One Grand National - Two Gold Cups
Two yard visits this week, and two Grand Nationals to end the week – one of which was very local!
Monday morning started with the customary schooling video form Fergal O’Brien. Trainers have a set routine for the week – the only deviations from that routine occur when a horse is due to run on a Monday or Tuesday the following week. Those that are not intended runners early the next week will all have a day off on a Sunday, with just a short session on the walker in the morning and in the afternoon as the team are in mucking out, bedding down and feeding. Those that are running will have a normal day of exercise to keep them loose and moving freely. The horses that have had Sunday off, will have an easy day on a Monday, a gentle reintroduction into the working week – which at Ravenswell Farm means a canter on the round gallop and a pop up a few flights of hurdles or over half a dozen fences. Tuesday is a work morning, Wednesday another easy day, Thursday a swinging canter, Friday is the second work morning of the week, and they just canter on Saturday.
This week, it was Chevelle who we got to see skip up the hurdles – Chevelle is nearing a return to the track after a spell on the sidelines with a back issue during which she underwent surgery for a wind problem that had developed since she arrived in the Cotswolds (bad timing). She is back in great form now, and as you can seem schooled really well on Monday morning and is scheduled to have an entry in Market Rasen on the 20th.
One that would not be running this spring would be Nevada Samba – but for all the right reasons. Having spent a few weeks in Barbury Castle with Alan King, we decided to not run him this tiem around as we all feel that he is ideally suited to a season in bumpers next term and a run this season would only be chalking one off the number that he can run in during the 2025/26 season. NS is only a 4 yr old, and will benefit hugely from a season in bumpers, and as Alan has seen enough of him to believe that he can be very competitive in a nice race or two next spring – we made the decision to rough him off and send him out to grass with ‘all dreams intact!’ He made his way back to Ivy Lodge Farm on Monday morning, arrived looking a million dollars and has settled in well. He will spend the next few days out in a paddock in the day enjoying the sunshine, and in his stable at night, when the temperatures are dipping down to near freezing. When the overnight temperatures are a bit warmer, he will be turned out with another very exciting bumper horse that Jason has at the yard, Mydaddypaddy, a very impressive winner for the Skeltons in March, and the pair will live right up close to Jasons house so that he can keep an eye on these two very exciting young horses!
Speaking to Jason on Monday morning he gave an update on the three 3 yr olds that are all in full work at Ivy Lodge Farm. Finbar is going very nicely – he is a handy horse, but he is very athletic and very tough – he is always doing something mischievous, and if he was a schoolboy he would be spending plenty of time in detention, but he has ability, and that tough attitude will stand him in good stead in his bumpers this autumn. Last week we restructured his syndicate slightly, and shares in him proved to be very popular – there are now only 20% of the shares remaining – have a look at him on the For Sale Page and get in touch! The Grey Gatsby gelding is an absolute beast of a horse a really strong individual, who just loves his work – he takes his work very well and Jason is very happy with him. The one that hasn’t thrived for the work is Floyd – the gelding out of Savingforvegas. He is a big, tall boy, and he has been suffering with a skin infection for a while which has proved tough to clear up and has knocked him sideways a bit. He is a horse that is going to need more time than the other two and as a result he is not being asked to do the workload of that pair and will head out to the field after he has had a refresher course over barrels and hurdles in the outdoor school this week. Those that have ridden him like him – he is the spitting image of Nevada Samba, and seems to go as nicely as he did at this stage – so he could be another nice one and will be treated as such. He will have a summer off, come back in for another course of education in the autumn, when a decision will be made on what we do with him in the spring. He will not be rushed, we will go at his pace, and he will be syndicated when I feel the time is right, which may not be until this time next year.
Another one that we will need to be just a little more patient with is Old Blue Eyes. Donald called on Monday to say that with this extremely dry spring leading to very inconsistent watered ground – on tracks that have been run on through the winter, and on which the grass is yet to grow back – he would rather not risk him and put him away for the summer. OBE has been feeling the effects of being in training all season for the last couple of weeks, and we all felt that it was best to let him down and turn him out to grass when the weather is right. A bumper winner on debut, he has a bright future and will head straight over hurdles next season.
Tuesday, and a chat with Josh Moore and his vet down at Cisswood Stables regarding Cloud Dancer who has picked up an injury and would not be running again this spring. After chatting to the pair of them, I arranged for CD to be collected, and he has gone down to Ivy Lodge Farm to rehabilitate and recover. The timing of the injury is far from ideal – as we all felt that we had him spot on to run a massive race in the Challenger Series Final in Haydock next weekend, a race that had been his target for a few months - but he will be given the best of care in his rehab, and we will leave no stone unturned to get him back to the track in the very best of shape!
Wednesday, an early alarm and a trip up the country to see the team at Donald McCains.
A beautiful sunrise at Bankhouse
The Red Sash Racing Club’s Ridin Solo has been roughed off for the season – and is spending his days in the field. As I said last week, he has had every veterinary check imaginable after his poor run in Kelso, and nothing came to light – it is possible that he was just over the top on the day – one run too many maybe? He will spend the summer in the field at Bankhouse and return to work in July in preparation for a season over fences, where he will truly be seen at his best – especially when he gets to tackle staying trips!
Ridin Solo on his holidays
Old Blue Eyes – as mentioned, is another that will be heading out to grass – he will just have a week or two in his stable to get over a couple of little niggles and then head off on his holidays.
One that will not be having an easy summer is Dino Bellagio – he is to embark on a different journey – a campaign on the flat! His preparation for his upcoming debut has gone very well – and as usual his work has been very good. Donald is delighted with him, and we are all very much looking forward to seeing him run. There are just a couple of shares available in Dino – his details are on the For Sale Page – if this new plan works – he will be plenty of fun for the summer – but if it doesn’t there is no fixed term and you are free to leave whenever you want – leased shares – so no capital outlay – and an all-inclusive £110/month – this is what Donald has to say
Dino Bellagio
While I was with Donald we had a bit of fun – we had been chatting about a filly in France from the start of the week – and as it happened she was due to run in a claimer in Nantes at 10.50am BST – just out of curiosity I hung around to watch the race – filling my time walking round the fields with Donald and looking at the young stock that he has there. We settled back in the office to watch the Nantes race live – and would you believe it – the filly won. We liked what we saw, and Donald felt that it would be interesting to pop in a claim for her – just a cheeky one – to see if he could secure her for a summer’s hurdling campaign in the UK. A few hasty phone calls to France, and would you believe it? He got her! Even better, within an hour she had a new owner as well! We wish all her new connections the best of luck – I will follow her career with interest – especially as she is a fine big filly by The Grey Gatsby, and you all know how much I like his stock! He could have just got himself a bargain!
Later that day, Cloud Dancer arrived back at Ivy Lodge Farm – we have decided to get the vets there to check him out, and in conjunction with Gary and Josh’s vets we will put a rehab plan in place for him.
Thursday – having worked really well on Wednesday, Dino Bellagio had an easier day – and as a result it was a chance to further his stalls education. Over the course of the last few weeks, he had gone through them and stood in them fine, and without an issue – now he just had to learn to get out of them – and fast! Jumping quickly from the stalls is a skill and needs to be learned – so he needs a few reps to get the drop of it. It is a process that he will continue to get better and better at – but this first time was not bad at all. For a first go – it was pretty good – he will of course be at a disadvantage with the horses he will meet when he gets to the track, as although he will be older and have way more experience on the racecourse, they will have been going through the stalls and jumping out of them at speed for over a year – not just a few weeks! It may just take him few goes on the track to get really good at it – but he will!
Friday and we headed down to the Cotswolds to see the horses at Ivy Lodge Farm. This would be a special morning, as I would be spending it with the three of the original members of The Ravenstone Partnership who owned and raced Finbar’s dam, Molly Childers. Molly was a fantastic mare for them and has gone on to produce the sales topping colt by Jeu St Eloi at Day 1 of last autumns Tattersalls November Sales. Molly was sold over to Ireland, when tragedy struck and one of her owners sadly passed away, and it wasn’t possible for her remaining owners to keep her and cover her with the good stallions that a mare of her stature deserved, but those that remained in the syndicate had her first foal, Finbar to look forward to – and it was this small team that met up on Friday to see him for the first time this season. It was a bit like ‘getting the band back together’ and we had a lovely time in the sunshine with Jason, Lauren and the team.
Finbar and Jason
Finbar Cantering
Finbar leading Floyd walking back
Gatsby walking home
Finbar and Alan
Finbar and Jason
Gatsby
It was good to see Tommie O’Brien who was in to give Maguire his Birthday present (it is actually today – the 13th – Happy Birthday Jason!). Tommie works for Jason, but is ‘off games’ at the moment, having fractured his shoulder blade and broken his back in a couple of places at Aintree the previous weekend. He looked in remarkably good form considering, although he did say things get a little sore towards the end of the day., He was heading up to Oaksey House in Lambourn later that afternoon to start his rehab – he will be out of action for a few weeks! While we were chatting, he was very enthusiastic about the horses that he had sat on at Ivy Lodge – he liked them all, Finbar as we know – very capable, and very tough. Floyd a lovely horse that would need time to mature and come to grips with life as a fully fit racehorse, and Gatsby is a tank – the only thing he hates is a day off! Tommie is another one that thinks an awful lot of Nevada Samba – he said, ‘We had a little look under the bonnet last summer, and we saw that he has a big engine – I was surprised with the acceleration and speed he showed’. Fingers crossed the wheels stay on!
After a cup of tea (for most) and a G&T for one – we headed down to the Woolpack in Slad for a bite of lunch. This is a pub we have been to before, usually around New Year – good to see it in the sunshine. It is a quirky Pub, small and very cosy, an unorthodox layout – but a great atmosphere, super views, and great food – although I was disappointed that the usual devilled kidneys were not on the menu! Soup was very good, burgers great, and the mutton belly starter looked good too!
The Woolpack - good - but not a patch on where Debbie has been dining!
It was a fantastic trip – superb weather and great company (I have to say that - I know they all read this!) No, it really was – and I look forward to seeing them all together again soon on the racecourse – we are all looking forward to Finbar’s debut in the autumn!
While waiting for lunch to arrive in the Woolpack – a chance to do a little bit of admin – two entered Friday morning for runs next Thursday. Greyval – who is in great form, got her entry in the Mares Challenger Series Final in Cheltenham which had been the plan for some time. She has thrived in the spring sunshine and will really appreciate the sound surface she should get next week. I am very much looking forward to seeing her run. The other one to get an entry was Dino Bellagio – who will head to Ripon on the same day to make his flat debut. Only 9 entries, but my word – there are a few nice pedigrees and huge price tags amongst his possible rivals – and from top yards too! I am hoping upon hope that there are a couple of valuable maidens that are confined to 3 yr olds down south that they may be aimed at in the week after Ripon! Dino’s jumps pedigree doesn’t quite match up to their dazzling, fancy flat pedigrees! Either way he will head there as turf options are limited for him as an older horse – it will be good to get him going!
Saturday – Alan King sent a video of Rockola doing a lovely piece of work up the Sharpridge gallop – she will be lots of fun for her owners on the better spring/summer ground.
It was Scottish Grand National day – but I would be spending time with the runners and riders of a slightly different Grand National. While with Jason and Lauren on Friday, they had mentioned that on Saturday, Jason and youngest daughter Freya were heading to Keysoe International, the Equitation Centre in the next village to me and only a couple of minutes up the road – as I was not busy – I said I would meet them up there to watch Freya undergo her assessment for the Shetland Pony Grand National which is run at all of the top, shows around the country, and even overseas for the remainder of 2025. I had no idea what to expect – but I hadn’t realised there were that many Shetland ponies in the country! This assessment day had started at 9.30am – and here we were at 1.30pm still running heats and races to determine the suitability of ponies and jockeys for the races held across the country. I knew there would be a (proper) Grand National winning jockey there in the shape of Maguire, but I hadn’t expected to see a dual Gold Cup winner there – Dickie Johnson, there to see his son get a few spins round. Also great to see other friends from the racing and bloodstock world there, including Dave and Vicky Phelan, who are old hands at the Shetland Grand National circuit – the last of their three daughters currently in the saddle! The ponies and jockeys are first asked to tackle one circuit of the course in pairs, then in a four, finishing up in a 8 pony heat. Freya and her pony Fireman were easy winners of the 2 and 4 pony heats and would have bolted up in the 8 pony final had Freya not taken a wrong turn. She got a couple more goes, and qualified for the main events, so she and Fireman will be having some fun over the course of the next few months – and Dad will be doing plenty of driving!
I promise you this is only a fraction of the number of Shetland Ponies that were in Keysoe!
One Grand National - Two Gold Cups - Jason Maguire and Dickie Johnson
SWEEEET!! Jason and Freya on Fireman
All smiles at the end of the day!
A fun afternoon – thrills and spills – there were a few tumbles – but everyone went away smiling! Lovely to unexpectedly meet up with a few friends, and all in all a different but fun way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon.
Back home in time to see the other Grand National – the Scottish version – a one two for Willie Mullins – this and his win in the concluding bumper, leaving him just £1500 behind Dan Skelton in the race for the trainers’ title. It will be tough for Skelton to keep the Closutton juggernaut at bay!
Savingforvegas and her foal ‘Nancy’ headed out to France last weekend, Vegas booked in for a return visit to Nirvana du Berlais. All arrived safe and sound, and Savingforvegas was covered yesterday – in a couple of weeks we will know if she has conceived – fingers crossed she has – she usually breeds very well and conceives easily – so we can get her and Nancy back home as soon as possible. Even if she is scanned in foal in a couple of weeks the pair will remain in France a while longer to let the pregnancy develop before asking her and Nancy to make the trip home. Better to be safe than sorry!
As I type my ramblings for the week – Debbie has filed her copy - Part 2 of her trip to Dubai a couple of weeks ago – it ended up being a thrilling week for her and her friends, which you can read about below – including a rather fancy restaurant review!
Dubai Destination part 2
My pick truck taxi dropped me at the Meydan hotel across the track from Zabeel where I met up with good friends Deb Mihaloff and her racing manager Amanda Roxborough for breakfast and was delighted to accept a dinner invite from Deb for the evening. Deb has bred over 400 Arabian racehorses in the US where she lives and was in Dubai with a runner in the first race, First Classs. ‘Classs’ had won the Dubai Kahayla Classic back in 2022 when he was leased by a Qatari owner, this time he would be running in Deb’s own colours. Some of you may recall Classs featuring in previous newsletters when he ran at Goodwood in 2023, he since (on my recommendation) had an extended summer holiday with Grand National winner Timmy Murphy and his partner Megan Andrews in the Cotswolds, having lost his form. The ‘RnR’ certainly did the trick as though he was out of the frame on his return to Dubai for Doug Watson, since the turn of the year he struck up a fruitful partnership with Connor Beasley, winning and placing at Group 1 level and justifying everyone’s faith to keep him in training as an older horse.
The rest of the day was spent editing the morning’s photos from Zabeel and Meydan and I was looking forward to dinner with Deb and Amanda. I didn’t know where we were headed, only that it was ‘in the Burj’ and that Deb had been trying to get a reservation there for three years! When we arrived, we did actually go to the wrong restaurant, there are a few in the Tower, and two under the Armani Hotels banner. Whilst we were waiting to be seated in the Armani /Ristorante we remarked to the waitress how beautiful the floral arrangements of purple orchids were, to which she replied that they were normally always white… Now I’m not particularly superstitious, but Deb’s colours are purple, green and white and when I’d been in the States for another big Arabian race that Deb’s horse Thess Is Awesome had won as a rank outsider, yes, you guessed it, the hotel also had a purple orchid arrangement in the lobby…
We were seated outside for pre-dinner drinks, overlooking the fountains again, only this time from higher up as they danced to a variety of James Bond theme tunes. At this point Deb revealed that it had always been an ambition to dine at a restaurant with a Michelin star and at last her ambition would be achieved, neither Amanda or I had either, so it was clear that special evening was ahead. Deb ordered wine, but Amanda and I both fancied a margarita, much to our surprise our Bolivian wine waiter Sebastien wasn’t sure of the recipe and kept trying to include orange juice (!!!!) so we talked him through it, and I have to say, did a pretty good job for a novice.
Once seated inside, we ordered a Golden Burrata to share as a starter, then both Deb and Amanda ordered Tortelli Piancenti ‘Mr Armani’s favourite dish’ (spinach and ricotta ravioli) whilst I opted for Tortelli (Wagyu beef tortelli). So, what’s so special about a Golden Burrata… well it’s a big ball of Mozzarella covered in GOLD LEAF. Yes, that’s right, only in Dubai folks!! I have to say, it was really good, served with locally grown tomatoes (not exactly common place in Dubai) and definitely too much for one person. The pasta was also fantastic and given the location and the Michelin star, not too extortionate either. Suffice to say we had a marvellous evening and if you fancy a memorable night out in Dubai, you couldn’t go wrong there.
Golden Cheese!!
Saturday is the big day and with no trackwork, I had a lie in of sorts and shared my breakfast table with Scott Burton and Maddy Playle of the Racing Post and Chase Liebenberg, a racing photographer from Cape Town. We had a fairly substantial putting the world to rights, ranging from Trump’s Liberation Day to the new appointment of Jim “Mad” Mullen as CEO of Jockey Club Racecourses. In order to bring some light relief, Maddy was still limping about from spending her afternoon with Dubai’s first camel riding instructor, and regaled us with instructions for the correct position for ‘slow trot’, which for her was unattainable due to a ‘lack of core muscles’.
Racing had been put back an hour due to ‘the heat’, or maybe it was because the authorities hadn’t factored in the change to British Summertime and the clash with racing at Aintree (which had been sold around the world as a double header). At least it wasn’t as horrifically scorching at the track as some reports had been suggesting, just a fairly toasty 33 degrees, but with a light breeze to take the edge off. Fortunately the horses seemed to cope pretty well and as the runners came out to be saddled for the Kahayla I notice that the French trained runner was sporting a little skull cap. They are quite popular in the South of France and basically cover the top of the head under the bridle with two holes for the ears. The groom will soak it in cold water before fitting to help keep the horses’ head cool.
After a few pics of them going round, I went to take up position in the paddock so I could grab a few pics of Deb with Amanda, her trainer Doug Watson and jockey Connor Beasley, before making my way across the turf track to get on the rail for the opening race. Last year’s winner Tilal Al Khalediah from Saudi was short odds by the off and I had recommended First Classs to a few UK friends as an each-way proposition (20’s taken I’m told). Whilst there have been two three-time winners of this race, all in consecutive years, no horse had ever won again having lost in between.
The start for the 1m2f race is in the home straight. ‘Classs’ also had the disadvantage of being drawn in the car park, stall 14 of 15, but he broke well and Connor sent him up the outside lying third, though wide, going into the first bend. In front was 2025 champion elect Silvestre de Sousa on Djafar, another horse who had run at Goodwood, with hot favourite Tilal Al Kahlediah and Mubeed close up. Classs and Connor picked up the lead going into the straight as Djafar faded, and started to pull clear, however Tilal Al Khalediah was staying on, though making hard work of it. As they crossed the line Class was still three quarters of a length in front to win, making history in the process.
People often ask how I can take (in focus) pictures when a horse I’m closely connected to wins. Yes, you do get a thrill and you want to cheer, but I guess knowing the importance of providing a record makes me totally focussed mentally. That’s not to say I’m picture perfect every time, a disaster hasn’t happened yet, but there’s always a first time! When a horse wins at the Cup meeting they bring a rope across the track to line the photographers up and the winners stand on the other side. I’ve repeatedly asked for this to happen at Cheltenham when the scrum to take the winner celebration shot is really becoming borderline dangerous, how someone hasn’t been pushed over, or lost their footing I don’t know. After two turns in front of the cameras, hopefully with plenty of emotion from the jockey, groom and often the assistant trainer or travelling head person, then they are led off to the winners’ enclosure. I caught up with Deb on the walkway, giving her a big hug and once all the presentation photos were done, I interviewed both Deb and Connor for French daily Jour de Galop and forwarded the voice notes to my editor.
First Classs
First Classs and Conor Beasley
Winning Conncetions
Debbie, Deborah and Amanda- enjoying a First Classs glasss of bubblesss!
Hit Shoe comes frok out of the cliuds to win the Dubai World Cup
In normal circumstances I would have been back to the media room to edit and send photos. However, it’s not every day a long-standing friend happens to breed and own a Dubai World Cup night winner, and so I went with Deb and Amanda to the winners’ room for a glass of champagne (actually a bottle of water first!) and to watch the race replay. I ended up missing the Dubai Gold Cup entirely, but was back on track for the remainder, including anther Group 1 win for Connor in the Golden Shaheen and the shock win of Hit Show for Qatar’s Wathnan Racing in the Dubai World Cup itself. After racing there is always a spectacular firework display which in recent years has been augmented by a drone show, and then we were off for another celebratory drink at Deb’s hotel (Margarita’s with orange!). It really was a night to remember, and a chance to reflect on how much pleasure involvement with good horses gives us. ‘Classs’ had been a difficult colt (self-harming in his stall) and he was gelded very early on, as he almost certainly wouldn’t have been so successful had he been left entire, and he is now the winner of four races worth a million dollars or more. He does have some sisters though and his dam is still producing so Deb has had plenty to look forward to, whether she chooses to race, or to sell.
Drone Show
First Classs gets a well earned kiss!
My onward flight to Qatar wasn’t until lunchtime, so I called in at Red Stables the next morning with my cases to get a few shots of the team with ‘Classs’ outside the barns. After racing Doug had met up with some Irish friends who were sporting a bottle of whiskey and so he passed on the photo shoot staying in his chair in the office!! It is often said that good horses know they’re good. ‘Classs’ hadn’t turned a hair throughout his winning experience the day before, with Doug impressed at how he had barely blown after the race, despite winning in a faster time than the last three winners (including his own first win in 2022, when trained by Jean de Mieulle). For photos that morning he stood regally and looked every inch a champion. Whilst holidaying (of sorts, just the one race meeting and stable visit!) this week in Qatar I learned he had been made ‘UAE Arabian Horse of the Year’ an award that was presented to Doug and the team at the last meet of the season at Abu Dhabi. All being well, he will stay in training for another attempt at a valuable race he’s already won in December, with a possible fifth crack at the Kahayla next March as an nine year old.
Huge thanks to Debbie for taking the time to write about her trip – a very enjoyable account of a great time in Dubai. Having only arrived back in the country late yesterday afternoon and with an overnight stay in London – Debbie once again pulled out all the stops to get her account written. I look forward to catching up with her next week in Cheltenham! Who knows – if Dino takes to this flat lark – we may even be out there ourselves in 2026! What a story that would be!!
Around the remainder – Intrepide Sud is recovering from infection that saw him put in a lacklustre finishing effort in Stratford a couple of weeks ago. He is spending plenty of time in the field, and it should not be long before he is back on track. And She Was is back at Barbury Castle and cantering away – she is scheduled to have another run in a bumper before a summers break.
