10th November 2021

Neville’s Cross has had a lovely day in the paddock following his win at Hereford yesterday. Terrierman out ran his odds and my expectations today at Exeter naturally pleasing us all no end.

Tomorrow San Agustin heads to Market Rasen, to read my thoughts click here. Montgomery heads to Cheltenham sales where he should be well received.

This morning we schooled Sebastopol, San Agustin, Thomas Patrick, Lamanver Storm, Gold Clermont, Tea Clipper and Glory and Honour over fences, Piaff Bubbles and Scipion schooled on grass over hurdles.

I read that there is a legal battle going on regarding a horse’s ability to breath having been purchased in the sales ring. The sales companies believe that a horse can have a paralyzed larynx, sound like a tractor and pass the vet. As long as it doesn’t whistle it will pass their panel. I have been on the receiving end of this and managed to work something out with the vendor. I was the first person to take a vet to a sale and scope three-year-old stores prior to purchase, after year one of doing so the vendors called a meeting in the sales ring one evening and united to stop this happening. Although, we have not tried, we have been unable to scope a store horse since. Yet tomorrow, horses who have proven form will be subjected to scopes should any potential purchaser wish to scope the horse prior to purchase. Anyone wanting to buy a horse off me can vet the horse privately at any point here or on the sales grounds. Every vendor should be willing to do the same. We all get caught with wrong ones but that is the nature of the beast and one of the reasons why numbers are so vital to success if you wish to make a living out of buying and selling horses. A horse with a paralyzed larynx should not pass a vet. Having a paralyzed larynx to any degree doesn’t mean the horse can’t race but is should mean that a purchaser should be allowed to return the horse should they so wish.  Where much of the problem lies is in the aforementioned, in that one is not always allowed to carry out their own private examinations on a sales ground before the fall of the hammer.