Jockeys Getting Me Angry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.