'll be running in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot or will be running over hurdles at Fakenham in Norfolk!

Captain Navarre (Reno)

 

Another who is looking pretty sharp is Celestine Abbey. We have had her since she was a foal and she had to undergo surgery then because of an infected ankle. She was lucky to survive and we thought the trauma would set her back but she has gone from strength to strength and enjoys all her work. She is very well bred being by Authorized so could be anything.

Celestine Abbey (Danny)

 

Another we bought as a foal was Mercy Me. She hasn't had any major problems although she does have a bit of an attitude and can be a handful. Apparently this is a common trait in the progeny of her sire Mawatheeq, so we'll just have to put up with it.
The last youngster to come back from pre-school was Duke of Diamonds who came to the yard last week. He is a bit behind the others but is a very kind horse and is bred to be a useful one too.

Duke of Diamonds (Ross) & Mercy Me (Graham)

 

There were plenty of smiles in the yard on Wednesday morning as on the day before three of our staff managed to ride winners. Graham Carson doesn't get many opportunities as an amateur but he made the most of his ride at Southwell by winning by 11 lengths whilst our jockeys Shelley Birkett and Adam Beschizza were both on the scoresheet at Wolverhampton. These wins are great to see and show that the horses at home are being ridden by people who know what they are doing and can get a horse ready to run.