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Yanza makes her debut
05th August 2008
It will be good to see the first of our unraced two year olds make her racecourse debut this week. Yanza, a bay filly by Bahmian Bounty, heads to Bath on Thursday to run in the 6.25, which is just over five and a half furlongs. The ground is a bit of a concern as we wouldn't want too much of a cut in it for the filly's first outing, so we're hoping it can dry out a bit after all the recent rain. Yanza (pictured using the Seawalker after work) has had racecourse gallops at both Salisbury and Kempton but she is a quirky filly and it will be interesting to see how she handles the excitement of a race day. Also running this week is Cheonmado, John Hawkins' four year old. We'd like him to run over 7 furlongs at Lingfield on the Saturday however there is a chance he could be balloted out and we may have to run him over six there on the Friday.
Rain arrives on time
29th July 2008
After days of glorious sunny weather the rain has finally arrived. It has come just in time to soften the ground at Worcester for tonight's meeting, which allows us to run Silent Dream in the 7.20 there. The going is now good, good to soft in places, which at this time of the year, for a horse that needs a bit of a cut in the ground, couldn't be better. Dream has been off the track for nearly two years and will undoubtedly come on for tonight's run, however he has been schooling well at home (see picture) and he's a bit of a favourite. It is lovely to have him racing again.
Street Power heads to Salisbury
22nd July 2008
There should be a few runners to look out for this week. We have had Silent Dream entered across the board looking for good ground and his preferred race is the handicap hurdle at Uttoxeter on Thursday. He cannot run on firm going and so we are hoping the ground doesn't dry too quickly up there. Another possible runner is Cheonmado who could head to Lingfield on Saturday over seven furlongs, although he does have other options. Street Power will almost certainly run the same day, in the 7.40 at Salisbury. It is only his second ever race (his first this season) and we expect him to learn from the experience while hopefully running a good race. The horse (pictured) has matured a lot over the past year and went well in a racecourse gallop last Monday so it will be interesting to see how he runs.
Racecourse gallops
14th July 2008
I was up at 5.00 am on Monday morning with butterflies of anticipation as we had booked Salisbury racecourse to gallop 3 horses. The sun was already beaming and the world looked glorious - note to self - I must get up early more often. Working on a racecourse can be invaluable in a horse's training program and we are very grateful to Salisbury's clerk of the course, Jeremy Martin, for allowing us to use their superb facilities. We took one of our two year olds, Yanza (Bahamian Bounty x Locharia) to further her education before making her racing debut later this month and, although predictably very green, she went nicely under Kirsty Evans. Street Power, our three year old colt, ridden by Assistant Trainer Paul Cooper, went along to get a feel of turf having made his debut on the all weather last year. "The Power" (pictured leading) as I call him is due to run in a maiden at Salisbury on the 26th. He worked with the older and more experienced Hopeful Purchase, ridden by Ed Sibbick, who could run at Ascot on Friday 25th. Both horses looked superb and went well.
Owner visits and a great week for sport
08th July 2008
It was great to see some dedication amongst our owners this morning, as both John Hawkins and Wendy Price braved the wind and the rain to get up early and come and visit their horses. John even took on the M25 at 6am which proved to be a mistake and made him decide to take the train next trip. He arrived in time for 2nd lot which meant he was able to see his three horses, Yvonne Evelyn, Cheonmado and Eleanor Eloise work. Wendy came in to visit her four year old filly, Mexilhoeira, who is looking well (both are pictured). Wendy also bred our two year old Kyllachy filly who is due to return to us from her pre-training yard next Monday.
Weekend runners
01st July 2008
We are looking forward to getting back to the races this Saturday, when we take Gaborone to Leicester. She runs in the 14.35 over 6F and should go well. The two year old filly (pictured) has had just one start, coming 2nd at Thirsk having missed the break and been hampered. She will no doubt have learnt from that run and as she's working nicely at home, it is reasonable to expect a good performance from her. Our other possible runner is Danetime Lord, who could head to Brighton on Sunday. The horse is in good form and ready for a race although we will make a decision on declaring him nearer the time as Jeremy isn't 100% certain the course and firm ground will suit him.
Visitors from far and wide
24th June 2008
We had another influx of foreign visitors last week, giving the yard a bit of an international feel. Jeremy had a visit from his good friend, the Australian vet Darren Arnold, who was over in the UK for a conference and took the opportunity to call in and see how Jeremy had settled in. His visit coincided with that of Pierre Bens, Managing Director of Belebro, who had brought three scientists to come and look at our new world-class water filtration system and also our walkers, which Belebro supply the parts for. When visitors travel from all over Europe, and indeed the world, to come and see our facilities in action it serves as a reminder to us of how lucky we are to be able to use such pioneering technology in our horses' training regimes. The man on the far left of the photo is Justin Chittendon, a fantastic friend of mine and Managing Director of the Equine Health Centre who manufacture both the Seawalker and the Softwalker. Jeremy and Darren are next to him and then come George Brom (from Vital Water Systems), Pierre, Loek da Regk (Filtration and purification expert), Paul Vdenheigden (a water scientist) and myself.
Owner visits and Royal Ascot
17th June 2008
We were visited by two of our owners yesterday who had come to see how their horses were progressing. Richard Page had a good look at his two year old colt by High Chaparral who is out in the field having a bit of time to mature. The colt has grown a lot over the last few months and will come back into work soon to be prepared for racing later this year. Richard also looked in on Maidanni, who he has a quarter share in with the Resurrection Partners. John Hawkins was here to see his string of horses: Eleanor Eloise, Yvonne Evelyn and Cheonmado, who are all in work and progressing nicely (che in particular was in top form this morning on the gallops). John also seized the opportunity to cast an eye over Street Power, our three year old colt by Street Cry which he bred. The horse has really filled out and matured over the winter and is an exciting prospect - he also worked particularly well this morning. He is pictured with John, myself, rider Ed Sibbick and Jeremy.
The Aussie invasion
10th June 2008
On Saturday morning we had a mini Aussie invasion with at one point the Australians in the office outnumbering the Brits six to one. The visitors included Danny Power (pictured left with Jeremy) who worked as Racing Manger to Lee Freedman, famous for sending out winners like Makybe Diva and Miss Andretti. He is also a racing journalist and bloodstock agent who bought Doreimus who famously went on to win the Melbourne Cup. Danny cast his expert eye over a selection of our two year olds and was excited by all of them. To quote one of his favourite phrases: "you've got a few cracker's here Jeremy". He and Jeremy are old friends and took the opportunity to catch up over the weekend. It is always nice to get expert opinions on the horses we have here and the fact that we have had nothing but positive feedback about our two year old string makes us even more excited about getting them to the racetrack. Also visiting us was Australian trainer, Bill Smart, who is based at Oakbank in the Adelaide Hills. Bill was very impressed with all the facilities here and was particularly interested in the Seawalker.
Adding up the air miles
03rd June 2008
Jeremy is becoming a bit of a jetsetter at the moment, which for someone who isn't overly keen on flying isn't as glamorous as it sounds! Fresh off the plane from a short holiday in Cyprus he's spent a week here making sure everything is progressing as it should before heading off to Heathrow yesterday to catch a flight to Sweden. He is going to Scandinavia to meet the directors of the Vitafloor company. We have had a Vitafloor installed at the yard (pictured) and Jeremy is keen to meet its creators to see firsthand how it can benefit horses and therefore how best to incorporate it into our horses' training regimes. Jeremy is due back on Thursday and will then add more air miles to his collection in the coming weeks as he is due to spend a couple of weeks looking at horses in Australia.
More winning sires
27th May 2008
The pedigrees of some of our two year olds received a further boost last week when Haafhd and Stroll had their first winners from their first crop of two year olds. Representing Haafhd was Crystal Moments, who won at Sandown on her racecourse debut. Our own two year old by Haafhd is going well at home and progressing nicely. Despite having quite a few chestnut horses in the yard, he is instantly recognisably by the splash of white under his belly. We are gradually upping his work and aim to race him later on this season. He is pictured walking off the flat gallop alongside our Barathea gelding. Stroll's first winner came in Italy and did it in style, storming home by nine and a half lengths. We have recently purchased a lovely-looking Stroll colt from the breeze up sales who we hope will inherit his family's winning ways.
Summer Breaks & Boost for Street Power
20th May 2008
It's been a fairly quiet week here at Horses First Racing. The ground in the UK has been rather firm due to the unseasonably dry Spring weather and so we have decided to give our jumpers an early Summer break. Some of the horses are already out in their paddocks and having a fantastic time relaxing with each other. Our string of flat horses are looking great and we are continuing to tick them over. Meanwhile one of the yards favourites, 3yo colt Street Power (pictured) had a nice boost over the weekend. While he was happily resting on Sunday one of his relatives was busy winning a Group 1 in Italy!
New facilities and staff
13th May 2008
We had a frustrating week last week with horses being balloted out of races or being injured. The major disappointment was Desert Quest having to bypass the Swinton due to injury after he knocked himself out working. It is always upsetting to miss a big race but as always the welfare of the horse is the main priority and there will be plenty more decent races for Quest (pictured relaxing in his field) to look forward to. We did still have one runner on the Saturday, when Chief Exec headed to Warwick. Unfortunately it proved to be a fruitless trip as the horse didn't get a straightforward run. The Racing Post commented “Chief Exec was closing on the pace when stopped in his run halfway up the straight, and he could never regain momentum after having to be switched”.
Heading for the Swinton
06th May 2008
On Saturday Desert Quest lines up in the Swinton at Haydock to take his chance at the £75,000 prize money on offer. The ground at the course looks like going fast and this couldn't suit our horse more, so fingers crossed. At this stage there look to be some very nice horses in the race, as you would expect from one of its calibre. Border Castle, winner of the Scottish Champion Hurdle will be a formidable opponent if he runs. Group Captain who came 2nd to Pigeon Island at Cheltenham last month, I'm So Lucky, runner up to Auroras Encore in the listed Handicap Hurdle at Aintree a few weeks ago, and La Vecchia Scuola, winner of the Juvenile Novice's Hurdle at Ayr in April, will all be classy opposition if they line up. The race is due off at 2pm and will be broadcast live on the BBC.
Quest and Chief turn in good runs
29th April 2008
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The terrific form of the horses in the yard continues with the last six runs: 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 7th, 2nd and 3rd. Desert Quest put in another top class performance for the yard last Saturday when coming third in the highly competitive Bet 365.com Hurdle at Sandown. Behind him were top-quality animals like Pigeon Island, Penzance and Hide the Evidence and we were delighted with the way our fellow ran. He returned a Racing Post Rating of 140, 10 pounds higher than he was awarded for his win at Ludlow recently, and Liam Heard who has ridden Quest many times over the years said the horse had never felt better. He'll likely run in the £75,000 Swinton at Haydock on the 10th May. The horse has come home in terrific form and went happily around the flat gallop this morning (see photo).
Stamford runs a stormer
22nd April 2008
After over two years off of the track it was always going to be a tall order for Stamford Street to turn in a good performance last week at Kempton. However he defied the odds (he started as the 33-1 outsider) and ran a decent 2nd, going down by just half a length to Perlachy. We were delighted with the run, especially as his previous form had been poor, and it was good to hear Jeremy's name mentioned as a trainer to keep an eye open for. The horse has come back in great form and will be out again soon.
Desert Quest is all set to revert to hurdling for a run at Sandown this Saturday. As ever with the horse the ground needs to remain no worse than good for him to run but it looks like it may oblige.
2nd place at Wolverhampton
15th April 2008
We had a good result at Wolverhampton yesterday when Shatter Resistant was just beaten into second place by a neck over five furlongs. It was only the three year old's second race for us and Jeremy felt he had just found the key to him. He was looking and going well at home and there is no doubt that the new tactic of dropping him out in the race and coming with a late run suited the horse, who ran well from a bad draw. Of course when you run a horse in a seller you have to be prepared to lose him and unfortunately Shatter's performance did get noticed and he was claimed by Mr Squance in Newmarket. We're sad to see the horse go as we feel there were races to be won with him but we wish his new connections all the best.
Two smart new arrivals
08th April 2008
Many of you will have seen the full page article on Jeremy in Monday's Racing Post. It was all very positive (even the picture wasn't bad!) and it ended by saying "It will be no surprise if the injection of Aussie self-belief turns out to be the very thing that his employers were looking for." Let me add that's already a certainty.
Two very smart young colts arrived at the yard from the excellent Mark Dwyer's this week. Both two year old bays, one (pictured above) is by Royal Applause out of Joking Apart, the other by Polish Summer out of Sally's Cry. They have gone straight into full work here and are already proving to have plenty of character. The aim is to bring them on over the coming months and race them towards the end of the summer. The Polish summer colt is already registered as Couer Brule, which means burning heart in French.
Some good results and Coops joins the team
01st April 2008
Following on from last week's news of Desert Quest's victory the horses continue to run well, with our last seven runners being placed 1st, 2nd 3rd, 4th, 4th and 6th. When I mentioned this to Jeremy yesterday he said "yeah, that's terrible isn't it". Typical Australian sporting mentality! The 3rd above was yesterday when Cheonmado (Pictured) ran on well in the final furlong over a mile at Southwell to get beaten into 3rd by a head. I can honestly say I've never been happier to see a horse run 3rd in my life. Che, as he is known to everyone here, is owned by one of the yard's greatest supporters, John Hawkins. John is mad about the horse who he bred and has always thought he'd win races. After seeing him finish strongly yesterday you can see him winning soon.
Desert Quest wins over fences
25th March 2008
Another winner last week as we notched up our first National Hunt winner when Desert Quest (pictured) won a novice chase at Ludlow on Thursday. The horse jumped well throughout and went on to win by a length and a half under Liam Heard from City Affair. Never one to do more than he has to, the horse came home in excellent order and the race doesn't appear to have taken much out of him. His next engagement is likely to be at Aintree on Grand National day in the £125,000 Grade 1 Novice Chase over 2 miles. He's a class horse and deserves his chance at a big prize.
A mixture of runners
18th March 2008
*NEWS UPDATE* Desert Quest wins his novice chase at Ludlow. Full story next Tuesday.
We are sending out a real mixture of horses this week, running in everything from a chase to a bumper, over hurdles and over 5 furlongs and also have a hurdler and a miler thrown into the mix. First up is hopefully Desert Quest who just needs the ground at Ludlow to carry on drying out (he only acts on good ground) to enable him to run on Thursday. The horse continues to go well at home (he is pictured schooling well under jockey Luke Kilgarriff this week) and we'd be hopeful of a good performance from him. Tomorrow Shatter Resistant makes his debut for the yard in a five furlong contest at Kempton Park. The race is at 18.20 and unfortunately Shatter has drawn the outside stall, which in a small field will give him a slight disadvantage. On the plus side the horse is looking well and has come back from his recent break looking strong. Liam Jones takes the ride and it would be great if he could follow up from his win on Chief Exec with another good result for the yard.
Some more good runs
11th March 2008
Following on from Chief Exec's effortless win two weeks ago (see photo) we have had another good week of positive runs. The Chief headed back to Wolverhampton last Friday night to see if he could provide back to back wins. Although he wasn't first past the post this time he did run a decent fourth under his 7llb penalty, coming from off the pace and showing his turn of foot in the home straight. Although the handicapper has gone after him following his impressive victory, he remains a horse that we can have some fun with and he may well run on turf in the summer. For more details on buying a share in Chief Exec please see the marketplace.
Chief Exec storms home
04th March 2008
Chief Exec stormed home at Wolverhampton last Friday in what had looked to be a competitive handicap, to win easily by two and a half lengths. It is over two years since the horse's last win and Jeremy's decision to run him in blinkers on only his 3rd start for us certainly played a large part in his success. The Racing Post commented: 'The first-time blinkers certainly brought about plenty of improvement from Chief Exec, who showed a smart turn of foot to settle this in a matter of strides. Now that connections have found the key to him, he should continue to pay his way'. The Chief, as he is known in the yard, may well run again this Friday - the 7th over course and distance. If you would like to get involved with this horse he is available for syndication. For more information on him please see the marketplace.
Desert Quest runs 2nd
26th February 2008
*CHIEF EXEC STORMS HOME TO WIN AT WOLVERHAMPTON. FULL STORY ON THURSDAY*
Both of our runners this week ran well and came home safely. Desert Quest ran a terrific race to come 2nd at Huntingdon in a red hot novice chase, beaten only by the first-class Modicum who is now bound for The Arkle at Cheltenham. The two finished 20 lengths ahead of the rest of the field, all of who have been rated upwards of 129 over hurdles. Desert Quest jumped superbly and we were delighted with his run. The horse returned home sound and well and was in good form on the gallops this morning. He may head to Kempton this Saturday to run in a novice handicap chase that will be live on Channel 4. The other runner last week was Derry City (pictured) who made his debut over hurdles under Richard Johnson at Plumpton yesterday. The horse jumped very well on ground that rode a lot softer than the official 'good' rating and finished 5th. He will come on both physically and mentally for the experience.
Desert Quest arrives
19th February 2008
We are delighted to welcome a very special new horse to the yard. Desert Quest (pictured below schooling with conditional jockey Luke Kilgarriff) moved into The Beeches last week - he is a top-class animal who has won convincingly on the flat, over hurdles and over fences. This quality 8 year old gelding has won his two chase starts and also counts the Vincent O'Brien handicap hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival as one of his 11 victories. Providing all goes well, he'll run his first race for us this week in a novice chase at Huntingdon on Thursday.
Makeover Week
12th February 2008
Our world-famous Seawalker has been given a bit of a makeover this week as Justin Chittendon, Managing Director of Equine Health Centre Walkers, has been at the Beeches installing a brand new filtering system. The new equipment (pictured) will allow us to keep the water in the walker extremely clean, which is no easy feat considering that up to 30 horses may use it in one morning. For more information on the Seawalker visit www.equinehealthcentre.co.uk.
One of the first horses to put the new filters to the test was new arrival Derry City. This five year old gelding came to us from Paul Nicholls' yard last week. He is by Old Vic, a renowned jumps sire and his dam is the half-sister to the Grand National horse, Nathen Lad. The horse ran third in his first bumper at Ludlow in December and then came fifth next time out at Taunton where he didn't look like he handled the ground. He is bred to stay and it will be interesting to see how he progresses, particularly when he goes over obstacles.
The gallops are finished
05th February 2008
Relief this week as the resurfacing work on our hill gallop (pictured) was finally completed and the first horses were able to use it on Saturday. Though being out of action for only a month it has felt like an eternity. We now have two first class tracks and I'm looking forward to being able to combine a lot of long steady canters on the flat with some hill and faster work in their exercise programs.
Fun with the fillies
29th January 2008
It has been a relatively quiet week in the yard as far as runners go. Cheonmado ran at Lingfield on Wednesday and on face value I was disappointed, although as the roughie of the field he wasn't expected to perform by most. 'Che' jumped from the stalls well and was asked to go forward, possibly proving his undoing as he then over-raced setting up a cracking pace which saw him drop out straightening for home. With some thought with regard to gear changes, I expect good improvement next time out.
Eleanor Eloise runs 2nd
22nd January 2008
With Eamonn and Oriana away I have finally been given my orders to get my act together and contribute to the site! Eleanor Eloise welcomed the new season when, as the yard's first runner of 2008, she ran a decent race to finish 2nd behind an odds-on favourite at Lingfield last Wednesday. It was only the filly's 3rd run and she has been steadily progressing every time. Owner and breeder John Hawkins was delighted to see his mare finish off the race to grab second. 'Ellie' (pictured on the rail in 2nd place) will be back racing again soon and it wouldn't be an overly bold statement to say that she should find her way to the winner's enclosure before too long.
Eleanor Eloise races tomorrow
15th January 2008
We have two possible runners to look out for this week. Eleanor Eloise is all set to line up at Lingfield tomorrow in the Median Auction Maiden Stakes at 1.45. The race is run over 6 furlongs on the All Weather surface. Now she has turned 4, 'Ellie' (pictured in the school) will be carrying a bit more weight than on her previous 2 runs (an 11llb increase) but she will no doubt have learned a lot from her previous outings and we are hopeful she will run well. Liam Jones retains the ride on her. The other horse set for a race is Mutual Respect who holds an entry at Chepstow on Friday. The meeting is sadly a bit doubtful due to the large volume of rain that is apparently on the way but if it goes ahead the horse should run and go well.
The Babies Start Work
08th January 2008
Three of our 2 year olds came back from their pre-training yards yesterday to start full work in preparation for their racing campaigns. Hanta Yo (a colt by Alhaarth), our Acclamation filly and another colt by Tobougg were all ridden out this morning and, aside from the odd buck, went very well. They are all lovely-looking horses and we are excited to see how they will develop. We have seven more youngsters due to come back to us over the coming weeks, taking the number of horses we currently have in work close to the 40 mark. Pictured in the photo are Hanta Yo and the Tobougg colt.
Happy New Year
02nd January 2008
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and enjoyed your New Year's celebrations. All the very best for 2008 from everyone here at Horses First Racing. If you took my advice and invested all your January sales money on Denman in the Lexus you never had a worry at any point. He jumped superbly, was in cruise control throughout the race and we cheered him on for all our worth. The festive period was a fairly hectic one for us with over 20 horses in work and runners up and down the country. The lorry racked up some impressive mileage heading to Huntingdon, Wetherby and Lingfield on consecutive days while horse transporter and good friend Wally Irvine took another runner to Chepstow for us. Northern Seren, who ran in a bumper at Huntingdon on Boxing Day, and Micky Cole, running the day after over hurdles at Wetherby, were both having their first runs back after a lay-off (Micky had been off for the best part of 2 years). They both ran as if they needed it, coming home safely under our conditional jockey Luke Kilgarriff (pictured on Micky) and no doubt improving for the outings. The Empty Tin, winner of 4 Irish point to points, jumped well and showed surprising early speed before plugging on in a 3 mile Beginners Chase at Chepstow on the 28th.
Merry Christmas
18th December 2007
The Christmas season is now in full swing and one of racing's most popular days, Boxing Day, is fast approaching. Although we haven't got anything in the King George, at least not this year, we have got some exciting runners to look out for a bit further north at Huntingdon. Lining up for her final bumper will hopefully be Northern Seren, Evelyn Smith's gorgeous 6 year old mare. This lovely horse (pictured below) has been working very well at home and we are hopeful of a decent run from her in her mare's only race. Unfortunately Evelyn will not be able to cheer her girl on as she has the tough job of being in the Caribbean for Christmas but she has assured us she will be there in spirit.
Some promising runs
11th December 2007
We made Lingfield Park our second home this week, having runners at both their Sunday and Monday meetings. On Sunday the smart looking Street Power made his debut and ran very well under Dean McKeown. The colt got bumped coming out of the gates and then raced very keenly in behind the pack. Dean brought him wide at the turn and he ran on strongly, gaining on the leaders all the way to the post and eventually finishing 7th. He was spotted by the At The Races team as one of the horses to follow from what as a competitive race (the winning trainer felt his will be Listed class next year). The jockey was very happy with the horse and was excited about when he was going to run again. This will not be until next spring as, now he has had a bit of an education, we will turn him away and wait for the flat season with him. He's a horse to keep you dreaming on long winters nights.
A date with Denman
04th December 2007
It was not quite a pick up thy bed and walk command but when Harry Findlay called on Friday night and said "Eamonn, I know you ain't been well but you have to bring Jeremy to Newbury to see a proper horse race tomorrow" I felt compelled to oblige. Thanks to everyone who has sent me get well messages and notes enquiring to my demise. Fortunately I'm doing better although still taking it a little easy. On Saturday we walked into the box and there was Paul Nicholls chatting with Paul Barber and you could feel the tension before the big race. As the Hennessy Gold Cup started the energy in the box was electric. There had been a lot of negativity about Harry's runner Denman before the race but I'd had the biggest bet of my life on him and just couldn't imagine him getting beat. When Denman flew the water jump the cheer from the 30 or so of Harry's friends and family was deafening. When Denman cruised into the lead about four fences from home everyone in the box was almost hushed with hope and possibility, then Harry spun around from the TV in the box to rush to the rail shouting jubilantly "He WINS, he wins easy!" The actual wording was a little bit more colourful, but the effect was absolute uproar. All the emotion, all the pent up hopes and dreams held by everyone present simply exploded. The last few fences were sublime to witness almost like watching a slow motion movie that you know is going to end in perfection. The magnificent horse (pictured below) was absolutely foot perfect - a league above his rivals, and even during such high emotion you could feel deep inside the privilege of seeing a sporting moment that would live forever in your memory. He may yet be the greatest horse of our generation and it was a day I'll never forget.
Saucy Night races on Thursday
27th November 2007
The rain came down, the ground came right and the horse went lame. Just when Saucy Night finally seemed set to get a run after waiting for weeks for softer ground, he knocked himself while schooling and pulled out stiff the day before he was due to run at Towcester. Disappointing though it was, the horse comes first and we weren't prepared to run him when he wasn't 100%. Thankfully, after using our Softwalker over the weekend, Saucy was sound and happy yesterday morning and back cantering (see photo below). Jeremy is well used to the last minute blips that come part and parcel with racehorses and had the foresight to enter the horse at several fixtures this week. The result is that, providing the horse schools well tomorrow, he has an entry in a 2 mile 6 chase at Uttoxeter. He is a course and distance winner there, the ground should be to his liking and he will be one of the top-rated horses in the race. We will offset the additional weight burden that this brings by putting up our conditional jockey Luke Kilgarriff who will take 10llbs off Saucy's back. All things considered we would be hopeful of a decent run.
Ouninpohja arrives
20th November 2007
You may have already read in the press about the latest horse to move to Horses First Racing. Indeed the arrival of Ouninpohja (pictured below right, winning at Newmarket) from Paul Nicholls' yard has interested a lot of people. The horse is incredibly talented, being rated 106 on the flat and 141 over hurdles, however he looks to have fallen out of love with the game recently and we plan to give him a break before bringing him back into work and freshening him up. He will undoubtedly be a challenge but one that we are very much looking forward to.
Street Power makes his debut
13th November 2007
Saturday could be an exciting day for the yard as our 2 year old Street Cry colt, Street Power, is all set to make his racing debut at Lingfield. The colt has grown up a lot over the last few months and he will definitely come on for the experience. The main objective is for him to enjoy himself. He was bred by one of our long-term supporters, John Hawkins, who has several horses in training with us and has an excellent eye for breeding and pedigrees. John has always though a lot of the horse and will be cheering him home at the weekend. Street Power (pictured below) runs in what looks a very competitive maiden at 1.20. Incidentally his half sister may make her debut soon next week so stay tuned.
More facilities, more new horses
06th November 2007
The steady influx of new horses is ongoing at Horses First Racing but before I introduce you to the latest arrivals I'd like to show you the wonderful new facilities we have just put in to accommodate them. This week we converted our third barn into a top-class stabling facility, adding 12 new boxes to our capacity. We had horses ready to move into it straight away and the stabling allows us to have our colts more safely stabled. The boxes are very light and spacious and really do look very smart.
A good run and more entries to look out for
30th October 2007
Nobelix ran a good race yesterday at Lingfield to finish 3rd in a decent handicap on the all weather. We are still getting to know this little horse but he is very genuine and obviously talented and we look forward to what the future holds for him. Nobelix (pictured below coming home on the gallop) comes from a decent racing family. His 3 year-old sister, Noble Ginger, was third in a Group 3 race in France on Thursday and his 2-year-old sister, Nice And Spicy, was 3rd in her debut at Longchamp last week. He is already proven on both the flat and over hurdles and we have a range of options about where to go next with him.
A perfect autumn morning
23rd October 2007
Today was a lovely day for watching the horses working on the gallops. Wrapped up against the distinct chill in the air, standing next to my old school mate Harry Findlay, it was a wonderful sight to see horse after horse gallop through the slight mist, the sun gleaming on their coats, steam coming from their nostrils, as they were put through their paces. I get as much enjoyment from watching old favourites like Saucy Night and Jahash work as I do seeing the youngsters being prepared for their first races. Below is a photo of our lovely Street Cry colt working with Escolhida, our gorgeous Montjeu filly who is Septimus' half sister. Both of these youngsters will be making their racecourse debuts soon, which is a thought to warm you up on a chilly morning.