Blog

The Lincoln Lawyer heads to Stratford tomorrow, to read my yrhoughts click here. 

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My trips to Ireland are now complete for another year, I won’t be herded like a sheep in Birmingham airport for another year or so. The days of boarding and disembarking a plane without a long distance coach trip being involved seemed to have passed yet the cows are getting the blame for climate change.   I came home with lot 78 below, from the Tattersalls August sale, he’s out ...

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Luck of the Legion certainly took a big step forward stepping up in trip, the handicapper will no doubt make life a bit harder for her now. Based on Friday’s run a hurdle race should fall her way before she jumps a fence.    The Woolhope Wanders have been in action! The lads are playing six a side football on Thursday nights drawing their first match nil nil. Albert’s debut...

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Kateson and Fair Kate arrived back this morning looking fantastic, both horses look as if they’ve strengthen up. Kateson will go novice chasing and Fair Kate will spend another season jumping hurdles.    Through the month of August, we will back off the three year olds. Most of which, are well forward.  There are one or two who look and feel as if they won’t see t...

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Silk Run and The Lincoln Lawyer are fine after their runs at Uttoxeter last week. Silk Run has achieved more than we ever thought possible winning three races. We always thought she’d win a race but getting her to win three exceeded any expectations we have had. She deserves a holiday and will now get one. I’ve no doubt she will win again. If you read “my thoughts” you will...

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I am a fan of heat but it is pretty tough on the horses, the flies are as bad as the heat and we are just having to keep them as cool as we can. They are only doing light work so nothing too strenuous in such conditions. The three-year-old are all jumping hurdles with barrels in front of them down on the schooling strip.    The diggers were back sorting some blocked field drains and sp...

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All the horses are continuing their conditioning work and seem to be relaxing in between.     I thought Luck of the Legion stepped up a little yesterday and will now go up in trip, she had missed 18 months of training and asking her to run over further would have been grossly unfair after such a period of time on the sideline. We will look to get her back on the track fairly sha...

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It is lovely to have many of the horses back and to see plenty of life around the place. We have the guts of forty-five horses back in work and a team of staff that could work in any yard in the country. The horses are naturally just trotting and having light canters around the farm and on the gallops whilst getting grass at night. Many of them have done well physically and mentally during th...

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The horses are all hacking around the farm and many babies have started their jumping education.   Espinator heads to Stratford tomorrow, to read my thoughts click here.

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I have worked the sales for ten years now have have never known the demand for horses between 50,000 – 80,000 to be so strong. The Irish p2p boys seem to play the numbers game and without their interest we would be seeing a very different market place.   I went to Goffs UK in May and finished at Deauville this week. Deauville was beautiful but ruined by the fact I cashed my car pullin...

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Things remain pretty quiet here for another day or two, we will start to bring in horses the weekend after next. They have been hit hard by the miserable spell of weather we have just experienced and it certainly set them back. Ten days of sunshine would now do them the world of good.    I have enjoyed Ascot but felt for Alan King and connections when their horse was withdrawn after ca...

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Torran is fine after her experience at Ffos Las last night, every evening I’ve been to Ffos Las and the weather has been summery the hurdles up the home straight have been omitted. It would be too obvious to either stage an earlier card or day time only. Oh probably not, I forgot, the participants have to fall in behind the betting public.    Torran may not be the biggest in the ...

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Luck of the Legion and Espinator are in good shape this morning. Both horses will benefit for the experince and I'm sure they are both able to win a race at a level. Unless there is an fundemental weakness in the horse I am a strong beleiver in that there is a race for every one of them. We have seen worse horses than them win races.    Torran heads to Ffos Las tomorro...

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Typical summer work going on here -  the stables have all been steamed cleaned and disinfected. The lunge pen, loose school, ménage and all the post and rails have been creosoted. We are in good shape and really looking forward to the horses coming back.   Younger jockeys are in training.   A few horses came back from Doncaster sales Espinator being one of them who r...

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It’s a slow drive to Aintree on a Friday afternoon and an even longer one home when the horses leave you guessing. Silk Run has always been incredibly consistent yet she never looked happy from the moment she jumped off yesterday. Had she not of won in a tongue tie at Chepstow I would have thought she didn’t face it, the blinkers seemed to work wonders at home so the only thing we can ...

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Lake Washington certainly put in a career best last week, he has an entry to run again on Saturday at Uttoxeter, a decision is yet to be made as to whether he will be declared or head straight to the sales. He’s in good order after his run but went up 5lbs and will hopefully have come on a little for the run.    July will be around soon enough and we will soon be flat out again. ...

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Lake Washington put in a career best at Worcester yesterday afternoon and will now possibkly head to the sales. In the meantime, he may run again. He pulled out this morning in good order and was very pleased with himself. Vivant heads to Warwick tomorrow to read my thoughts click here. 

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There is little excitement to report, this morning Silk Run and an unnamed 4-year-old by Midnight Legend jumped 8 hurdles, Vivant jumped 8 fences and Lake Washington 8 hurdles.    The builders are back; a section of a paddock has been stolen to create a car park, it is something we have been toying with for a period of time now and it has certainly cleared the yard of boxes, trailers e...

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Another season comes to close all too quickly.    On reflection, we had a decent season falling just one short of last years total of 39 winners, operating at a 21% strike rate when compared to the previous seasons 25%. However, we increased our prize money won by £18,609.00. It certainly hasn’t felt like plain sailing this time around, a few horses hit pot holes in the roa...

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We popped Silk Run over some hurdles this morning and she seems to have developed a habit of jumping left having done it for the first time in her life at Ludlow.  There doesn’t appear to be anything niggling her so we will work on restoring some normality to her jumping.  Nothing else too exciting for the horses at home, I spent the afternoon at Cheltenham sales where the ...

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Fairyhouse is as good a racecourse as I’ve ever seen, it is 1.7 miles round with beautiful fences, I thoroughly enjoyed walking it. Kimberlite Candy was, on that ground, flat out from flag fall. No horse can sustain that at any grade. He has stayed over in Ireland for his holiday and has come out of the race in great shape. When he gets his conditions he will win a nice race.    ...

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Silk Run goes to Chepstow tomorrow and Kimberlite Candy runs in the Irish National to read my thoughts click here.   There will be no blogs until Thursday evening. 

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Kimberlite Candy went for a quiet hack up the hill before setting sail for Fairyhouse, he should be somewhere near by now. He is used to sailing as he has always returned to Martinstown Stud for his summer holidays. Vivant and a couple of unnamed four year olds jumped six fences and two open ditches. Vivant seems to have taken to fences without batting an eye lid and seems to be very accurate over...

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Via Delle Volte seems fine after her exertions at Cheltenham yesterday, I think we are all in agreement she will now get a well deserved break.   Kimberlite Candy had a little blow on the hill this morning and sets sail for Fairyhouse tomorrow afternoon. All the others had quiet canters.    The mowing challenge is complete, the lawn now resembles a lawn rather than a hay field, ...

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Via Delle Volte ran a nice race in a race that was run to suit her. She certainly hadn’t galloped into hurdles so fast. Which, certainly put her jumping to the test. She seems to love the faster ground and it is incredibly tempting to keep her on the go if we can identify a nice target, otherwise she will get a well deserved rest. How the winner has mark of 125 is way beyond my comprehension...

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Kimberlite Candy, Vivant and an unnamed 4-year-old schooled over fences, all went well. Those that worked yesterday had an easier day and cantered quietly up the hill a couple of times.   It looks as if Kimberlite Candy will get a run at Fairyhouse on Monday so ferries are booked and flights paid for. Late booking of flights is not advisable.    The babies carry on riding around...

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Kimberlite Candy, Snapdragon Fire, Silk Run, Via Delle Volte and Lady Cylla all worked. The steam cleaner is fired up and the spring clean has started.    There is little to report on the horse front. Last night I went to “An evening dinner with Jonathan Agnew” if you enjoy your cricket and get the chance to go and listen to him I highly recommend it. He is a fabulous afte...

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Typical Monday morning canters for those left to run, some of the babies hacked around the farm or loose schooled, others are still learning to lunge. A couple more horses headed to the paddocks and Kateson follows tomorrow.  Sholto has been busy with his birthday present, I've no doubt he will be following horses up the gallop with it soon.  Equus Amadeus ran a super race finishing ...

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He's a Goer in fine this morning.  Vivant and Johnbb jumped eight hurdles having cantered a mile around the sand.  Vivant runs at Ayr tomorrow in the mares’ handicap hurdle, reading below suggests that the columnist ought to pay a little more attention! To read my thoughts click here. She headed up north mid morning and should soon be comfortable in her bed. Equus Amadeus is on t...

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Triopas is fine this morning.    Quiet canters for all those that worked yesterday, given the weather forecast, I fear that they too could be soon in the field with their heads down eating grass. I can’t recall shipping horses out to grass in these numbers so early in the year previously.    Midnight Henry and Fair Kate headed home for the summer, prior to doing so Da...

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