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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.
Things have certainly been rather busy since my arrival and the work to the property nothing short of incredible. Never has the old saying 'a watched pot never boils' been so apt as the final touches to the new gallops proceed. I have become an authority on the weather in our parts as I study and measure day by day the progress on the resurfacing! The picture below shows the amount of waxed sand still to go on the hill gallop but I am finally confident we will be in full swing by the beginning of next week and 'by crikey' will it be a relief to me to be able to chose whatever work we please next Monday! The transformation to 'The Beeches' has been astounding and for those that have not been here over the past few months, I encourage you to do so.
Tomorrow we head to Lingfield with a runner in the 3.50. Cheonmado (pictured below) is making a return to the track after being gelded. The horse last ran in May 07 and is likely to be in need of the run. Jim Crowley takes the ride over 7f so it will be interesting to see how he fares on his return to the track.
It has been a relatively quiet time as far as runners go but I expect things to get busier during February as we get into full swing. The new 2yo's are coming along well and it will be interesting to see them mature over the coming months and into the new season. Last week we took three horses to Lingfield for a racecourse gallop. Chief Exec will be running soon on the all-weather, Paradigm Shift is fast-approaching his first bumper in February and Northern Seren (pictured schooling below) will be making her hurdling debut in the same month. All three worked well at the track and I'd like to thank apprentice jockeys David Probert and Neil Chalmers for coming to gallop the horses with our conditional jockey Luke Kilgarriff.
The past 4 months have been a rather dramatic period of adjustment for all as Horses First Racing expands and develops as a racing yard. We are building a good team of horses and just as important, a good team of staff which will be vital for the company to produce top class racehorses in the future. There are a number of job vacancies available, from work riders to ground staff. Anyone who is interested in working for us should contact Kelly Baker on 01985 841166. I look forward to your involvement and encourage you all to 'come along for the ride'!
Jeremy Gask