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.