Vastly...maiden no more!

After Attain finally lost his maiden tag two weeks ago, it would have been a bit too much to ask our other long-standing maiden Vastly to do the same but the winning feeling clearly rubbed off in the yard as things finally panned out right for the big grey lad and he got his nose in front at Wolverhampton on Monday.
The step up in trip seemed to really suit him and jockey Adam Beschizza was strong on him so he had no chance to dodge the issue. It was a huge relief to finally win with him as the owners had been so patient after a really promising start to his career. He's had a few problems since then but now all seems good with him mentally and physically so hopefully there will be plenty more good days to come with him this season.

Vastly in the winner's enclosure (contact me for more photos)

We've just got a couple of runners this week starting with Previous Acclaim at Lingfield on Tuesday. She has been disappointing since joining us but the handicapper is giving her a real chance all the time so eventually she will find her level. She is trying a longer trip for the first time and it should suit her as all she does is gallop. She is only small but tries her heart out so you always have a fighting chance.

Our other runner comes at Lingfield too but on Saturday when Veeraya heads down south. We thought he'd win last time but he could only finish fourth. The form of that race has worked out well though so maybe it wasn't such a bad effort. He doesn't show much ability at home but has plenty on the track and has dropped to a handy mark now. He's probably best fresh so the short break will have done him good and I expect him to be thereabouts at the business end.

Omega Omega (Ross) & Veeraya (Shelley)

 

With a couple of winners now on the board and a bit of heat from the sun, there's a great buzz about the yard as we all look forward to the new turf season in a month's time. We've got more horses than ever with all 28 boxes filled with happy faces and I can't wait to get started. All-weather racing serves a purpose and of course provides us with opportunities to train winners all year round but I do love the turf season with the variety of tracks on offer and some decent weather (sometimes!).

 

 

We have plenty of horses who are now back cantering after their winter holidays and I'm delighted with how they are going. They are only doing short, steady exercise at the minute but the intensity will gradually be ramped up and they should be ready to run soon enough.
Sadiigah is an interesting one that we bought from Clive Brittain last year. She fractured her pelvis for him but had shown good form in a few runs before then so she really is a blank canvas. She is built like a tank so I imagine sprinting will be her game and I look forward to seeing her in some faster paces.

Sadiigah (Ross)

 

Bushy Glade didn't show much last season but she has really grown over the winter and is now a much more powerful filly. Her attitude is faultless and she is a pleasure to do anything with. Her sire Bushranger was a big disappointment last year with his first crop of runners but it might just be that they get better with age and that certainly looks the case with this filly.

Bushy Glade (Graham)

 

Some of the more familiar faces are back in proper work too, including old boy Silver Alliance. He had a great time of things last year with three wins and he seems to have come back very happy and carrying plenty of condition. He loves life and is very enthusiastic on the gallops, probably because he has a great time in the field with his mates on a Sunday - it helps him chill out and recharge the batteries. He is very versatile with regards to ground so he should be in for another profitable season.

Silver Alliance (Reno)

 

The two-year olds are increasing their workload too as we try and see which ones are more forward than the rest and ready to run first. At this stage, it probably looks like Italia will be our first juvenile to hit the track as she is going about her work very well and seems to have plenty of speed. She is bred to win as a two-year old and the early signs are promising.

(l-r): Italia, Capatain Navarre, Duke of Diamonds & Handheld

Looking further ahead, we have next year's youngsters in the field outside our bungalow and they are growing at a rate of knots. We bred a colt and a filly and they have now been split up with the filly heading to Peter Foster's yard to keep his filly company whilst we have his colt at ours to entertain our own colt. They are real characters and it's hard to believe we will be riding them for the first time towards the end of the year. They'll be in for a shock when that time comes!

Two yearling colts playing whilst Tolly McGuinness grazes

 

We've been overwhelmed with entries for the Three To Follow competition and it's great to see so many names new and old signing up to play. It will give everyone plenty of interest throughout the year as they follow their selections and I don't think there are many entries with the same selections so competition should be fierce! There are still a couple of weeks until it starts so here's a reminder of the details if you haven't signed up yet.

 

So, here are the rules:

• You pick three of our horses to follow for the season March 1st - December 20th and each horse will earn points for finishing 1st, 2nd or 3rd in any race.
• One horse must be chosen from POOL A (two-year & three year olds) whilst two horses are chosen from POOL B (older horses).
• All turf, all-weather & jumps races count so pick the horses that you think will earn you the most points throughout the year!
• Once you've chosen, email your 'Three to Follow' to Ross at rbirkett1989@hotmail.co.uk
• It's free to enter and there's a £100 prize to the winner so it would be stupid not to enter!

POOL A PICK ONE
Duke of Diamonds, Opus Two, Captain Navarre, Previous Acclaim, Italia, Celestine Abbey, Mercy Me, Bushy Glade, Tolly McGuinness.

POOL B PICK TWO
Honeymoon Express, Candesta, Silver Alliance, No Such Number, Sheila's Heart, Avidly, Meddling, Luhaif, Vastly, Automotive, Attain, The Ducking Stool, Bethan, Veeraya, Omega Omega, Amelia George, Handheld, Sadiigah, Tiger's Home.


GOOD LUCK!!!