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August Newsletter
01st December 2007
We have said in previous newsletters how excited we are about our current crop of two year olds and last week saw the first one making her racecourse debut. It has been a slow couple of months as some of the horses have been under the weather and we decided to take our time with them. We are now back in full swing and watching Yanza (Bahamian Bounty x Locharia) make her debut over five and a half furlongs at Bath last week was very encouraging. Despite being slow to break she showed good speed before being badly hampered to finish 4th. Before the race we heard that both Via Mia (3rd) and Wake Me Now (2nd) were highly thought of by their trainers and Rioliina (1st) looked like a nice animal from her previous run, so for Yanza (pictured above) to get 4th after having such bad luck in running was very encouraging. Although understandably green the filly showed a lot of speed and was going as well as anything bar the winner when she got knocked right back into last place. At that point a lot of fillies on their debut would have called it a day but Yanza came again and showed good heart. Her jockey thought he'd have been second without the interference and we very much look forward to her next run, likely back at Bath on the 22nd. She has come out of the race in good order and is a very likeable filly.
Yanza is the first of a really nice group of two year olds due to run in the coming weeks. Watching them work in the mornings it's impossible not to dream of what they might achieve. Vamos (Royal Applause x Feather Boa) is showing a good turn of foot and will debut over five furlongs. Jung (Stroll x Witching Well) is a serious stamp of a horse and will be out soon. Hanta Yo (Alhaarth x Tekindia) has always looked like making a nice horse (he is pictured above leading Ouninpohja up the gallops) and he should run next month. Another couple of two year olds that are further off racing but are catching the eye are New Leyf (Kheleyf
Some of the older horses are also starting to really impress - keep an eye open for Taine, El Diego, Remember Ramon (pictured galloping below), and even the much maligned Ouninpohja is enjoying himself and showing glimpses of his former self.
In the last newsletter we published a photo of our new twelve stable barn that had just been completed and with this edition I'm delighted to show you our fantastic new purpose built twenty stable barn (see photo below). A few years ago, shortly after myself and my wife Oriana moved to the farm, we discussed the possibility of building ourselves a house down near the start of our hill gallop to take full advantage of the stunning views down there. We didn't go ahead with it and in true horses first spirit decided to put the new barn there instead. The result is that the 10 lucky equines on the far side of the barn have the most amazing view out over the gallops and into the bowl, while the other ten have a nearly as nice view over the fields and the yard. The barn takes our stabling capacity to 70.
Our jog cart is now up and running and this latest bit of kit from Australia is already proving its worth by allowing us to exercise horses who temporarily can't be ridden. We can now still give them a decent workout rather than having to drop them back to the walker for a few days. The horses accept the cart very well and they can work alone or in pairs. Monticelli, who is quite a hot horse to ride, has been using the cart for the last few days and went very nicely in it. He is pictured working last week. The jog cart will compliment our new high speed equine treadmill which is being delivered to us from Australia as we speak and will feature in the next newsletter.
The treadmill isn't the only thing coming to us from Australia in the near future. Following Jeremy's recent trip over there we have bought some very nice horses with a few more possibly in line to join them. They are currently in quarantine in Australia where they will be kept ticking over for us before flying to England in September. Full details next month
About four years ago we found some human remains on top of our hill overlooking the farm. It turned out that they were from an elder from the Bronze Age who had been buried there around four thousand years ago. I have always vowed to erect a fitting memorial where the remains were found but have until have not found the right piece. On a recent holiday to Cornwall I came across a huge 14 foot, 5 ton rock and immediately knew it was exactly what we we've been looking for. We had it transported to the farm last week and it is now erected near where the remains were found, standing by the hill gallops overlooking the valley (see below).
For those of you following the weekly website picks we've had a remarkable run with no losers to date! The Duke of Marmalade won the King George in a cracking race having been advised at all prices from 5-1 to 5-2. Previous picks have been Henrythenavigator 4/6 at Royal Ascot and again at Glorious Goodwood at 1/2, Harry Findlay's remarkable bitch Flying Winner who won by 9 lengths at 4/6, and Nadal who won Wimbledon in a classic at 5/4. This week there is a very confident selection of Portsmouth to finish above Newcastle United in the Premiership and next week there is a nap at York that we'll put up on the site on Tuesday (not being difficult but the race hasn't closed yet.) All good fun and let's hope the run continues.
We'll be back in touch next month with more news and updates.