Tuesday 23 March

After a superb week of action last week in Cheltenham - it is welcome news this week, that two owners per horse will be permitted to attend the track from March 29th. It has been a long haul - but hopefully the vaccine programme will help us out of the awful situation the whole nation finds itself in - and we can get back to doing the things we love sooner rather than later. A huge thank you to all of our members who have stuck with us through these very testing times - and to the vast number of new members who have taken the plunge and decided to join our new groups through the duration of the last 12 months and through numerous lockdowns. We have been unbelievably busy - and it will be great fun when we get back to normal with all of the exciting young horses we now have on the team! Last week we had just the the two runners - Yauthym returned to the track after a horror fall in Southwell last month. She ran in the maiden hurdle in Fakenham - a track that we know suits - but where she was undone by very soft conditions on her last visit there. She was understandably a bit sticky at the first, but soon warmed to her task, and travelled and jumped well. She battled all the way to the line and finished a decent second. She is suited to a quick track and decent ground so she will remain on the go for a few weeks, and looks sure to be able to break her duck very soon. Blue Bikini made the trip to Sedgefield where she was fancied to go very close in the concluding bumper. The ground at the Durham track was very testing, and chopped up, and the entire field went wide to find the best on offer. In the end BB finished third, with Ciaran blaming the track for the run. She will remain at Fences Farm for a few weeks until conditions are suitable for her to go out in the field for her summer break. In the meantime she will have a few schools over hurdles in preparation for her hurdling career in the autumn. Classic Ben is to undergo some ground breaking treatment - he will not run again this season but the hope is that he will return next season in better shape. I will discuss options for him with Ciaran and Stuart over the summer. Due to unforeseen circumstances a share has become available in CB - please get in touch if you would like a share in a decent staying handicap chaser that will take you to some nice meetings next winter. Queenohearts has almost completed her treatment at The Elms and will be able to go out for a summers rest. Go Millie Go is being aimed at the April meeting in Cheltenham, or a handicap at Ayr's Scottish National Meeting. Hi Ho Silva Lining is recovering from injury but is back cantering now, and time will tell if he gets to run this spring or he waits until the autumn. Down in the Cotswolds - San Seb and Volkovka are both at Ivy Lodge Farm - they are on wind down - and will head off for their summer breaks next month. Hidden Beauty is going very nicely at Ravenswell Farm - she is a fine imposing filly - a horse that impresses everyone and is a very bright prospect! At Olly Murphys's Warren Chase stables Auditoria is in fine form. She will not run over hurdles again this season - and will instead turn her hand to the flat next month. We have added to the squad with the purchase of a lovely 3 yr old filly in France. She will arrive in the UK this week, and will head to Jason Maguires to have a couple of weeks schooling over hurdles. She is another that will head off for a summer break - but while the conditions are too cold and wet for her to go out, we will use the time to get a head start and get her popping a few hurdles. She has a flat rating of 85 - and is a 3/4 sister to a Group 1 filly on the flat - so we are very hopeful that she can take high order in the ranks of the juvenile filly's over hurdles next season. She will be trained by Fergal O'Brien. Queenohearts' half sister - 'Mini' has arrived over from the Northern Ireland, and is being broken in with Jason. She is a quality filly, and looks to have the tough attitude of her half sister. She looks just the type to be contesting mares bumpers in the spring of next year. We have a really exciting group of young horses for the upcoming years - which includes the gorgeous Mamool gelding that we will be syndicating in the next few weeks. He is currently with Charlie Poste, receiving a refresher course on the work he did 12 months ago as a 2yr old. He is cantering and schooling nicely, and will be aimed at juvenile bumpers and hurdles next season, he too heads to O'Brien. Our 3 yr old full sister to Gardens Of Babylon, by Camelot, has been accepted into the store sales this summer - and will head to Doncaster in May. She is a lovely, tall athletic filly with an outstanding pedigree and we are looking forward to offering her. She has wintered at Ivy Lodge, and later this week she will return to The Elms for her sales prep, and be replaced down in Gloucestershire with Dean - the 2 yr old by Doyen, out of Savingforvegas who will be broken in, and have his first round of education. It was great to see Savingforvegas having a bright start to her broodmare career, with an encouraging run and third place on debut from her first born, One Eye On Vegas in a Huntingdon Bumper last week. She is due to foal a full brother/sister to that horse in the next couple of weeks, and will be covered by Falco this time. Her yearling - also by Blue Bresil will be offered at the Goffs UK Sale in August, along with a beautiful Jukebox Jury yearling filly. Molly Childers has been covered by Planteur last weekend - fingers crossed she scans in foal next week!